THIS WEEK'S BURGER QUEST:
Visit the Dining section of NewHampshire.com to read previous Our Gourmet reviews listed by town. |
Which is to say, we did a lot of traveling, but the search was by no means exhaustive. There’s still plenty of territory to cover (the North Country, for instance) but that will have to wait for another day. I don’t think I can look at another burger – at least for awhile.
This week we’ll tell you about our last three restaurants and then give you the overall winners. Read on:
THE BARLEY HOUSE
132 North Main St., Concord
228-6363; thebarleyhouse.com
Our Gourmet: The Barley House is a pub-style restaurant in downtown Concord that we’ve enjoyed in the past, but this was our first experience with its burgers. The restaurant has several burger choices including a coffee barbecue bacon bison burger. That was tempting, but I chose the CHaD Caprese Burger ($9.99). One dollar from the sale of each goes to the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, which made me feel good having been just a few days too early for the restaurant’s Burger Fest to benefit CHaD. It runs through June 20, so you still have time to eat and contribute to a great cause. For more info, go to the Barley House Web site.
Back to the burger: Juicy, with a fresh beef flavor. A generous helping of sliced mozzarella, a thick sliced tomato and pesto were the perfect complement. A delectable burger, indeed. 9
The Dining Companion: Since I was having a Guinness, I decided to try the Dublin Burger ($9.99) which was a peppercorn encrusted burger with whiskey gravy, blue cheese and crispy onions served with a side of fries. This burger was one of the juiciest and most flavorful burgers of all that we tried. Sometimes when you order a peppercorn encrusted burger it is so peppery that it wipes out your taste buds, but this one was just right. If you order fries, ask for some of the Barley House’s house-made chipotle ketchup. 9.5
Total score: 18.5/20
ROUTE 28 ROADHOUSE
4 Sanborn Road, Londonderry
425-7553; route28roadhouse.com
OG: While on the search for burgers, how could we pass up a place that offers more than 20 varieties? We couldn’t, and the Route 28 Roadhouse does.
The restaurant serves breakfast and lunch, so if you want to try the burgers you’ll have to get there before 2 p.m. on most days. The burgers are made to order and come with a dizzying array of topping choices – including fried egg. I tried the Road Warrior Burger ($7.95) with barbecue sauce, jalapeno cheese and bacon. The burger was a generous size and obviously not a commercial patty. The flavors blended together nicely, although I didn’t really notice the cheese under the barbecue sauce. A respectable, workman-like burger. 7
TDC: This place wins the prize for the biggest list of possible burger combinations. I had the X-Files Burger ($7.25), which was a big fat and juicy burger topped with Canadian bacon, Monterey jack cheddar cheese with a horseradish sauce. This burger had really nice flavors and definitely was a full meal in itself. My one complaint would be that the fries were a bit overcooked. 8
Total score: 15/20
WILD WILLY'S BURGERS
12 Gonic Road (Route 125), Rochester
332-1193; wildwillysburgers.com
OG: Quite a number of readers suggested we try out Wild Willy’s, which is a small chain with about a half-dozen outlets. The Rochester restaurant is the only one in New Hampshire.
Willy’s sports faux-cowboy décor and is pretty basic as far as amenities go. Ordering is done at the front counter, although servers bring the food to your table when it’s ready. There are a few chicken dishes and some salads, but the real star here is the burger – and Willy’s offers some 15 kinds (including two bison burgers). My choice was the Buffalo Bill ($7.25), which is a bison burger topped with horseradish sauce, cheddar cheese and mushrooms.
The bison was cooked just right, was quite flavorful, the mushrooms fresh and the horseradish sauce was a wonderful accompaniment. I really enjoyed this one. A side note: The burgers aren’t quite as large as some we had, but they were big enough and they come at a great price. Most (bison excluded) are just over $6. 9
TDC: After looking over Wild Willy’s long list of burgers, I ordered the Rio Grande ($6.15) which had New Mexican roasted green chiles with cheddar cheese. The burger was cooked just as I asked, and was juicy and full of great flavor. The chiles had a bite, but nothing too extreme, and gave the burger a nice little kick. I liked this one and the price made it taste even a little bit better. 9
Total score: 18/20
THIS WEEK'S WINNER: The Barley House 18.5 / 20
JUNE 3 WINNER: Buckley's Great Steaks 19.5 / 20
MAY 20 WINNER: CJ’s Great West Grill 19 / 20
MAY 6 WINNER: Billy’s Sports Bar and Grill 17 / 20
BEST BURGER 2009: Buckley’s Great Steaks 19.5/20
A FEW HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Best value: Wild Willy’s, Rochester
Most creative: Rocky’s Famous Burgers, Newmarket
Best fries: Wild Willy’s, Rochester
