The Food Snob hits up Vibes Gourmet Burgers

If there’s one thing we like to do around here, it’s eat food. Lots of food. Good food.

Luckily, we were able to do just that last week at the new burger joint downtown, Vibes Gourmet Burgers.

We’d been anxiously awaiting the opening for months, and for a little while there we were afraid we might never get to taste one of these gourmet burgers. But after a lot of red-tape hopping, paperwork and waiting, Vibes finally opened to the public at the end of November in the spot where Gibson’s Bookstore used to be on South Main Street.

And since they’re officially open now, of course we had to go all Food Snob on this beast. And it was a worthy trip.

The place has a modern, classy feel as soon as you walk inside. It’s an order-at-the-counter, pick-it-up-when-they-call-you kind of place, but there are plenty of tables to sit down at – there are even some tables with cushy leather couches and chairs for your lounging pleasure. And it has bar seating at the windows looking out to Main Street, a common feature of downtown eateries. There are a few big TVs in there, although they were not on when we stopped in (maybe they’re still trying to decide between cable and satellite?), and there’s a big chalkboard where patrons can write or draw whatever they want.

The menu features all burgers and fries, with a few salad options. For drinks, you can get soda, juice, craft beer and wine. But the burgers are the star of the show.

You can create your own burger if you’d like, but where’s the fun in that? Vibes offers plenty of interesting specialty burgers, such as Concord’s Own (bacon, cheddar, apple, lettuce and a maple syrup drizzle), The Lone Star (Texas BBQ sauce, crisp onion rings, fresh lettuce and smoked gouda), The Unusual (sliced apple, Vermont cheddar, applewood smoked bacon, fresh lettuce, pickled jalapeno and creamy peanut butter) and The Vibe Burger (Vermont cheddar, sliced tomato, fresh lettuce leaf and Vibes’s signature bacon and onion jam).

For sides, they take fries to the next level. You can, of course, get classic fries (actually, Vibes does bayou spiced garlic and herb fries as the standard) or sweet potato fries, but the featured items are Vibes poutine (crispy natural skin fries with cheese curds and deep brown gravy, a Canadian classic), bacon cheddar fries (fairly self-explanatory) and stadium fries (fries with cheddar cheese sauce, roasted peppers, corn and black bean salsa, and pickled jalapenos).

Think of the place as sort of a gourmet version of Five Guys: it’s all a la carte, and it’s all burgers (well, for the most part). There are no value meals or combo plates – you’ll have to hit up Mickey D’s or the King for that. But on the plus side, there’s beer. Local, craft beer.

Some of the local libations on tap include Great North Aleworks of Manchester, Woodstock Inn of North Woodstock and Smuttynose of Hampton. You can also go with a Sam Adams if you’re feeling less adventurous.

But on to the food.

This Food Snob tried the Vibe Burger. The signature bacon and onion jam sounded intriguing, and it was, although I was sort of expecting to have full-on strips of bacon in there for some reason (you see the word “bacon” and you just say yes, you don’t think about it). The burger was overall not incredibly exciting – after all, it’s basically a regular burger plus the jam – but definitely tasty. That jam added a nice sweet and savory zip, and I can’t recall tasting anything quite like it around Concord.

The bun – they come from Bread and Chocolate next door – was very nice and soft and it didn’t get soggy despite the generous portion of bacon onion jam. The presentation is pretty cool, too – the food is served in an artisanal metal tray with a big steak knife stabbed through the burger instead of the traditional toothpick with the colored thing on top. A legit deli pickle comes on the side (mine even had some real dill on it).

My trusty companion went with the Concord’s Own, only he opted to go without the maple syrup – he really only uses syrup on pancakes and French toast, apparently. But he thought the apple added some nice sweetness to it. The bacon was also nice and crispy – just the way he likes it. Overall, he thought the burger was delicious. “How can you go wrong with a bacon cheeseburger?” he said.

We both got the regular fries as a side. They’re of the shoestring variety, and you get a ton of them, so prepare to be full. The spices on the fries were a bit heavy, but they were still good nonetheless. Next time I’m definitely trying that poutine. I love me some gravy. (My companion, strangely, does not.)

Since we were hard at work, we didn’t try any of the fine alcoholic beverages, but the Diet Pepsi I had was to die for, and I liked the cool black straw. We’ll have to go back after hours some time and get the full experience.

The prices are not too high, not too low – burgers range from $7 to $10, with fries going from $2 (regular) to $7 (specialty). Salads are $6, but why would you get a salad when there’s meat at your disposal?

All in all, Vibes is well worth your time. If you want a good, unique burger, specialty fries and a comfortable environment, this place is for you.

Oh yeah, and there’s a gelato shop, Buza Dairy Bar, in the same storefront on the other side of Vibes. We’ll have to try that next.