Review: Flip Burger Boutique

Back in December, I blogged I Heart Burgers! about a new restaurant in Birmingham featuring gourmet burgers, sides, and milkshakes. I finally had an opportunity to eat there today.

My biggest disappointment was the location - The Summit, a very busy shopping center - so getting there and parking were a hassle. With today's lovely weather, it was equal to holiday traffic at its peak. The venue was hip (for a shopping center), crowded for 1:30 p.m., small, loud, and lovely.

The bar was to the left with modern booths to the right, and the center and back tables were family-style to better utilize the small space.

Don't you love the windows and the ceiling mural? The sunny day made everything brighter and everyone cheerful.

How often do you see a Nehi Grape on the menu? Rarely, if ever, so I had to order one for that very reason.  Super sweet but good - I described it as tasting like the first bite into grape bubblegum. My dining companion chose the tropical tea and highly recommended it.

My companion ordered the Flip, with zucchini fries. The burger was a 5.5 ounce patty of 100% grass-fed beef and served with onion, lettuce, marinated tomato, house-made pickles, ketchup, and FLIP sauce.  The meat was tender and juicy. The house-made pickles were too sweet for me. The basic burger was overall worth the 6.50 price. The zucchini fries, served with a smokey mayo dip, were an excellent alternative to potato fries. Both the crust and zucchini sticks remained crisp with very little apparent oil. Unlike potatoes, though, they did not remain crisp throughout the meal.

I ordered the po boyger - shrimp patty, old bay mayo, shaved lettuce, tomato, fried lemon, tabasco - with the smokey jalapeno slaw. I liked the blend of tabasco and mayo flavors, although the slaw could have used more tobasco. I could see diced shrimp in the patty and that contributed an excellent texture for mouthfeel. Unfortunately, I forgot about the fried lemon so I can't comment on it specifically:(

We skipped the interesting milkshakes and martinis for more time in that recently elusive sunshine. We did see the shakes and they were a perfect size (possibly 6 ounces?) and thick. Above was our view from outside the restaurant.

The worst things about Flip were the location and possibly the length of time it took to be seated, although I am patient about waiting. I was quite impressed that they did not offer to remove our plates until we were both finished eating and the menu only had single numbers for the prices, usually two good signs of a better quality establishment. The wait staff were friendly and helpful. The menu choices were unique and vegetarian-friendly (menu here). The food was only good. I can't say it was the best burger I ever ate, but it was certainly a good dining experience and I can't wait to go back.