The Vortex Bar & Grill

Where have you heard of this place before? It's killing you, isn't it? Well, let me give you a hint:

(1) It was on the Travel Channel

(2) It was probably really difficult to watch

(3) You most likely heard it first from Alan Richman

That's right --- the famous Vortex Bar & Grill was featured on Man vs. Food in one of the earlier episodes (before each episode included a challenge). Having gone to school in ATL, we can bet that this place was one of Alan's old stomping grounds. I visited the Vortex Version 2.0 in Midtown on Saturday with some new Atlanta friends from Norfolk Southern and the Weather Channel; the original Vortex is appropriately located in the eclectic Little Five Points (AKA: L5P --- stick it in your acronym vault, it's one of my favorites).

What made this burger joint Man vs. Food-worthy? It's the Double Bypass Burger (don't read this on an upset stomach - I copied directly from the menu): "Twice as big as the Coronary Bypass! Topped with two fried eggs, six slices of American cheese, and eight slices of bacon, all served between the two grilled cheese sandwiches that we use in place of the regular hamburger buns." Basically it's a heart attack with a side of tater-tots.

Our visit did not include the Double Bypass Burger, it did however consist of the following (easily broken down to the drinks and the food):

The Drinks: Bringing this blog full circle, I ordered the Laughing Skull Ale brewed by, you guessed it, the Atlanta Brewing Company. This quickly rose to the top of my ABC beers list. They also brewed a mean sweet tea. Yes, it only took me four weeks in Atlanta to become a sweet tea drinker. Just typing it is making me thirsty!

The Food: I went with the Pesto Burger, a new menu item that is sure to be a hit. Take one part burger, 1/4 part pesto, 1/2 part provolone, and 2 parts toasted buns. Stack in a logical manner to create a blissful combination. Add tots (or one of the five other available side items), but I recommend the tots.

I must give a shout out to Amanda back in Pittsburgh who's gift card I used during this meal. As a going away present, Amanda researched the best restaurants across Atlanta and sent me gift certificates to help with starting the Atlanta SK&MS. It's just about the most thoughtful present I've ever received --- thank you again, Amanda!

The Bottom Line

The Vortex knows burgers - the experience is delicious.

Atlanta knows the Vortex - so be prepared to wait for a seat.

I'm excited to hit up the original L5P Vortex soon!

Let's talk Beer, More Specifically let's talk LOCAL Beer...

I just posted about coffee, and now I'll switch to my other favorite beverage (aside from pomegranate juice), beer. Yesterday after work, my co-workers and I met up at the Atlanta Brewing Company (more popularly know as "ABC") for their 6-8PM beer tasting and brewery tour.

Before I begin this review, allow me to shed a bit of light on brewery rivalries in the 404/770 area codes. The two big players in this tale are the Sweet Water Brewing Company in Buckhead and ABC in Northwest Atlanta. Now, according to our tour guide, these two establishments hate one another. Very upsetting for them, but very great for us patrons. Why? Well, we have two awesome breweries to attend that are consistently trying to top one another, thus, they're always improving. I'll be hitting up Sweet Water in the next few weeks, but for now, let's talk ABC:

You may be familiar with ABC based on their Red Brick Ales (which is the name that they sell their brews under) and the Laughing Skull Ale that they supply for the Vortex. For non-Atlanta readers, the Vortex is a burger shop that started in Little Five Points that has fabulous burgers. I'm actually going tonight, so I'll be sure to post my review!

Here's the scoop on ABC:

• LOCATION: ABC is located in an industrial park in NW Atlanta. Not the greatest location if you're used to walking to the places you go out to (I'm a typical city-dweller), but fine if you're coming in from the burbs. Also, it is interesting that there is a brewery amongst otherwise harmless office buildings; it is humorously out of place.
• HOW IT WORKS: You enter ABC, show your ID, get a hand stamp and pay $8.00. They hand you a glass (yours to keep) and four tickets. Each ticket gets you a beer from the tap. So, for $2.00 per beer, you're getting some delicious brews.
• THE ATMOSPHERE: The Atlanta Brewing Company has a front bar room, and a back room with tables that have a factory view. There is a band that plays in the factory, and when the band is between sets, the playlist is perfectly nostalgic (everything from 1997 Mariah Carey to Afroman).
• THE TOUR: The brewmaster discusses the history of the company and the points in the process that hops are added. Although, having just come from work, I couldn't help but contemplate their process inefficiencies, thus, it was a semi-stressful tour. We agreed that it would be just about the coolest senior design project ever for GT Industrial Engineers.
• THE CROWD: Well, it was pretty Lockheed-concentrated (which was so much fun!) --- I think that we brought about twenty people, but the people that weren't in our party seemed to be college aged or young professionals. And, I must mention, I was introduced to many of them at first as they crowded around the bonfire and ate hot dogs in the parking lot. That's right, free hot dogs on your way into ABC!
• MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE BEER: Delicious! I tasted many, but sadly I only used two of my tickets and gave the others away (on account of the driving). I had the Blonde Ale and the Peachtree Pale Ale. Very hoppy, very concentrated, and very much worth a return trip!

The Bottom Line

For way cheaper than any bar, you can start your evening off right (and build your glass collection). I'll be an ABC regular for sure!

With that, I say, Cheers, FRIENDS!

All the best,

Kelly

PS: Someone took pictures last night, so I'll work on procuring our photos and adding to this page shortly!

Kelly