OK, so I’ve written about Taco Mac before, it being the default Atlanta-area sports bar where I go to watch my San Francisco 49ers on Sundays. Going to the same place week after week throughout the NFL season can be challenging, from a taste-buds perspective. Luckily, T’Mac has added a few new items this season, and better still, they are all made with locally-produced meats and breads.
These four new menu items—three entrées and one dessert—are also doubling as a fund raiser, as 50 cents from each purchase of these specialty orders will be donated to Camp Twin Lakes, a local nonprofit that provides “life-changing camp experiences to Georgia’s kids with serious illnesses, disabilities and life challenges. Annually, Camp Twin Lakes serves more than 8,500 campers through week-long summer camps and year-round weekend retreats at three medically-supportive campsites, at hospital-based programs and day camps across the state. Camp Twin Lakes subsidizes 80 percent of the cost for every camper served and collaborates with over 50 local non-profit Camp Partner organizations.”
So you can feel good about your lunch, knowing that 50 cents from the total is going to subsidize a worthwhile organization.
But how is the food, you ask? Well, I sampled all of the special items on the menu—a grass-fed burger, a Reuben sandwich, a hotdog and a truffle cake—throughout my 49er watching and I’m ready to report. Taking into account that there are kids in need of camp who may gain or lose 50 cents depending on a positive or negative review, I’m going to call it as I see it. So without Further ado, here they are:
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Cooke’s Grass-Fed Burger, $9.99
Cooke’s Grass-Fed Burger, $9.99
Cooke’s Grass-Fed Burger, $9.99
The Solicitation: “Enjoy this grass-fed burger from the farms of Georgia’s own Cooke Cattle Company. Topped with crumbled blue cheese, lettuce, tomato and T’Mac wing sauce, served on a buffalo-style bun from Atlanta’s Bakeshop.”
The Verdict: With all the extra flavors thrown on top of this burger—the blue cheese, the wing sauce—there was no way to tell what the burger itself tasted like. That said, it was fine as far as the combination went. The pungency of the blue cheese demanded all the attention of my taste buds, so even the Buffalo wing sauce took a back seat. If T’Mac were to offer the Cooke’s beef patty on a plain ol’ burger, its flavor might shine through. But as it is, I won’t be ordering this again. The bun from the Bakeshop was good, though.
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Heywood’s Reuben, $8.99
Heywood’s Reuben, $8.99
Heywood’s Reuben, $8.99
The Solicitation: “Not your average Reuben! This sandwich is loaded with locally smoked and cured corned beef from Marietta’s own Heywood’s Provision Company. Topped with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and 1,000 Island dressing, served on marble rye bread from Atlanta’s Bakeshop . . . you have to try this one!”
The Verdict: I was looking forward to this one. I’m a sucker for a good Reuben, and while I know I’ll never have one to challenge the one I had at Katz’s Deli in NYC, I’m always looking for a good local version. Unfortunately, this one was sorely lacking. The corned beef was totally missing that briny flavor, and the slices of meat were tough to chew, to boot. I kept at it, hoping that the previous bite was just an outlier but, alas, it was not to be; the whole sandwich was simply devoid of that great Reuben experience. Again, though, the Bakeshop came through, as the toasted marble rye was the only thing on the sandwich to recommend.
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Spotted Trotter Dog, $7.59
Spotted Trotter Dog, $7.59
Spotted Trotter Dog, $7.59
The Solicitation: “Enjoy this locally produced hot dog from Spotted Trotter Charcuterie. Topped with cheddar-jack cheese, BBQ sauce and Spotted Trotter’s black pepper and sorghum cured bacon bits, served on a brioche bun from Atlanta’s Bakeshop.”
The Verdict: OK, now we’re talking. This was an amazing hotdog. Or sausage, really (it’s made with beef and pork belly), as it was smoky and savory and with a casing that cracked with each bite. And the bacon on top was an extra treat; thick, crisp but not crumbly, adding a special bacon bonus to each bite. I might even suggest skipping the BBQ sauce the first time you have the Spotted Trotter Dog just to experience the hotdog without too many competing tastes. (I have since had this dog a few more times, sometimes with the sauce, sometimes without . . . it doesn’t matter; this is a great hot dog!)
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Truffle Cake, $2.99
Truffle Cake, $2.99
Truffle Cake, $2.99
The Solicitation: “This chocolate truffle is baked right on Peachtree Street by classically trained Chef Jonathan St. Hilaire. This award winning chef from Atlanta’s popular Bakeshop has created a decadent truffle cake sure to satisfy your chocolate craving.”
The Verdict: The bread and buns on the three previous menu items have proven that the Bakeshop can turn out some good bread products. This truffle cake, though, was stupendous. Somehow St. Hilaire managed to create small cake that straddles the line between liquid and solid. The interior of the warm cake is light and frothy and, paired with the chocolate sauce, simply delicious. In a white-tablecloth restaurant, this little beauty would cost you $10.
So there you have it: two home runs, a single and a swing-and-a-miss, if you will allow the baseball analogies during football season. But remember, the menu says they are available for a limited time only, so if you want to try these, you’ll have to hustle down to your local Taco Mac and try them for yourself.
Taco Mac
3443 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Rd.
Suwanee, Ga. 30024
770.730.0941
Post by and photos credited to Gregory Watkins.