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The Country Burger

June 11, 2008 04:42 AM ET | Permanent Link

We recently ate at The Barn (www.thebarnnj.com/) in Wyckoff after we asked friends to recommend a great burger place. The folks who live in the area have known about this homey hangout forever.

The Barn
The Barn
Inside The Barn
Inside The Barn

The restaurant is tucked away from the road in a rustic former dairy barn, built in 1779, where generations of locals have carved their initials into the walls and booths. It is famous for bountiful burgers and a ho-down ambience in gentrified Bergen County. No calorie counting allowed. You won’t be swinging your partner far after one of these — but  who cares?

The Barn Burger is eight ounces dripping wet — sautéed onions, bacon and cheddar cheese, slathered in barbeque sauce. You’ll need both hands to hold it, and a bib to collect the drippings. But if you love burgers, it’s worth every splatter.
 
The cheeseburger is moist and flavorful, without being greasy. Freshly made Idaho fries accompany.  

The Barn’s owner, Eli Batin, says the secret is the restaurant customized “special blend” of Black Angus beef from its supplier, and it’s all fresh, not frozen. No industrial patties here.

Why is the burger so juicy? The flame is just right, not too high or low. And no salt before you grill. Salt “drains the juices from the meat onto the grill,” says Batin.

 Batin, a jeweler by trade, bought The Barn seven years ago and built his new house next door so he could spend plenty of time at the restaurant. “I enjoy food,” he says. “If it’s not right, I get very upset.”

He won’t have to worry about aggravating over these burgers. The writing on the walls and uneven wood plank floors seem to intensify the flavor. The Barn is a  little bit of country and a whole lot of burger.

Got a great burger place near you? Send us your suggestions by clicking on the “Write the Editor” link below.

Tags: Wyckoff | The Barn | hamburgers

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Comments
Review

Back in the day this place was incredible. Many a great evening spent there. Unbelievable Steak Sandwich on toast, so good you would eat 2. Great fries and beer battered onion rings. Then new management ruined it. They actually dropped the steak sandwich for salads. What an outrage for this former speak easy. After going 2-3 times a month for years I never set foot in the place again. I still miss those steak sandwiches and am mad enough about it years later to still write this.

Posted by: spider rico, | Oct 15, 2008 14:28:40 PM |

The Barn Original

Back in the 1970’s, three friends and I would spend Wednesday or Thursday nights here. Jimmy P. was the barkeep and Bob W. owned the place. The home made fries were out of this world, and the burgers you would kill for. All this was washed down with pitchers of beer as we sat around old tables carved with names and initials from years past, and in the winter a coal fired pot belly stove gave off so much heat that we had to rotate positions around the table. A split rail fence, polished by thousands of asses, was where bar patrons would sit.
It will never be the same as it once was, and Wyckoff is poorer for that.
CD - Lancaster, NH

Posted by: Charlie D., None | Mar 30, 2009 21:44:42 PM |

The Barn in Wyckoff

This used to be a great and unique place to go for a beer, a burger and to meet friends..Bob W’s steak sandwich and his in-house trimmed rib-eye steaks were worth the long trip and although somewhat hidden from the street, its local charm, character and good eats drew people from all over the area..

Now the new owner has reduced the once unique ambiance, good food and meeting place to a meer shell of what it once was. As soon as you open the front door you are greeted by a cheap looking suit of armour and the once hand carved tables are now protected from any new carvings by pieces of plastic..A suit of armour in a barn that was built in 1779? What the...Where am I?.. Little kids are everywhere creating havoc and disturbing whatever tranquility you had hoped to find at a restaurant..Even the wooden chairs have been replaced by mismatched wierdly colored vinyl diner seats..The burgers are now smothered by a way too large roll and the fries arent anywhere near as good as they used to be..Those excellent steaks have disappeared from the menu and replaced with what is billed as the "best ribs in New Jersey"..Someone should tell the owner that a good rib isnt one that is boiled then finished off in the oven..We will never go back there again ..It’s a shame that the new owner doesn’t seem to have a clue as to what the words rustic, ambiance, and good food means...
Bill W.

Posted by: Bill Wiess, None | Apr 21, 2009 18:36:27 PM |