Piggy Park - Thomaston, Georgia

Piggy Park in Thomaston, GA, opened in 1950 and it is an old-school drive-in that specializes in barbeque, but I’ve never sampled their BBQ. How can I when the burger is so good?

They do their burgers scrambled style, which is not quite loose-meat like a Maid-Rite, but more like chopped up on the griddle. The burger is a glowing example of a dead-simple formula that rises high above the sum of its parts. The cheeseburger deluxe is dressed only with a slice of American cheese and a special sauce that I used to think was some kind of magical alchemy, but in fact when I asked about it they told me it is just a mix of ketchup and mustard, which suprised me. The magic must be in the proportion of ketchup to mustard because it is far better than it ought to be. It is burger candy, and that, combine with some very good fresh french fries, makes this one of my favorites.

Piggy Park makes the argument for simplicity in a powerful way. All you really need for a very good burger is some fresh beef, served hot, seasoned nicely, with a side of hot and fresh fries. Add a couple of touches, like a well-seasoned griddle, a good toasted roll, and you’re approaching greatness.