The way to my heart is through my stomach - figuratively, metaphorically, and literally.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

The Barley House - Concord, NH

The Barley House
132 North Main St.
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 228-6363
www.thebarleyhouse.com

The Barley House is what I consider a reasonably cheap semi trendy burger joint in Concord.  When I arrived, I didn't realize how many other things besides burgers they had.  Because I had my mind set on burgers, we definitely ordered one--the hangover.  Other reviews and reports tell me that the specials here are rather hit or miss, however, I will definitely have to come back without a preformed opinion and expectation for a burger to come try Barley House's specials.

We had the French Dip Panini, The Blackened Cajun Burger, and the Hangover Burger.  All three were quite delicious, with the burgers being a slight novelty, at least for the north in terms of taste.  The Cajun burger was seasoned with a sort of Cajun Mayonaise - Mayo mixed in with what appeared to be a little ketchup and mustard, and a cajun season, such as Tony Chachere's.  It fit the burgers and fries quite well.

The Hangover burger was my choice, and naturally, being me I ordered it rare.  Three bites in, and I realized that there was no pink center.  The burger was about medium well done.  Our waitress, Lisa, took it off my hands quite quickly and had it remade in about five minutes.  While I waited, she brought a complementary dish of french fries with Cajun Mayo to keep me occupied.  The Hangover burger consisted of a seasoned beef patty, a fried egg, your choice of cheese, two slices of bacon, and some wild salad.  Upon the arrival of my burger, take two, it was definitely rare.  However, being the food snob that I was, I noticed that the burger had been seasoned before being formed into patties, and that the beef was about a day older than I would have liked it for rare.  I usually like rare burgers because they are not seasoned on the inside, giving one the raw beef taste that I so much like.  Had I known this, I would have stuck with the burger that came out originally.

However, this isn't a black mark.  The burger was incredibly good, and really activated my tastebuds, with all the different layers of flavors that were in the burger.  The combination of the cheese, bacon (yes, everything is better with bacon, I do agree!), and seasoned beef accompanied with the occasional bittersweet taste of the wild salad was fantastic.  I will definitely come back to Barley House for some more burgers.  But only after I've had a chance to attack some of their specials and more of their beer selection.

All in all, for a semi trendy burger joint, the Barley House is a great place to go to.  Part bar, the beer selection is above par, with some interesting selections to choose from.  The service is fantastic, and if you're there, definitely try to grab Lisa as a waitress - she took care of all my food problems with no issues whatsoever, and kept right on top of our requests and needs.

Stay tuned for episode 2, so I can give an accurate look into the Barley House's nonburger selection!

The Barley House on Urbanspoon

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