Chow down on Concord's best burgers

When Lisa Carlson suggested a best burger issue, we jumped at the idea, thanking our lucky stars for such great readers. Eating burgers on the company dime? How could we say no?

First, we had to narrow down the list. To eat every burger in town would no doubt result in higher health insurance premiums. We queried our e-mail list and asked around the office, then took the top four recommendations: The Barley House, The Gas Lighter, Ruby Tuesday and Cheers.

Satisfied with this representation of Concord burgers, we spent a week trying one burger a day. We also grabbed a few random staff members to put in their two cents.

We asked each restaurant what its most popular burger was before ordering, and with the exception of Ruby Tuesday, burgers were all cooked medium (a certain editor forgot the agreed-on temperature and ordered a medium-well burger at Ruby Tuesday).

The rest we leave to your discerning taste buds, readers. We hope you’re reading this right before lunch.

The Gas Lighter
204 N. Main St., 228-8854

Cost: $5
Comes with: Potato chips
Height: 2.5 inches
What our panel had to say:
“Pretty good. I always like mayo on my burger anyway. It reminds me of a backyard barbecue.”
“Cooked perfectly! Not dry at all, even after transporting. Grilled bun is yummy.”
“Delicious – loved the fresh veggies piled high and loads of mayo!”
“Loved all the mayo, even if my arteries didn’t. Taste like home cooking.”
You might also like: Pepper burger ($6) or the classic cheeseburger ($5).

Ruby Tuesday
327 Loudon Road
223-2505, rubytuesday.com

Cost: $10.99
Comes with: French fries, substitutions allowed. (Kudos to the restaurant for its cardboard takeout box – the fries were actually crisp when we got back to the office.)
Height: 2.5 inches
What our panel had to say:
“Tasty. Burger was a bit thin. Lots of toppings took away from the flavor of the meat.”
“Because I only eat a burger that’s masked with too many toppings, I really enjoyed it. Tasty.”
“Way too many toppings. Mayo-sauce was the only flavor that came through.”
“Wow! There’s a lot in this burger! I liked it but thought it could have done without the mayo. The barbecue sauce (which was tangy and yummy) was enough.”
You might also like: Three cheese burger. With American, Swiss and aged New York cheddar cheeses. $8.99

Cheers Grill and Bar
17 Depot St.
228-0180, cheersnh.com

Cost: $8.99
Comes with: Choice of French fries, potato salad, rice, potato, vegetable or fruit. Extra for onion rings.
Height: 2.75 inches
What our panel had to say:
“Great flavor. Slightly greasy, but aren’t all burgers? Nice texture, bread not soggy. Meat could use some spicing up.”
“Needs a little more salt. Love the roasted red peppers and mushrooms combo. Cheese could be a little bolder. Hearty, like a burger should be.”
“All the toppings were tasty – I love the mushrooms especially. The burger itself could have used some seasoning and was a little dry for my tastes.”
You might also like: Mushroom Havarti dill burger. Sautéed mushrooms and melted Havarti dill cheese. $8.59

The Barley House
132 N. Main St.
228-6363, thebarleyhouse.com

Cost: $9.99
Comes with: Choice of French fries, potato salad or coleslaw (extra for mixed greens or sweet potato fries.) Served with whiskey gravy on the side.
Height: 3 inches
What our panel had to say:
“Very tasty and full of flavor. The blue cheese and the gravy go well together. The spiciness definitely lingers, so if you order this on a date, pack a breath mint!”
“Heavy texture and spice. Goes well together.”
“Juicy, very flavorful, nice texture. Couldn’t eat a whole one. Spicy aftertaste good.”
“I don’t like blue cheese normally, but this was a tasty burger. I really liked the whiskey gravy. Crisp green lettuce a plus.”
You might also like: Coffee barbecue bacon bison burger. Local meat, coffee barbecue rub, house barbecue sauce, cheddar. $9.99