Dining Out Southeast: Downtown Chief, Gadsden, AL

Big Chief Drive-In in nearby Glencoe, Alabama has long been a mainstay for delicious burgers, shakes, and grape ice cream. A "mom and pop" business locally owned and operated has a large following of regulars.

Recently, they opened a second location at the corner of Second and Locust Streets in Downtown Gadsden.

We went for a late lunch today and were promptly seated.  Staci was our server today. She took our drink orders while we looked over the menu. We decided to try the appetizer sampler which included our choice of three. Unfortunately, they were out of the Southwest Eggrolls. We selected the fried green tomatoes which are topped with pimento cheese and green pepper jelly, fried mushrooms served with ranch dressing, and buffalo chicken drip served with tortilla chips.

I'll start with the buffalo chicken dip. It was served warm (not hot) and there wasn't a lot of buffalo chicken heat. I would say it would be safe for children to eat and enjoy. Sweet Harold noted there wasn't the amount of chicken he was expecting.

The mushrooms were served "just out of the fryer" hot which is always a plus. 

Now to the fried green tomatoes.  Y'all know me, if they're on the menu, I must try them. 

The batter on the tomatoes was thick and held up well to the pimento cheese/green pepper jelly topping. The tomatoes were fried to the perfect brown. I had checked out photos on their Facebook page and the FGTs there had a nice drizzle of the jelly on top of the pimento cheese.  As you can see, ours today had a plop of jelly hanging off onto the side.  The taste was great, but the presentation was missing.

Now on to the burgers!  Sweet Harold chose the Hawaiian Burger which includes tangy BBQ sauce, mayo, cheese, lettuce, grilled pineapple, and bacon with fries on the side.

I'm not a fan of pineapple, so I didn't try a bite, but SH reported he enjoyed both the burger and the fries. 

I always try the signature dish if possible, so what better burger to try than the Downtown Burger?  My burger had mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle with homemade sauce, and I added pepper jack cheese.  My burger was cooked perfectly. I appreciate butter lettuce because to me it is easier to layer.  Mine was missing any onion, but that's not a deal-breaker for me. Also, my personal preference is an old fashioned, regular hamburger bun. These buns were a split top butter bun.  Next time I'll ask if there's a choice of buns. EDITED TO ADD:  After this blog post, the owner contacted me to state that they will begin offering a choice of buns!

I chose onion rings as my side.  They were really well done as you can see, but it was a very generous serving.

We were too full today to try the famous soft-serve grape ice cream. The menu includes chicken fingers, wings, salads, and sandwiches. A unique menu item is macaroni and cheese which you can choose toppings such as pulled pork, fried chicken, grilled chicken, or bacon. Cheese selections include cheddar, smoked gouda, or pepper jack.  If that isn't enough, additional toppings are grilled onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, or jalapenos.

A neighboring table ordered the Loaded Trash Can Fries which had french fries, pulled pork, shredded cheese, jalapenos, with tangy BBQ sauce, house-made ranch, and chives. 

We'll return soon to try some of these delicious-sounding offerings.