On this Saturday afternoon we were running some errands that started in Chamblee, then sent us towards the city on Roswell Road. As lunch approached, I looked on the list, saw that the Chastain was close by and hopped over to Resy and grabbed a 1:15 spot. As we pulled up, I told my beloved that we had been there before, some years ago, but I couldn’t remember the name.

This “have-we-been-here-before” feeling was driving me nuts, but it didn’t look familiar, at all, inside. So I asked our server, “Did this use to be the Horseradish Grill?” Bingo – that was it. We’d been here almost 11 years ago In looking back at that review, I found a few things:

• The building opened as a sandwich stop for Chastain Park golf course (across the street) during World War II;
• It has always been a restaurant (never a house);
• Was open as the Horesradish Grill since 1994 and was named after the horseradish growing in the garden out back
• At the time it closed (February 15,2020), it was the longest continually operating restaurant in Atlanta

My dear wife chose the croque monsieur, with the egg over hard, which was served with an arugula and fennel salad. The salad was undressed, which we figured was to cut the richness of the sandwich. I knew she was going to order this when we first saw the menu because the first word in the description was Gruyère. That is her Kryptonite (like wagyu and pork belly) are for me – when we see it, we stop reading and know what we’re having.

The bite she shared with me was delicious – it was an excellent choice. I was torn between the Bolognese and the burger. But they are known for their burger, so…

There it was – loosely formed patty (come to think of it, they didn’t ask how I wanted it cooked), with melted cheddar and chunk shredded lettuce (I skipped the caramelized onion aioli) on a beautifully roasted bun. This was a very good burger.

Was it the best burger I’ve ever had? No, but it was the most expensive burger I’ve had in Atlanta (at $34.00 on the brunch menu with the fries). That’s the only downside I can think of – the lunch was pricey.