Every night on a street called Peachtree in Buckhead, Atlanta, something strange happens. At Holeman and Finch Public House exactly 24 burgers are prepared and served on a first-come-first-served basis. The idea is that such a perfect burger takes time and is impossible to create in mass. How they arrived at 24 is anyone’s guess, but why not? Yet, despite their insistence on limiting burgers, there is a loophole. It’s called Sunday Brunch.
You see, Sunday Brunch is a magical time in which Holeman and Finch will make as many burgers as necessary. I’m not sure if this degrades the burger quality, if fewer burgers are ordered at brunch, or if the the burger quality thing is a crock, but whatever the case we headed there to partake in the loophole.
The wait was long, but we found ourselves a seat at the bar and ordered our burgers. According to the menu, the double patty burger was topped with cheese, pickles, ketchup and mustard with some fries. Basically, an all-American burger. I ordered mine without pickles, and learned that the ketchup and mustard came on the side, which I think is a great idea. What wasn’t a great idea, however, was failing to list onions on the menu, because the burger arrived overflowing with them. Fortunately, they were big enough that they didn’t get lost in the cheese, but this was a major mistake.
With the onions cleared, though, a glorious burger remained. When I called this an all-American burger, I wasn’t joking. The elegant simplicity of the burger was pretty remarkable, As a man who appreciates ridiculous burgers, I was amazed to find that such a simple burger could be so good. And, it wasn’t even cooked medium rare. The fries made a nice side, but paled in comparison to the star of the meal.
Holeman and Finch did a lot of good for me that Sunday, and although I don’t have a basis for comparison, I believe there was no degradation in burger quality. Now, if only they would inform their diners about their onions, they would be one of the best.
