Barley and Hops Grill & Microbrewery - Basic Gourmet Burger w/ Cheddar (4 stars)

5473 Urbana Pike
Frederick, MD 21704
Phone:  (301) 668-5555
Website:  http://barleyandhops.net/

Single location

Time of Visit:  July 25, 2015 at 4:15 pm

My Order:  Basic Gourmet Burger with Cheddar Cheese

                     Fries
                     Tuscarora Red Ale

I saw this place on a list of best burgers in Frederick, so I went in to try it out.  It certainly wasn’t a bad burger, but far from the best I’ve had.

Burger Rating = 3.6 (****)

Presentation, Overall Rating 4

The presentation was nice enough.  It was served open-faced on the plate with the fries and a pickle spear alongside.  It looked really nice, a 4.

Meat, Overall Rating 3

The patty was cooked all the way through, but it just seemed like something was missing, namely some seasoning.  Even just a little salt would have helped immensely.  It did have a good smoke flavor, but I like to taste something besides smoke.  The texture wasn’t bad, but it was obviously not a hand-formed loose patty.  Overall, kind of mediocre, a 3.

Bun, Overall Rating 4

The bun was nicely sized and a good texture which held up through the whole meal.  I give them high marks because they put a good toast on the bun, which provided a nice texture and a good flavor to the burger, a 4.

Toppings, Overall Rating 4

Cheddar cheese:  The cheese was well melted over the burger and covered the burger well.  They actually used two thin slices, so there was a better cheese to meat balance, but still could have used just a little more, a 4.
Lettuce:  The used a good sized piece of green leaf lettuce that was pretty fresh and crunchy.  A good addition, a 4.
Tomato slice:  A nice slice of tomato that fit the burger pretty well.  It just needed to be a little riper and more flavorful, a 4.
Red onion slices:  It was good, crunchy red onion, but they only provided three rings.  By breaking the rings up into pieces, I was able to get good coverage on the burger, but then the smaller pieces threatened to fall out.  A whole slice would have been too much onion, but a few more rings would have been nice, a 4.

Balance/Taste, Overall Rating 3

Overall it was a good burger.  The toppings blended well, but it could have used a bit more onion.  Mostly, the meat just needed to be seasoned, but a hand-formed patty would have given it a better texture.  It did maintain its structural integrity throughout.  Because of the meat, I can’t give this any higher than a 3.

 

Other Notes:

Location and Access

The place was easy to find, right on Route 355.  There is a good amount of parking next to the building, plus extra parking in front of the Target next door.

Facilities

This is a nice building, clean and well kept up.  When you first walk in, the vats for the beer are right next to you.  There is some patio seating and a lot of seats inside.

Staff and Service

The hostess was very friendly and took me right to my seat.  My waitress did come to greet me promptly.  I don’t like to bothered too much when I’m eating, but after I received my food I didn’t see her again until I was done eating.  Not normally a big deal, unless you would like something, which I did this time.  I would have asked for a little mustard, but wound up eating my burger without it.  Since I was in before the dinner rush, the tables were mostly empty, but people started coming in about the time I left.

Sides

Fries:  People, fry your fries just a little bit longer.  They should be crispy on the outside.  Theirs were the typical boardwalk style fries so many places serve, but just needed to be cooked a tad longer.  I’m not a fan of fast food, but at least McDonalds usually gets their fries right.  The spicy ketchup didn’t taste bad, but I don’t really like a spicy tingle in my ketchup, which this had.
Tuscarora Red Ale:  Since this is a brewpub, I decided to have a beer and selected the Tuscarora Red because the menu recommended it to go with the burger.  It was a good match and complimented it well.  It came in the standard pint glass, so I can’t say too much, but I usually don’t need more than maybe 12 ounces for a meal, leaving another four ounces to finish after the meal.  A smaller size option would have been great.

Value

For a table service restaurant, the prices aren’t bad, but of course the beer jacked up the total almost another five dollars.  Still, not a bad overall cost.