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Bristolwood scores a hole-in-one with burgers
By Anthony M. Fuda
Fore!
Out of the way, I had to get a burger at Bristolwood Golf Course & Restaurant.
That’s right, the restaurant at Bristolwood is more than a hockey puck burger, or bag of chips at the turn before you play your second nine holes. We were fortunate the half- pound, handmade burgers were today’s venture, because we forgot our clubs at home.
Chef Brandon Nicopolis is making the restaurant a place to go even if you are not golfing. He says they get as much food locally sourced as they can so the flavor is the best it can be. For the burgers we enjoyed, the meat was from Mahan Packing and the buns were from D’urso bakery. Both made for an excellent burger.
And, we had seven of those half-pound burgers to choose from:
The Classic (cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, mayo, add bacon for $1)
Sweet Onion (brown sugar infused grilled onions, topped with melted Swiss cheese)
The Duke (cheddar cheese topped with bacon, onion ring, barbecue sauce. You can get jalapenos upon request.)
The Porky Pig (burger is smothered with southern style, slow smoked pork, topped with chilled cole slaw)
The Birdie (choice of cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard, mayo, topped with an over easy egg)
Mac Attack (topped with macaroni and cheese and crispy bacon)
Flame Thrower (jalapeno bottle caps, melted pepper jack cheese, pickled jalapeno, Sriracha mayo)
The burgers are sided with fresh cut fries. You can choose between American, pepper jack, Swiss or cheddar cheese, and you can even add a second burger patty for $3 if your hunger takes over.
Our waitress, Lisa Popescu, led us on our way to burger bliss, keeping our drinks filled on the way.
I wavered between the Sweet Onion, but eventually chose the Flame Thrower. And its name is no joke. With the plethora of spicy toppings each having a distinct flavor, to the overall blend of each of those toppings, this burger had just enough kick to make you happy, but didn’t overload your senses. The jalapenos made the most noise on my palate and the pepper jack cheese added its own dimension of heat. The Sriracha mayo brought all those flavors together with a creamy layer of coolness. The lightly toasted bun held all of that deliciousness together and didn’t let any of those important spice elements escape. Next time I will have my golf clubs with me and after my round, I will try the Sweet Onion Burger.
Scott found some fascination with the Duke Burger, saying, “With the bacon, cheese and onion ring slathered in barbecue sauce, there was nothing chintzy about this burger. The burger was loaded with bacon and flavor. With the juiciness of the burger combined with the barbecue sauce, I didn’t think the burger would hold together as well as it did. The bun was first of all large enough to handle the mountain of a large burger, and secondly, it was extremely fresh. This was just a great burger from top to bottom.
JT decided to check out the Classic, “I know we’ve had plenty of fantastic burgers over the years that were cooked on flat top grills, but for me, the taste of a burger seared over an open flame is where it’s at – that extra boost of flavor. The burger was juicy, toppings fresh, fries crispy, I thoroughly enjoyed the Classic and the whole experience. Nice job, Brandon.”
Husband and wife owners Richale and Kyle Quinn bought the golf course and restaurant a couple years ago and have been building it up month by month. And we can tell you they’ve created a great product, and the restaurant’s food is phenomenal.
Besides an ever expanding menu, Brandon also has a fish fry every Friday evening and Saturday is barbecue day with smoked barbecue ribs.
If you are playing a round of golf at Bristolwood, or even if you are just in the area and looking for a good meal, especially a nice, juicy burger, then stop at the Bristolwood restaurant and try any one of those delicious burgers. It will definitely be up to par and even score a birdie or two.
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