Bocado

I have not been back here in many many moons... Literally, years since they first opened. I remembered it was pretty solid back then but their minimalistic menu never pulled me back in on a regular basis... There were just too many options that were opening every other week. Of course, their claim to fame was and still is the double stack created by Todd Ginsberg which is now called the burger stack after he left for greener pastures. Sometimes, coming back to a place after a long hiatus can bring some pleasant surprises and sometimes it could be a total fucking train wreck that will only cement my conviction of never stepping foot into a place ever again. On that note, let's go see how they're doing these days...
This area has been booming in the last couple years... Restos and bars galore opening up and down Howell Mill/Marietta. While the other scenes are usually packed consistently with millennials still living with their parents, this little OG of the area still quietly keeps churning day after day. Not much has changed on the inside, still clean and sanitary looking and smelling. I even stood in the back and watched the line at work for a minute or two... It's organized and clean. Time to head back out and start boozing and chowing down... I hope they don't disappoint the pouch because it's that time of the month... To start fattening up, winter is coming...

Bone Marrow. I totally didn't expect this to come out... The visual and presentation was spot-on. Really nice looking plate. The bone marrow itself was a generous amount and executed perfectly at the right temp and consistency, not too liquidity and not too dense, just the right amount of collagen gooeyness. It spread across the bread perfectly without dripping through the holes. Top it off with the parsley and radish slices and this became a top notch bone marrow dish.

Steak Tartare. They're killing it with the presentation, simple, clean, good looking and to the point. The chips were the perfect thickness and size for the delivery vehicle of raw manmeat and crunch to your facehole. Seasoned well and the texture and freshness of the meat was spot-on. I'm surprised by how well this is going so far... Don't fucking die on me!

Arancini. Jesus, looks like they are really trying to impress me... Not that I'm hard to impress. Looks kinda messy with all the parm shavings on top but underneath all that shit... The balls were uniform, had a nice crust outside and moist inside. Coulda used a little more marinara because we all like dipping our balls in bloody liquids. But overall, a pretty nice dish to nosh on with cocktails.

Deviled Eggs. These redneck hors d'oeuvre are found everywhere from trailer parks to fine dining establishments... People love these overpriced hard boiled eggs... Ok, I like them, too. You just pop them in your face gash and off you go to do something else like chopping fire wood. Their version here are very colorful but they were just ok tasting, nothing wrong with them... Just kinda common and ordinary.

Kale Salad. I saw the bartender with a full beard and suspenders and then I knew I had to sample this... It's a nice salad but the dressing was kinda bitter and too acidic. Still pretty good, though... I can't believe I'm saying this. Next...

Burger Stack. Ok, this is what I came here for... To see how the double stack has evolved into the burger stack... Not much has changed. Still tasted the like it always has... A really tasty burger. It's has the right amount of fatty juices just enough for your mouth but not down your arms. The gooey cheese was melted perfectly and the two patties were decent size and seasoned well. The fries were good but needed maybe a couple more minutes in the fryer to crisp it up a bit more. It's still a very tasty burger... Along with a few cocktails to wash it down.

Westside Burger. The fancypants burger stack version with lettuce, tomato and secret sauce... Every time I see the words secret sauce, I think of Guy Fieri in a closet spanking his donkey into a bucket and saying to himself, "The sauce is money! You could put it on a flip flop and it would taste good." ...Anyways, the secret sauce here is nothing to write home about, but the herb garlic fries was tasty all the way to flavor town. The burgers here are good and they know what they're doing, shit, they have been doing it for a long time now.

Unlimited cocktails... Every time a cocktail arrived, we ordered another one and it keep going and going until all the cocktails on the menu were had. Yeah, we took off the skirt and went there.

The joint is still pretty solid... The food and the cocktails were executed pretty well. This is a classic spot to go to if you know what you want and expect all the time. I might not wait years to come back again... Because that bone marrow was killer.

887 Howell Mill Rd
Atlanta, GA 30318
http://www.bocadoatlanta.com/