Behind the Menu: Peanut butter bacon burger, anyone? Double Barrel Kitchen offers tasty one
Double Barrel Kitchen & Bar is along busy North Hamilton Road where restaurants seemingly are popping up every day.
"Business is booming on this side of town," manager Lauren Riffle said. "There are tons of apartments and condos that were built in the last few years.
"We opened in December of 2019 and survived the COVID shutdown that happened just a few months later."
The mood is casual but to start things on a spicy note, the menu offers stuffed jalapeno poppers ($10), which are egg-washed and dredged in breadcrumbs.
"They do have some heat because we use fresh jalapenos but the cream-cheese mixture definitely balances out the heat," Riffle said. "We mix cream cheese, bacon and shredded cheese together and stuff and bread them in-house. They're served with a side of our queso because you can't ever have too much cheese."
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Candied bacon ($9) shows up in several dishes and even on its own as an appetizer.
The smoked bacon is rubbed with cayenne and brown sugar and grilled on-site.
"It has a little kick to it, but in my opinion, it's not too spicy," Riffle said. "It really just depends on what level of heat you can handle. The candied bacon is one of our most popular appetizers."
In what might seem an unusual combination, Double Barrell serves a peanut butter bacon burger ($13).
"This is one of our most popular burgers, actually," she said. "People are skeptical at first but always love it if they decide to try it.
"Our patties are 7½ ounces of fresh meat, never frozen," she said. "The sweetness of the peanut butter goes really well with the saltiness of the bacon and it just works. You truly cannot go wrong with any of our burgers." .
The blackened salmon sandwich ($14) gets layers of spinach, bacon, pepper jack cheese and garlic aioli. It comes with a side; Riffle recommends onion rings.
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"This is one of my personal favorites," she said. "It has a little kick from the blackened seasoning but just the right amount. The best part is the house-made garlic aioli."
Fish and chips ($15), served with homemade coleslaw, fries and Jamaican tartar sauce, is for bigger appetites.
"We use pollock and a house-made beer batter so it fries up nice and airy," Riffle said.
As with many taverns Double Barrel is serious about its wings, she said.
Offering a choice of hand-breaded or naked, the wings are five for $9, 10 for $17. Customers have 13 sauces from which to choose.
"The Carolina reaper is spicy but not overbearing," Riffle said. "It's not a heat that sticks with you for a long time. I like to mix the reaper with the garlic Parmesan seasoning for the perfect flavor. The barbecue dry rub is also delicious."
For a healthy bite, diners can opt for the Greek salad ($9), which is tossed with a feta-and-olive oiI dressing. Add chicken for $4 or salmon for $6.
"I love the Greek salad," Riffle said. "The feta is nice and creamy and we load on the toppings. The dressing is a vinaigrette with chunks of feta in it. It's our most refreshing salad and will fill you up even if you don't add a protein."
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Double Barrel Kitchen & Bar
Where: 6445 N. Hamilton Road, Westerville area
Kitchen hours: 3 to 11 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, noon to 11 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to midnight Fridays, 11 a.m. to midnight Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays
Contact: 614-245-4247, https://www.doublebarrelcolumbus.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Double Barrel Kitchen & Bar offers tavern fare with modern updates
