Sin In My Heart: Delia's Chicken Sausage Stand, Atlanta, GA

We are both fans of restaurants that specialize in one item, stylized a hundred different ways, whether it is mac n’ cheese, ramen noodles, or rice pudding. On the last day of our visit to Atlanta, our hosts, Vickie and Travis, took us for a farewell lunch at one of Vickie’s favorite places, Delia’s Chicken Sausage Stand. It is a tiny roadside shack near Little Five Points, one of the hipper neighborhoods in the East Atlanta area.

Unlike many local joints that shut their doors when the sun goes down, Delia’s caters to the late-night crowds that flee Little Five Points bars at closing time, looking for a post-party snack...or, let’s not kid ourselves, munchies.

Their handcrafted sausage, made from locally-sourced, organic, and hormone free chicken, is served on freshly-baked hoagie rolls with toppings like jalapeno peppers, fiery mustard, and diced onions. For diners steering clear of meat, the restaurant offers a vegetarian variant of all their sandwiches.

We started with a sandwich called The Hot Mess, an aptly titled serving of link sausage smothered in chili, cheddar cheese, jalapenos, and their top secret “comeback” sauce. (Still not sure what exactly they are coming back from, because it kind of seemed like they are already there.) True to its name, The Hot Mess is a drippy little sucker, so be sure to have plenty of napkins, a bib, and possibly even a poncho on hand. That said, get your hands messy, because this is a delicious dish! The meat is well-seasoned with a good texture and kick, while anything drenched in chili and cheese is destined for greatness.

The Hot Mess. Ooey, gooey, sloppy goodness.

We also picked a trio of sliders called 3 Hot Chicks: one meatball, teeming with zesty marinara sauce, one slaw, a classic southern staple, and one super spicy, piled high with jalepeno peppers and our favorite of the three. For a side, we snagged their potato wedges, drizzled with a rich, creamy cheese sauce. Did we mention you’re going to need napkins?

Three Hot Chicks. Tasty ladies.

Because we secretly have a death wish, we split an order of the Double D Delight Sliders, chicken sausage patties atop grilled Krispy Kreme doughnuts, dolloped with cherry cream cheese. The description alone is enough to induce cardiac arrest but we figured it was one of those “never again” kinds of meals. The spicy chicken sausage married seamlessly with the sweetness of the cherry cream cheese and grilled glazed doughnut. It was as shameful as a heaping plate of fried butter or whatever slop they serve at the Texas State Fair, and one with mixed reactions: Alexa called it a “sinful guilty pleasure food,” while Alex, who has eaten everything from a Nepalese meat-hash made from goat parts to a Polish soup made from duck’s blood, could barely do a single bite. “I can’t do something this flagrantly unhealthy,” he said.

Proceed with caution.

Despite the seeming gut-busting qualities of the Double D Delight and the potato wedges, chicken sausage is healthier than sausages made from red meat, lower in cholesterol, fat, and calories. Provided your order isn’t sandwiched between two grilled donuts or slathered in liquid cheese, you may actually find yourself eating something healthy - and loving it!