The Best Burger in Atlanta is at a Seafood Restaurant
Two best posts in a row seems like a bit much, but I went to the Optimist yesterday and I remembered why if I’m craving a cheeseburger, this is the only place that I’ll go. While I think the cheeseburger is amazing, it’s my favorite because I’ve convinced myself that they’re trolling the restaurant across the street.
Bocado is an American restaurant situated about 300 feet from the Optimist. If you come across a best burger list in Atlanta, chances are they’re on it. The Optimist opened quite a few years after Bocado and I’m certain that the opening chef decided that he wanted to create a better burger to throw it in Bocado’s face. The evidence?
As I said before, the Optimist is a seafood restaurant. So clearly, they focus on seafood dishes. Yes, seafood restaurants also offer other items for variety. However, the cheeseburger doesn’t need to be this good. Nobody is expecting anything close to this level when surrounded by lobster and other sea creatures.
It’s made in a very similar style to Bocado’s. Two patties, pickles, cheese and onions. Yes I understand that’s also the formula for the Big Mac and therefore a slew of other restaurants. However, this restaurant is right across the street. They had to know that the famed burger of their neighbor is the exact same. You only duplicate it if you plan on making it better.
There are several restaurants in the Ford Fry empire that have a cheeseburger. They include places where you would expect to find it like JCT, a southern restaurant and Marcel, a steakhouse. None of the other burgers even come close to this one and logic says they should be better. Unless…
The burger is only served at lunch yet there is a dedicated meat grinder so that they can grind the meat in house. (Again, this is a seafood restaurant.) I went in one day and the burger wasn’t available because the meat grinder was broken. I realized then just how seriously they take this.
I think this is a pretty good argument. Well, it’s enough for me. Every time I eat the burger, I’m completely tickled by the story that I’ve concocted in my head and it makes it that much better. Even without a story, it’s easily my favorite burger in just about any city.