Area restaurants offer unique burgers
Celebrating a staple at summertime BBQs, May is National Burger Month. With Memorial Day right around the corner and locals getting ready to fire up the grill we took a journey across Sussex County to find some great burger joints.
From the shores of Swartswood Lake, Kathy Snyder, the owner of The Boat House, said their burgers all sell well, but "our blue cheese burger is especially popular." With the coming of warmer weather, most evenings the Boat House offers outside patio dining on the lake.
Not for the faint at heart, The Homestead Rest in Sparta serves up The Homestead Legend. The two-pound burger is topped with four slices of cheese, three slices of tomato, two slices of onion and lettuce and served on a specialty bun with chips and a pickle.
Located in a historic building on Newton-Sparta Road, Max's Station House has an array of burger options, and moving into downtown Sparta, hit The Mohawk House for The Mohwak Burger which is served on a brioche pretzel bun then topped with ground sirloin and served with cole slaw and fries. Also, in Sparta, Homer's is about as hometown USA as you can get right down to a long list of burgers. Their Sparta Blue Burger is topped with crispy bacon and crumbled blue cheese.
"Our number one seller is the Bacon Cheese Burger with the Muenster and Mushroom burger coming in second," said Robert Fuchs, owner of Krogh's Restaurant and Brew Pub in Sparta.
Like many restaurants, Krogh's offers a number of burger options. Perhaps their most unique is a burger platter with Welsh Rarebit Sauce, a rich, sharp cheddar cheese sauce made with beer.
The Chatterbox is a 50's/60's style drive-in located on Ross' Corner and offers a host of burgers listed under the heading Goodness, Gracious, Great Angus Burgers including the Buckaroo Burger — topped with fried onions, cheddar cheese, bacon and Chatter Box's own barbecue sauce.
Located beneath The Lafayette House in Olde Lafayette Village, The Marquis Tavern is a pub with a menu that includes the more traditional burgers and their coveted Sea Burger which offers fried strips of cod served with cole slaw, pickles, lettuce, tomato, onion and fries.
In the heart of Newton, the appropriately named County Seat serves the Char Grilled Angus Burger which is made according to the customer's wishes with a selection of cheeses and toppings including blue cheese and sauteed mushrooms and onions.
Known for its infusions of house made spices and then hickory smoking meats, Smokehouse Barbecue's Sussex County venue is on Route 206 in Andover. When it comes to burgers, owner Sean Ulley said, "Our Signature Burger is a can't miss. It's an eight-ounce patty topped with sharp cheddar, beer battered onion rings and our homemade barbecue sauce."
At Sheridan's on the Lake, in Andover, The Belly Buster doesn't disappoint — stacked with peppers, onions, bacon, mushrooms, Swiss and American cheese. In the heat of Andover, The Main Street Grille's Andover Burger starts with eight-ounces of ground beef which is topped with a choice of Swiss, American or mozzarella cheese and the choice of bacon.
Known for it's entertainment and being the only gastropub around, Salt's Salt Burger is six ounces of freshly ground prime beef cooked to the patron's liking and served with a trio of condiments: Guinness braised onions, sriracha aioli and sun dried tomato aioli. Further down 206, the newly reopened Lockwood Tavern, located beneath Barones in Stanhope, features a Mushroom Swiss burger.
Deemed "The Last Great American Road House," The Stanhope House features lots of music and The Stanhope Burger, The Stanhope Junior and The Stanhope Double. All are made to order with a huge choice of cheeses including Gorgonzola and Pepper Jack as well as a host of toppings.
The Stadium, in Newton, offers a beef or Portabello hamburger or cheeseburger which they serve with regular or sweet potato fries. Across town, at O'Reilly's Pub, the O'Reilly Burger starts with a juicy burger topped which is then topped with a hash brown, melted cheddar and O'Reilly's own Guinness Sauce.
For more Irish-inspired burgers, head to Franklin where The Irish Cottage Inn's Gaelic Burger is a 10 ounce burger stacked with rashers (Irish bacon) and Guinness infused cheddar cheese.
Located in Someplace Special Square, in Vernon, Smokey's Tavern offers a host of burgers, and like most other restaurants has a burger alternative for vegetarians. Theirs is the Anti Burger which has a thick cut squash, zucchini, eggplant, red and green bell peppers, red onion and marinated Portobella mushrooms grilled and served in a whole wheat wrap with mixed greens the drizzled with your choice of pesto or balsamic glaze.
Within the clubhouse at Grand Cascades Lodge within the Crystal Springs Resort in Vernon, Crystal Tavern's American Kobe Beef Burger is topped with brie cheese, truffle aioli, arugula, caramelized onions and steak sauce, and the Rifle Ranch Lamb Burger comes with feta cheese, arugula, pickled red onion, tomato, cucumber, and tzatziki sauce.
In the heart of Vernon, The George Inn can be found at Vernon's main intersection offers The George Inn Pounder which tops a one pound home-made patty of all beef with melted American cheese and the customer's choice of toppings.