Burger Tap
1409 North Highland Avenue NE between Lanier Place NE and Lanier Boulevard NE
Suite D
Atlanta, GA 30306
404-249-7191
Dave and I wanted burgers and didn’t want to trek too far for cheese-laden patties. Hopping on Yelp, I stumbled upon Burger Tap, a relatively new contender in the ATL burger biz. Since it was early on a Sunday evening, parking was a breeze. You can either park in the lot across from the restaurant, or there’s a wee lot in the back. Much like other well-known burger establishments in Atlanta, you order at the counter, and then your grub is delivered to your table. Burger Tap looks small, but there is a whole hidden seating area in the back, and there’s also a back deck for picnic table-style eating.
Much as the name suggests, there are a good number of beers to choose from, though both times I’ve gone, it seems as though a few selections were tapped out.
Eschewing the Classic burger (which I actually ended up having the second time around), I decided to try the Gaucho, which included grilled tomatoes, frizzled onions, jack cheese, and chimichurri mayonnaise.
I’ve had chimichurri before, but if you asked me what’s in it, I’d be speechless. So thanks to my friend Wikipedia, here is the scoop. Cilantro-free!
Chimichurri is made from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, white or red vinegar. Additional flavorings such as paprika, cumin, thyme, lemon, and bay leaf. In its red version, tomato and red bell pepper may also be added. It can also be used as a marinade for grilled meat. Chimichurri is available bottled or dehydrated for preparing with oil and water.
The food emerged rather promptly. I can’t remember the first visit, but the second visit, I asked for my patty to be cooked medium well, and parts of it ended up being on the medium or even more medium rare side. Hmm. The second time, the cashier girl/waitress checked up on us a few times. She showed that she cared.
I give the Gaucho my seal of approval. The chimichurri was the real star here and elevated the ensemble to a higher plane. But the bun was just plain weird. It was like a soft hot dog bun, or something McDonald’s-esque. Maybe some grilling would have helped. A strong burger needs a strong bun. This bun was just a cupcake, as a friend would say. The fried zucchini was tasty and the dipping sauce as addictive as crack, but they were maybe a bit too heavy as a side for me because the burger was slightly oily.
And that’s Burger Tap. That’s a wrap!
