In town for a fellow Hokie's wedding, I figured I would try and eat one of the recommended burgers Atlanta has to offer. A few pokes of Google produced a few lists that and the were on the top of. There was also Ann's... one list placed it 6th, but one gave it top honors of the best in 2002... nationally! So, the Vortex, the Varsity, or Ann's... to be honest, I wasn't sure how to get to Ann's, and the Vortex was on allot of internet lists as the one. But Mr. called me the day of my decision and asked if I could check out a burger joint for him. Ann's it was.
Driving to Ann's, you're likely to miss it. No tell tale signs of a burger joint, only the street address "1615" to let you know you've gone too far. Just before the Checkers and next to the liquor store, Ann's sits in a small lot with a screened porch.
"You're gonna have to get out... 45 minutes, it's gonna be 45 minutes." What the...? I don't think I'm welcome here. The neighborhood isn't the best, and I'm sure I wouldn't want to be around these parts after dark. But it was mid afternoon, and now the lady behind the counter is telling me to get out! Crap, this isn't good. "45 minutes for a burger?" I asked. "It's just me back here, and it takes time to cook the burgers all the way through."
So me and Mrs. B left the small countered room and headed back out to the porch to collect our thoughts. Out there, we waited while listening to the blasting rap music emanating from one of the suv's parked in the small parking lot. The table next to us looked like they had just eaten and now they were chill'n... and rapping with the tunes. I asked one of the guys at the table if the burgers are good... "good... and big." I was also told that I had to be seated at the counter to order, and a woman also outside, told me her husband was inside waiting to order for her family. So Ann wasn't being rude or picking on me... it's just the way it goes at the Snack Bar, no bar stool at counter available, no order.
I found myself back inside snug between a lady finishing her meal, and the husband holding down the fort for his family outside. When the lady left, I motioned to Mrs. B to join me inside.
After some time at the counter, the 10 or 12 hand formed patties (on the small flat griddle next to her stove where the chili stays warm) were done (enough for 5 or 6 Ghettos). At this time, Ann began the process of assembling the burgers one at a time. Placing a dollop of chili on the bottom bun, cutting the tomato, pulling the lettuce , swirling on the mustard, ketchup, and mayo on the top bun, placing the bacon... and finishing by placing each assembled burger on a Styrofoam plate and cutting it in half. The onions are already part of the burger, fried with the meat, nice. Ann's the only one working here, and she runs back and forth after each burger is completed to fill the lemonade cups, and to get the fries for those who ordered a combo. Now I understand why it takes 45 minutes.
Once Ann is done serving all the completed burgers, she looks to those seated at the counter who need to order... it's party time!
No bother ordering how you want your burger cooked, and I figured why go to Ann's and not get a Ghetto Burger... we only ordered one after seeing how big these guys were, two patties with the works, plus we had a wedding with a pig roast to get to. Aside from the simple burgers, there was the Hood Burger (same as the Ghetto but with coleslaw instead of l+t) and the chili-dog Split (two deep fried dogs and chili on a bun).
Once our order was in, Ann warmed up to our curiosities about her joint. Allowed me to take pictures, just none of her cuz she wasn't made up for pictures (took a pic of her in an article instead, "they had to wait one year for me to be ready for this picture"). She's been slinging burgers solo 33 years, she's in her 60s. The plan for the future of Ann is to retire next year and sell the business to some others who want to take it to the next level, shirts, more seats, more people cooking... and perhaps bring her in as a consultant, "for a fee". Apparently she's been talking about retiring for a few years now. But don't risk it, go while she's there if you can.
The Ghetto Burger is one of those part fork and knife part hand held burgers. Its' contents seeping as it sits. The flavor is down right packed with the southern luv'n that goes into it's creation. It had a bit of sloppy joe-ness to it. If I were to stick to my own burger ordering rules, I would have skipped the bacon and chili... I'm always a fan of a simple oozing cheeseburger topped with some pickle slices. But you can't goto Ann's and not go Ghetto. The beef itself could have been of slightly better quality, but the unique experience of spending time with Ann and her one of a kind burger makes up for any small flaws, ten fold.
We made it to the wedding full. Late for the pig roast, we weren't too disappointed... as we got some left-over pork action later in the night in combination with the left-over wedding cake... several pyramyds of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Talk about a perfect combination!
