25. New Hampshire

     Just before crossing the Piscataqua River into Maine is the small historic town of Portsmouth. I was amazed at how lively and bustling the downtown area was. It’s nice to see a downtown area so alive. The landscape in New Hampshire is just as beautiful as Vermont’s. It is a state busting with lakes. These are lakes nestled amongst the woods. They remind me of scenes from the movie On Golden Pond. Okay, maybe you’re not old enough to remember that movie. We drove into Concord, the capital, for dinner. Across from the state house is TheBarley House Restaurant and Tavern.

      We managed to arrive during their annual burgerfest benefitting Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD). We were greeted with pretzel sticks and hummus while we made our decision. It was unfortunate we were only in town for one meal because the diverse burger menu had so many good options. I decided on the Dublin with its peppercorn charred all Angus beef patty topped with a whiskey gravy, creamy blue cheese and thin crispy onions. The fries are served in a silver tankard and are best with the chipotle ketchup. Dennis opted for the Pepperoni Pizza Burger. We weren’t quite sure how this would be served but a very interesting looking dish was set before him. It looked like a thick individual pepperoni pizza complete with marinara sauce and a 4 cheese blend but the surprise came when you cut into it. The beef patty

 was actually stuffed into the crust. Both were delicious and we were on our way to Rhode Island.

www.thebarleyhouse.com