From fine dining to dive, the Highlander is quite a step down from the manicured walls of Bacchanalia...
Except it isn't. It's actually great, no facetiousness, I swear. It is a den of creative expression, proud of it's non-conforming, common-ground for the common-man appeal. And it's beautiful. Wallpapered with art for sale, all sorts of graphic masterpieces, the walls speak of the inner workings of so many beautiful minds, all clashing cohesively.
The menu features some rarer beers, but I'm too hungry to care. An IPA from Wicked Weed of Asheville, North Carolina from the featured menu is fine by me. I know it's 11 AM, but it's 5 o'clock somewhere.
The menu is actually impressive. All the best of the bar food/gastropub grub, but there's a great range of things, including several types of wings. Our Jerk Wings match the bohemian vibe, laid-back wings with kickin' spices clinging.
The soup of the day is a Crab Bisque, and it is hitting my seafood sore spot like a carnival hammer hits the high striker. The soup is smooth, the creamy texture tempered by shreds of crabmeat. It's been decades since I've had a really good crab bisque.
Beef Stroganoff. Seriously. Yes, seriously. Seriously satisfying egg noodles coated just lightly in cream, interspersed with tidbits of mushrooms and very tender beef. I could use more of that cream-goddess sauce, but it's hard to argue with a dish where the beef is even softer than the mushroom.
The term "dive bar" means so many things, but I wish The Highlander would stop referring to itself as such. It's so much more than that. It's a place with character, a safe space for all sorts of expression, a place where anyone can come as they are. Plus, there's really nothing divey about them. Their beer list is incredible, their food is great, and the ambiance is truly one of a kind. "Atlanta's best bar," their menu says. Now THAT is an accurate description.
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