Durham's New Hop + grind Restaurant

The new Hop + grind burger spot gets it right
By: Susan Laughlin, New Hampshire Magazine

Burgers, it could be said, are having their day. The beef patty on a sesame seed bun has long been a staple in the American diet — it’s an easy grab-and-go food — and it’s satisfying on many levels. But the perfection of that meld can be difficult to nail down, duplicate and dispatch to the continually more demanding dining public. There’s the quality of the meat itself — does it need to be locally sourced and grass-fed? The bun and its texture are often debated. And then there is the height, width and breadth of all the amendments. Is more better? Is there a perfect balance? Is there no end to the creativity that can be piled upon that humble slab of ground meat?

Bobby Marcotte, head chef at Tuckaway Tavern in Raymond, wanted in on the trend of juicy glory. He has worked for several years making Tuckaway burgers fabulous, with meat ground fresh almost hourly, and a full market’s worth of ingredients on hand to add to the mix.

About a year and a half ago, Marcotte teamed up with Bobby Buivid, a restaurant design professional, and they started planning the ultimate burger joint. Does it take that long to open a restaurant? Well, yes, according to Buivid, who says, “We wanted to make sure everything was perfect, from the food to the environment to the service. We bounced ideas off of each other every day.”

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The new Hop + grind in Durham has a wealth of charm. One could say that ambient lighting and décor are the most important aspect of a new restaurant if you want people come in from the cold and sit a spell. Buivid wanted a theme from the start that “embraces the past, but chases the future,” he says, adding that they became “pickers” for six months while they collected ephemera, 1950s beer memorabilia and a really cool tin BEER sign.

There is an obvious nod to the beer-loving past. Buivid had retro picnic coolers fitted to contain the beer taps. The tap handles themselves are the spray cans they used to add graffiti to the walls and tables. Vintage lard tins have been turned upside down to become shades for heat lamps at the pass. “We wanted to appeal not only to students, but to their parents, alumni and the folks living in the region too,” he says.

Service has been given plenty of thought as well. “We wanted to bridge the gap between an In-N-Out Burger experience and a higher-end, sit-down experience,” says Buivid. “We are calling it craft/casual.” The duo has incorporated aspects of fast serve, such as the line-up-at-the-register ordering experience, but they give the food chef-driven quality. It seems to be working. There is plenty of time to read the menu and take in the vibe while in the queue. You can watch as the food is placed at the pass, ready for the servers to take to the seated diners. You might even want to change your order as attractive burgers and fixings are quickly dispatched. Seating options include stools at the bar, community tables and high-top tables, each hand-built and topped with spray-painted designs, including one that says “Game Changer.”

Read the complete article at nhmagazine.com.

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