First Bite: Richard Blais' Flip Burger

I'm guessing chef Richard Blais didn't know what he was getting into when he scheduled Jan. 21 as the official opening date for the sixth outpost of his

chain of upscale burger restaurants. It's not that the former Top Chef All-Stars champion hasn't created a fine example of an upscale burger joint; the timing was only unfortunate that it came so soon after

.

But Blais seems up to the challenge, and really, Flip Burger doesn't really belong in the same category as the personality-based restaurants that Myers called out in his thoughtful piece. The menu at Flip Burger is certainly chef-driven, with Liquid Nitrogen shakes showing off Blais' predilection for molecular gastronomy tricks and a roster of creative burgers that give nods to the chef's Southern roots. But unlike at more fine-dining establishments, I don't believe that this menu necessarily requires the presence of Blais in the kitchen to execute the dishes. (Which is a good thing since Blais now lives in San Diego.)

As a bonus, Flip Burger has hired a fine chef to run the kitchen in the person of Chris Cunningham, the longtime chef at the lamented Sunset Grill. I'm confident Cunningham and his staff can handle the menu and the volume that Flip Burger seems to be attracting in its first few weeks, so it's nice to have a steady hand in the kitchen.

The restaurant, located on Charlotte Avenue on the edge of the Sylvan Park neighborhood, offers a dining room that's sleek and modern, with gleaming black, white and metal accents and a paint scheme on the walls that my dining companion noted seems to have been inspired by Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstrat guitar.

We tried Flip Burger's homage to Nashville in the form of the Hot Rabbit appetizer (inspired by hot chicken). In his first experience of ever eating rabbit, my friend commented, "Of all the things I've ever tried for the first time that was supposed to taste like chicken, this tastes the most like chicken."

While it was a tasty dish, the heat level was pretty mild and it's hard to recommend over the real deal from Hattie B's just down the street. The effort was appreciated, though. Burger prices were surprisingly reasonable considering the exotic ingredients used, such as gruyere cheese, pomegranate ketchup and soy truffle vinaigrette. Most sandwiches are in the $7.50-$9 range, which while not cheap, is in line with most of the other upscale burgers in town. At lunchtime, you can add a fountain drink and a side dish like some excellent fries or sweet potato tots for a prix-fixe deal at the price of the burger plus $3.75.

We tried the Stack burger and a trio of sliders on our first visit, and they were quite good burgers. Some folks might consider them to be slightly undersized, but Blais really wants Flip Burger to be a place diners want to come to multiple times a week. After eating a huge burger, I often feel like I won't need another burger for another month, so I can see where he's coming from.

You can check out the whole Flip Burger menu here. If you get a chance to try out something different from what I did, please share your opinions in the comments below.

Flip Burger

4111 Charlotte Ave.

615-454-2917

flipburgerboutique.com