Bittersweet & Sour

Ever have one of those days where you just need a good pick-me-up, and the thing that hits the spot is a favorite food? My friend Kayla had one of those days a while back, and what she craved was fries from Ormsby's.

Given that the only time previously I'd been to Ormsby's was to drink waaaay too much Mother Earth Kolsch, beat the heck out of some friends on Skee-Ball and play at least two rounds of Ring of Fire, followed by some weird card game, more Skee-Ball and by this point in the evening I have no idea what else ... I was entirely unaware Ormsby's had fries, much less an entire food menu. I also don't really remember having to go through the restaurant portion to get to the game bar portion of the place, to be completely honest sorry Mom.

Kayla talked me into a re-visit, and I don't know if it was the topics of conversation we had going, the slow service or what, but it was not the best restaurant experience. And that really sucks, because the star of my plate was pretty decent. Also, I think I would have preferred to be drinking and playing games than drinking and talking about that Tammy Wynette song that goes "my d-i-v-o-r-c-e is final today." But we made the best of it (and kind of saw Alton Brown out of the window on the way home, but I swear I was a good #foodiefangirl and did not scream, jump out of her car, run up to him and ask him to sign a Post-It. I swear. I've already done that once).

The best part I'm saving for last. Spoiler alert.

I did enjoy the bratwurst I ordered. There's just something about that smart pop of casing as you bite into a brat that gets me every time. Plus, add sauerkraut, some spicy Dijon mustard and a pillowy soft, salty pretzel bun and every bite is a million flavors of things I like. Really I could eat anything on a pretzel roll and it would automatically be made 10-to-the-nth-power times better. Like, I got nothin' else for y'all on that. This speaks for itself.

But I digress. Highly recommend the brat. And the fries! I totally should have gotten my own order of fries, but instead I thought, "Oh, Kayla's getting fries. I'll try one of hers and instead I'll order the sweet potato chips."

Bad life choice.

The sweet potato chips were ... awful. First of all, ginormous, like the potato had been put long-side on the mandolin to be sliced (see photo for reference). Second, not cooked well. One bite of one giant chip was burnt, the other was still chewy where it hadn't sat in the fryer (or oven? Not sure if these were fried or baked) quite long enough. Third, not seasoned. Trust me, I get that sweet potatoes have excellent natural flavor, but one of the greatest parts of having house-made chips is that gentle douse of flaked salt sprinkled on top. Speaking of Alton Brown, on one of his shows he talked about how adding salt brings out the flavor of everything else in a dish. So enhance the natural sweetness of those 'tater chips with just a little bit of NaCl, guys.

I feel a little like Forrest Gump right now. Usually I eat such fabulous stuff that I go on and on and on and now I'm ... damn. "And that's all I have to say about that."

Boozy Bonus: Gose all daaaaay y'all.

What I will go on and on and on about is the beer I had with this brat. Two Evil Geyser Gose is hands down one of the best beers I've ever had, and 100 percent the best gose. Probably the best sour in general except for this gueuze I had three years ago.

Two Evil Geyser is a collaboration between Evil Twin, which is also one of my favorite breweries — never had a bad beer from there, and it's on my bucket list of places to visit — and Two Roads Brewing, which I had never heard of. Y'all know I'm all about trying the weird stuff, so when I saw on the beer list that this had Icelandic moss and yogurt and sea salt in it, I was allllll over it. Like, what the hell was this going to taste like?!

The answer? Effing amazing. You get this delicious tartness with an incredible depth of flavor. I have no idea what Icelandic moss tastes like, but the overall flavor isn't overpowering in the least ... and it finishes so clean! There's no aftertaste, no weird finish at the back of your throat. I've never had a sour that I would describe as particularly refreshing, but this, ice cold, I wanted to keep coming. Not chugging, per se, but definitely didn't leave any behind.

So. Who wants to come with me next time for fries, beer and Skee-ball? We can skip the chips. First round's on me.

A Banger in the Mouth

If you watched "Arrested Development," this title is for you. If you have not yet seen this show, watch the episodes with Mrs. Featherbottom and you will understand. Whether you follow the Bluths or not, you should still read this post and check out The Branded Butcher in Athens, Georgia.

A banger, FYI, is UK slang for "sausage." For example, bangers and mash on a pub menu is sausage and mashed potatoes. I'm picky about a lot of things, sausage being one of them. Breakfast sausage patties especially being one of them. In my experience breakfast sausage is one of those things that comes out either too salty with no other balancing flavors or a little peppery and rubbery. I guess that's why it's always served with pancakes, so the sweetness outweighs the salt. Or you can wrap breakfast sausage in a pancake if you're into fair food at 7 a.m.

I digress. While breakfast sausage is not my favorite meat product, I find bratwurst to be mouthwatering. Prior to this weekend, I only had two places that I would go regularly for bratwurst: the UGA Meat Science Technology Center in Athens and Augsburg Haus in Evans, Georgia. At the UGA MSTC, students and staff actually make meat products from animals harvested from the on-campus slaughter facility. It is fresh, it is local (like, you buy it in the room next to where it's harvested!) and it is dang good. I won't delve into detail about Augsburg Haus right now because I'm suddenly inspired for a visit there soon and it'll get a piece of its own!

I'm adding the habanero bratwurst at Branded Butcher into my top three. Thinking back on this meal makes me hangry. I want to go back for more now.

Habanero bratwurst and a biscuit on the side at The Branded Butcher in
Athens, Georgia

The bratwurst arrives in a little black metal container with creamy, buttery polenta. On top of the polenta is a cross-section of a "cured French horn mushroom," which I'd never eaten before. It was a tad sweet and nutty. The top portion had the soft feel normally associated with fungi, and the closer you got to the volva (base), the filaments got a little closer together, leading to a little more toughness. The accompaniment to all of this was an "agrodolce." When I saw it on the menu, being the super savvy foodie I am, I had no idea what it meant. When I started to write this post I double-checked the menu and then Googled it.

Hopefully I am not the only uncultured person in this world who doesn't know what agrodolce is, so let me teach you. According to the Food Network food encyclopedia (cool; until six seconds ago I did not know this existed), agrodolce is a sweet and sour sauce of Italian origin. In the case of The Branded Butcher, agrodolce is a mix of diced veggies that are sweetened and a little pickled. It added texture to the grits, color to the plate and an awesome flavor mix when you got a bite that had every component of the charcuterie in it: nutty from the 'shroom, salty from the polenta, sweet and sour from the agrodolce, spicy from the bratwurst.

Brown sugar cubes + a glass milk bottle of creamer:
how coffee is served at the Butcher's brunch

I mean, what do you expect when it is called "habanero bratwurst" on the menu, breakfast sausage?! Heck naw, y'all. What I like the most about bratwurst compared to other sausages is how finely ground the meat is inside the casing. The spices and flavor components are blended in better and you're less likely to end up with a giant herb piece stuck in your teeth (reason No. 1 why I shy away from Italian sausage). In essence, a bite of habanero bratwurst looks innocent, because until you shove a forkful into your salivating mouth, you don't realize just how much habanero is in there. I may or may not have asked for a glass of milk (which comes served with a cute little paper straw and I felt like a very happy 6-year-old). But it was so incredible that I couldn't stop myself. The heat hits the tongue, then the back of your throat, but you've got the mushroom and the agrodolce and the savoriness from the meat itself. I say "meat" because traditionally bratwurst is a pork and veal blend, but can be solely pork as well, and the menu here did not specify.

Tip: Get a biscuit on the side. It's well-worth it, because you can turn it into a little breakfast sandwich of habanero bratwurst, sauce and butter. Plus it makes you feel a little more brunch-like if you're showing up and ordering non-breakfast sausage before noon.

Boozy Bonus!

There's a brunch option called The Hipster Breakfast. It is only served after 12:30 p.m. It includes a PBR. I will let you draw your own conclusions.