i began a few searches for good burgers and beer within the area. all my searches pointed to thebackabbey. after paying a visit for lunch, i can definitely see why this gastropub would be mentioned because the burgers and beers are excellent in both selection and taste.
before choosing a burger or burgers from the menu, i went over the appetizers for a small starter but couldn't stop eyeing the mussels. the crab cakes were another to catch my attention but in the end, the mussels and a kwak beer won. i really enjoyed these mussels. aside from their delicious taste, they were prepared in a flavorful butter/lemon/white wine sauce that i couldn't stop eating. i literally began dipping other food items into the sauce including my fries. i wanted to eat the rest as a soup but realized i had two burgers to take down so settled with just using the remaining sauce as a dip. great stuff!
the two burgers i ordered were thebackabbey and the backyard burger. lots of flavorful juice and spices came from both the dry-aged patties. thebackabbey burger was like a kaleidoscope of flavors. you got the sharp from the aged gouda, the sweet from the caramelized onions, the zest from the mustard aioli, and the savory from both the bacon and patty. each mixed perfectly to make one awesome taste. the backyard burger was more of their take on a classic cheese burger and though it had nothing out of the ordinary going on with it, this burger was great. the veggies were crisp and the 1 year aged cheddar was perfect with the red remy sauce.
let me not forget to mention the duck fat fries that were good as well. as i stated earlier, i began dipping these fries into the sauce the mussels were prepared in but not before dipping into the horseradish chive sauce that came with the fries. this was horseradish done right. you got the taste of the horseradish without the burn from eating to much at a time. very creamy as well. i also like the green salads that accompanied the burgers. i may not talk about salads much but i'm a fan especially when they're light on the vinaigrette.
great burgers, mussels and ice cold beers. this made one epic birthday lunch. the service is top notch as well. not only did my server check to see if anything was needed often, so did other servers that just so happen to be passing while carrying smiles and conversations here and there.
thebackabbey is a great place to grab food and beers. i'm looking forward to checking out this place on a weekend night. i had a great time and if this afternoon visit is any indication, visiting on a weekend night will be a blast.
visit date 11/11/2016