For The Best Steak Dinner In Atlanta, Alton Brown Points To This Restaurant

Most would agree that Alton Brown knows quite a lot about making food taste as delicious as it possibly can, but the beloved celebrity chef is also incredibly in tune with the best foods you can find at restaurants across the country. That's right, when Brown isn't at home enjoying his ideal bologna sandwich, you might find him in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, having one of the best steaks in the city at none other than Blue Ridge Grill. Brown revealed his love for the restaurant — which is found specifically in the Buckhead neighborhood of Georgia's biggest city — during a 2014 interview with Atlanta Eats Radio when he was asked about his favorite place for a good steak during a rapid-fire round of questions. "I like Blue Ridge Grill," the chef revealed. "Comfy banquettes, quiet, good martini...and PARKING."

While Brown didn't go much further into his appreciation for Blue Ridge Grill, it's not hard to see why he'd enjoy the restaurant's steaks. Just about every cut of steak — from the hanger steak to the New York strip — is revered by customers online, which has garnered the restaurant a spot on many locals' shortlists of must-try steak spots for those new to the city. Plus, considering that Alton Brown's favorite food spots around the country are often kept a bit closer to the chef's vest, Brown's verbal stamp of approval for Blue Ridge Grill is more than enough proof of his appreciation for the over 30-year-old establishment.

Despite the many different cuts of steak at Blue Ridge Grill oftentimes stealing the show, Alton Brown's favorite thing to eat at the establishment may arguably be something much less notable. In fact, it's not even on the menu. Brown appeared on an episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on the Food Network in 2011 to talk about his favorite finger foods, and named Blue Ridge Grill's fried pickles as one of his absolute favorites. The starter resides firmly on the Buckhead restaurant's secret menu, which Brown says adds to its remarkable allure. "The fried pickles at the Blue Ridge Grill are everything that a pickle ought to be," Brown said. "It's nice when something you're gonna eat with your fingers, pickles, have this exclusive air to them." Plus, the beauty of something so simple being served at a sophisticated, high-end restaurant like Blue Ridge Grill is another aspect of the appetizer that Brown greatly appreciates, saying, "To sit down at this nice restaurant with your cold martini and just grab these pickles with your mitts — that makes it special."

Served with a herb buttermilk dressing, the rich and tangy appetizer is as perfect a precursor to a steak dinner as any offering you could possibly think of. The restaurant uses an incredibly fine cornmeal mixed with flour as the breading rather than batter to ensure that the fried pickles turn out extra crispy. Brown even noted that he struggles not to eat an entire plate of Blue Ridge Grill's fried pickles all by himself due to just how delicious and addictive they are.