Phantom Gourmet: Burgers At The Abbey In Providence

PROVIDENCE - The outside may look small, but with over 100 beers, 18 different burgers, and a massive menu of all the foods you love, The Abbey is larger than life.

This Providence burger bar has been serving patty after delicious patty to the masses since 2001.

"Burgers are king here. They are what drives the locals crazy," said General Manager Jennifer Ricci.

She and her team have come up with a fun menu highlighting 18 burgers with a full description of what's on them, and what to wash them down with.

"We created a template basically, for you just to have the full-on burger experience. Picking your burger, to choosing your side, and it also comes with a pairing based on the type of burger you're going to order."

While the guide is certainly helpful, choosing between their burgers is a challenge. There's the jaw dropping, Lumberjack- a burger that always gets a big reaction.

"The Lumberjack always turns heads as soon as it comes out," Jennifer said. "People are like, 'What is that burger? Please tell me what that is.'"

"It's nice thick slices of Texas Toast, two burger patties, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, ketchup, mustard," she explained. "It's just got everything you can think of to throw on a burger and just have a field day. I think I've seen about three people finish that burger, to be quite honest."

Or, you could go for the appropriately named Couch Potato.

"It has our homemade potato chips on it," Jennifer explained. "It crunches. You also have the texture of the bleu cheese, that's smooth and creamy, and then you have the pulled pork. So, all the textures seem to blend together.

"It also has a pretzel bun, so if you're think about it - you have your potato chips, your pretzels, your cheese, your pulled pork. All things a couch potato would eat."

Then there's the Highway Man, a burger near and dear to Jennifer's heart.

"The Highway Man is actually my favorite burger. I love having egg on burger. This one, it has egg, it has onion rings, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese. The yolk runs right down the side, all over your hands. It is a messy burger but it is amazing."

Of course, all of that creativity in the kitchen isn't limited to just burgers. There's a massive menu full of shareable snacks like the AVO Bacon Pizza topped with creamy avocado, tender chicken and crispy bacon. Or if you want bacon on its own, order the Bacon-Aki, the Abbey's take on beef teriyaki served on a skewer.

"It's bacon on a stick," Jennifer said. "It's skewered thick strips of bacon that we fry, and then we place it on a plate with teriyaki glaze and scallions. Something that you would get from a Chinese restaurant, only done with bacon. You can't go wrong with bacon."

You certainly won't go wrong if you order a basket of The Abbey's homemade kettle chips.

"Chips and cheese is our house made potato chips that we make here, drizzled with a gorgonzola cream sauce, highlighted with scallions," described Jennifer. "So this sauce is a very creamy, cheesy sauce that perfectly blends with the chips. Probably the most addictive appetizer we have on the menu. There are people come from all over just to have this appetizer."

There are over two dozen sandwiches to choose from, including the Tasty Tip Flatbread, loaded up with house marinated steak tips, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and ranch. Or choose a classic order of meatloaf, sliced into a huge slab and served on bread.

"It's heaven," declared Jennifer. "We make it fresh. It's homemade just like you get out of Mom's kitchen. It has carrots and celery. It still has that little crispy crust on the top. Put it on a fresh sourdough roll with our chipotle ketchup, a little bit of cheese. Pair it with French fries and you have mama's home cooking."

While deciding what to eat may be tough, with more than 100 craft beers available, choosing the right pint isn't so easy either. Jen has made it somewhat simpler by decorating the place from floor to ceiling with what's available.

"I try to advertise everything that's on the wall. If we don't have it, I take it down. I try to keep it friendly fun, and also advertising what we do carry, so that people go, 'Oh my god! I haven't had that beer in years. I'd like to try that.'"

With menu prices set in the low teens, you can try as many items much as you want.

You can find The Abbey at 686 Admiral Street in Providence or online at 92beers.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.

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