Northland Restaurant and Dairy Bar

Stephanie and I were hungry.   The kind of high throat hunger you get when it sneaks up on you.   The kind of hunger that you mistake for thirst until you drink and it just gets worse.  White out torrential down pours covered the road.  We were east on rte 2 in NH headed to Gorham to pop up camp for the night at Moose Brook State Park.  We passed the road that lead to the park and T'd into the main drag.   To the right Gorham,   where hikers hike the presidential Whites.    To the left Berlin home of car sales for the Northeast.    A few miles up the road a Walmart.   The girls had been in the car too long so we ushered them across the parking lot and turned them loose in air conditioned comfort.  At checkout we asked the cashier if she knew of a good place to eat.    "The Dairy Bar" she answered.   "No" I said, "I want a sit down dinner".    She went on to tell us that was the only restaurant in town other than a take out joint and pizza.   We passed the brick sided buildings of Main Street.    Factory buildings that boomed from the paper mill.    The town looked like it peaked in the 1950's. As the road flattened out next to the river buildings thinned and an old fashion sign pointed us off the right side of the road.  The Dairy Bar:  a massive glass faced building that looked more like an insurance office than an eatery.  A warm grey haired hostess walked us past the main dining room to the left into a room that could seat 100 on a good night.   Window seats had riverfront views while the opposite wall was lined with gigantic old school tan booths that looked both vintage and fresh.

This place was toddler friendly for 4 weather wary travelers.    I ordered a hot roast beef sandwich with stuffing instead of bread and a cup of seafood chowder.   Hot fresh baked rolls hit the table and quickly melted foil wrapped pats of butter.  Was I that hungry?   The rolls were good enough for dessert.   My plate followed shortly.   A pleasant mound of beef sheets folded on stuffing covered in gravy,  yeah baby.   The beef was well done and not over seasoned.   Some chefs will bury a bad cut under a thick layer of salt and spices.   The beef reminded me more of last night's prime rib then just another cut of rump roast that you might find at an establishment that puts profit before quality.  As I continued to eat from top down I broke the gravy dam letting browned meat sweetness drizzle into the stuffing hidden below.   The one dinner roll we couldn't finish went foil wrapped for the next day. As I walked up to pay the bill I scanned it wondering if they left something off this proved more value than I anticipated. No longer hungry I now became curious and I asked the hostess what was going on with the place.  She told me that the current owners had owned the place for 50 years and that through the years their family of customers had continued to grow.   She went on to share that 12 years ago a fire demolished  the structure allowing them to start over in a way they never dreamed.  They could build the restaurant exactly how they wanted it.  Charming, delicious, current yet old school: Northland Dairy Bar,  Berlin, New Hampshire.

If you go:

Northland Restaurant and Dairy Bar

Route 16,  1826 Riverside Dr, Berlin, NH 03570

$  I Got it.