As someone who attempts, with varying degrees of success, a plant-based diet, animal flesh is not a key player in my day-to-day meal rotation. Hand me a menu, and I’ll likely choose vegetable dumplings over pork, a spinach omelet over eggs benedict and, with surprisingly little hesitation, a veggie burger over beef.

I ate my fair share of burgers during my teen years, a time that coincidentally coincinded with my dismissal of the vegetable-phobic eating habits of early childhood. Burgers were there for the taking, but suddenly everything else was also. My burger intake began to dwindle in college as my culinary curiousity reached new heights.

The real drop-off happened post-college, when ground chuck was replaced almost entirely with bao buns, banh mi and tortas. As 2020 belly-flopped into 2021, burgers came back into vogue, but only when made of farro, sweet potato or lentils. Rules for what a burger can be were tossed out the window. Apparently, even avocado can be used in lieu of buns.

A few weeks ago, it occurred to me that it had been over a year since I had last eaten a real hamburger. That needed to change, but if I was going to break my unintentional burger hiatus, it needed to be in a grandiose fashion. Luckily there was a funky spot in Kingston, NH that had exactly what the doctor ordered (or what the doctor would never order).

Few would expect Kingston to be home to lively tavern that goes way beyond the call of duty with their food and drink repertoire, but that’s exactly what Rick’s Food & Spirits epitomizes. Their eclectic, seasonally-inspired menu houses an array of amped up classics ranging from frosted flake-coated chicken fingers to bolognese enlivened with winter squashes and parsnips.

Among the gloriously high-calorie options are Rick’s half-pound burgers, and more specifically, their short rib burger, which was recently given an autumnal makeover.

This beastly creation features a pile of house-braised beef short ribs atop an already hefty beef burger. From there, the evil masterminds behind the line add a generous schmear of maple-bourbon boursin cheese, a rich, creamy addition that would pair equally well with a Belgian waffle. A drizzle of pumpkin aioli adds warm spice notes that mingle with the boursin in mysterious and wonderful ways.

All that’s left is some bacon for good measure along with lettuce, tomato and pickled onion for a bit of freshness. Add some hand-cut fries, and watch the receiver’s jaw fall agape as this chaotic masterpiece hits the table. An imposing steak knife inserted down the center escalates the drama of the situation.

Remove that steak knife and make a clean cut down the center to reveal the layers of flavors throughout this burger. The tender, unctuous short rib is a haven for any meat eater, but here it’s situated amongst flavors that aren’t typically found alongside this tavern staple. The spiced aioli, sweet and sour boursin and smoky bacon equate to a short rib experience unlike any other.

This is a short rib that got lost in a pumpkin patch while drinking maple-spiked bourbon that decided to stay and mingle with the woodland creatures. Life doesn’t get much more comforting than that.

After a full year of ditching the ground beef, this was the re-awakening I needed. While it’s certanly going to be awile before I inhale another short rib-and-bacon-laced burger, waiting another full year is simply unfathomable.

Find Rick’s Food & Spirits at 143 Main Street in Kingston, NH. They’re open Wednesday-Sunday. Check their social medias for updates on what’s new.