100 Dishes to Eat in Atlanta Before You Die: Ann's Snack Bar (Double Bacon Cheeseburger)

As promised, my quest to try Creative Loafing's 100 Dishes to Eat in Atlanta Before You Die officially kicked off at 10:45 a.m. on August 20, 2012 as two colleagues and myself took off for 1615 Memorial Drive Southeast, home of Ann's Snack Bar, the World Famous Ghetto Burger and one Ann Price (That's Ms. Ann to you...and to me).

Here is how I have described Ann's to friends who had never been there:  "Basically, it is the Soup Nazi of Atlanta.  There are 8 stools and you can't enter the restaurant unless there is an empty stool.  She cooks when she wants.  And apparently they have the best burger in America according to the Wall Street Journal."

In anticipation of my visit, I took to the internet to do a little investigative journalism.  Their website set forth 8 posted rules that you are expected to obey:

1.  DO NOT lay or lean on counter.

2.  DO NOT consume alcohol or smoke in Snack Bar.

3.  DO NOT sit or stand babies on counter.

4.  DO NOT illegally park on lot.

5.  DO NOT allow children to slide on rails.

6.  DO NOT stand at counter if stools are full.

7.  DO NOT curse in Snack Bar.

8.  DO NOT no shoes - no shirt - no service (if you ignored all common sense, that's actually how you would read it).

And trust me, these rules are not guidelines.  One of the two attorneys I went with had been to Ann's before...but had never eaten at Ann's (Story: She wanted to take the food to go and thought that she could order (read: stand) at the counter if she wasn't eating in.  She thought wrong.  She had just violated Rule Number 6 which resulted in an immediate eviction...which probably resulted in her violating Rule Number 7.)

As we pulled up, we were very surprised to see that there was no line (unless two other people counts as a line).  On Saturdays, the line is rumored to extend around the block.  We waited outside in the small covered patio while the staff set up inside and I tried to take pictures of the signage without getting in trouble (while it would definitely make an awesome story, getting kicked out of the first restaurant on the List would probably be a bad start.).  At about 11:15, the door unlocked, the sign flipped to "OPEN" and we were free to enter.  We were told where to sit by an older woman, while two other ladies prepared the grill and stirred the chili.

Everything looked as I expected but something was missing...the stools were there...the rules were there...Ms. Ann...was not.  Ms. Ann was sick.  I was about to have my first taste of a Ghetto Burger from Idell.  While I probably should have stormed out shouting "This is ANN'S Snack Bar, not IDELL'S Snack Bar", I decided that we had come all this way so we may as well give Idell a try.  Who knows, it might be "Idell's Snack Bar" someday; Ms. Ann has been trying to sell her shop for three years (the asking price in 2010 was only $450,000, a steal when you consider it was originally listed for $1,500,000).

You won't need this.  Order the Ghetto Burger.

One of the ladies methodically asked us what we would like based on the order that we had entered the restaurant.  The two lovely ladies in my party ordered the Ghetto Burger combo (typical burger joint combo: fries and a drink), while I was resigned to ordering the Double Bacon Cheeseburger based on the List (Sidebar: Who the heck suggested the Double Bacon Cheeseburger as the thing to get here? It was delicious as you will find out, but how could you go to Ann's and not get a Ghetto Burger?  Thank goodness I went with other people).  In fact, my request was so surprising to the ladies tending bar that they repeatedly tried to make me a Ghetto Burger.  Next time ladies...(how many times have I used that line?! Once.  Just now.)

Double Bacon Cheeseburger

The entire diner filled with the delicious smell of onions and ground beef on the grill as each patty was handcrafted and then placed gently onto flame.  Fresh onion is placed on top of the patty and then the burger flipped over so that both sides are cooked on top of a sizzling onion.  Despite not being created by Ms. Ann, the process was still a marvel to watch.  Not quite a surgeon navigating a double bypass (bad time to talk about heart disease?) or a pastry chef frosting a cake, but more like a potter (as in, one who makes pots) making a clay pot on a wheel (think pottery scene from Ghost with Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze).  The buns are toasted and slathered with mayo, ketchup and mustard.  A slice of cheese is melded (not a typo, just a great descriptive word) to each burger after the burger had been perfectly cooked (IMPORTANT NOTE: This burger is well done.  There was not a trace of pink in the burger.  I am not sure if Ms. Ann's would have been closer to medium, but I do know that some consider it blasphemy to eat a burger cooked beyond medium so I feel I owe it to the readers to share.)  The burger is placed on the bottom bun, topped with the onions from the grill, slices of crispy bacon, a juicy tomato, fresh lettuce, and capped with the top bun.  The last step Is surgeon like, as they carefully cut it in half to provide you an easier to eat burger.  To create a Ghetto Burger (instead of the Double Bacon Cheeseburger which I just described), a meat chili would have been put on the the bottom bun during the slathering stage.  (Interesting side note: it costs $5.35 for a Double Cheeseburger but $8.50 for them to add bacon and chili and call it a Ghetto Burger; I love marketing).

Double Bacon Cheeseburger + Chili = GHETTO BURGER!

Sounds good...looks good...how did it taste?  Pretty damn darn (sorry Ms. Ann!) good.  I don't think I had such a simple, yet delicious burger in the longest time.  No fancy toppings, no fluff (literally and figuratively), just a real burger. I remember thinking that the cheese (likely standard American cheese) was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted, especially when combined with the tastes from the bacon, the onion and the ground beef. Worth noting is that you could very much taste the mustard. Also worth noting is that I don't actually like mustard so I'm not sure of its natural tendencies to overwhelm some other tastes (such as the ketchup). Still, I remember thinking during every bite that I might actually like mustard if it works so well with this burger.


Now, the Ghetto Burger was a completely different animal (well it was still ground beef, but you know what I mean). While the Double Bacon Cheeseburger is manageable with your hands, the Ghetto Burger is a definite fork and knife burger. The chili has left the bottom bun impossible to hold without falling apart. I was able to sneak a bite of my coworker's burger and was treated to an entirely different experience. The simple addition of the chili transformed the Double Bacon Cheeseburger into a delicious mess of a burger, and eating it with a fork and knife meant that no two bites are the same. Both myself and one of the other attorneys were not able to finish our burgers, but a challenge from the most Ann-like of the waitstaff (she refused to serve an Arnold Palmer, instead requiring you to get Lemonade or Sweet Tea) resulted in our third musketeer demolishing her Ghetto Burger (she didn't eat her fries though).


All in all, this was a very enjoyable first dish on the List. It is a definite must-try burger, but by no means my best burger in America (or even Atlanta...foreshadowing?) However, I certainly missed out on the experience factor. Not having Ms. Ann there was a major disappointment, and the taste of the food might have been impacted as well. Although I can comfortably check the first item off my list, I will definitely be coming back to see Ms. Ann...and to actually order the Ghetto Burger.


Until next post...Stay hungry!


Michael