Back in the day when real speakeasies were all the rage in backrooms and basements all over the country, there probably weren’t too many patrons who went to one for food. In fact, we wonder if any old-time speakeasies even had food.
But in 2018, with alcohol fully legal in all 50 states, there aren’t really any true speakeasies around anymore – at least not that we know about. What there is, at least in Concord, is Chuck’s Barbershop, a brand-new establishment that’s meant to look and in some ways function like one of the clandestine joints of yesteryear.
We checked out Chuck’s when they first opened a couple months ago, but we went purely for the ambiance. Last week we finally set aside some time to stop in and see what they had to offer.
While the place is known for its old-fashioned, handmade cocktails, we wanted to see what the food was all about – there actually is what amounts to a full food menu, with some fancy options as well as basic ones.
We were in the mood for something traditional, so we got an order of Patty Melt Sliders – two mini burgers with bacon, cheddar and garlic peppercorn aioli on a toasted brioche bun.
For 10 bucks we’d like a little more on the plate, but these little sliders packed quite the punch.
The ground chuck patties were cooked well done, with some nice char flavor on the outside. They were nice and hot, and they didn’t leak all over the place with every bite, despite being good and juicy.
These sliders were surprisingly flavorful – the garlic peppercorn aioli added some nice dimension that you don’t often get in a burger, and added a slightly earthy taste. The bun was big but not too big – no “where’s the beef?” here.
After finishing the first slider, we realized that these were more filling and satisfying than we expected. For small sliders, they actually filled us up sufficiently without feeling heavy or greasy.
The bacon, though the pieces were small, was crispy and thick, and had more of an artisan taste to it than the thin, soggy strips that have been known to accompany burgers. The cheddar cheese tied everything together perfectly.
Between the two sliders was a little helping of arugula as a garnish. We weren’t about to let those fresh greens go to waste, so we snacked on them between sliders. This worked as a nice palate cleanser, not that one was necessary since the meal was two of the same thing.
All in all, these sliders were surprisingly good for speakeasy fare, and they hold up to anything else in town. Make sure you get over there (Eagle Square) and try some – just don’t tell anyone where you were!
