Perfect burger with caramelized balsamic onions, specialty cheddar and prized Berkshire bacon. Only at The Liberty.

Give me Liberty, or give me…an equally delicious burger served up with one of hundreds of local and international beers, all in a laid-back, easy-cool atmosphere that’s friendly to ages 0 to 100. That’s The Liberty, dubbed Charlotte’s First Gastropub, nestled nicely in the heart of Charlotte’s South End on South Blvd. Easily accessible by train or car, The Liberty pleased the palates of a diverse group of professionals, as well as my finicky co-habitants (aka my family).

My first visit to Liberty was for a dinner meeting with adults, so I was expecting upscale dishes. The varied menu had some tasty combinations, like Pan-Roasted Scottish Salmon and Chicken & Dumplings made with ricotta gnocchi. So I was surprised when everyone ordered burgers. In NJ, burgers are what you get at a diner–not at a craft beer mecca. But I followed their lead and chose the Black Angus Fresh Ground Liberty Pub Burger. In part, because the menu listed sweet grass cheddar and Berkshire bacon. I don’t know what sweet grass cheddar is, but from watching the Food Network shows my co-habitants are obsessed with, I’ve learned that Berkshire pork is prized for its juiciness, high fat content for cooking and tenderness. Because I don’t normally eat or cook bacon, when I do have it on rare occasions, I rationalize that it must be the best. And it was! My thick, medium-well freshly prepared burger was  topped with sweet grass cheddar (which boasted a deep nutty taste), bacon, caramelized balsamic onions, crisp lettuce, thick NC tomato slices and aioli. The taste combination was incredible. I wanted to devour the whole thing, but I really wanted Zac and Chris (the burger connoisseurs) to weigh in. So like a good mom, I brought home half. Ok, I was also stuffed from the hand-twisted salted pretzels with cheddar fondue and the spicy fried pickles savored with my Founder’s Double Trouble IPA, but let’s go with the good mom theme instead.

Long story short: the kids loved the burger, I liked the laid-back atmosphere perfect for a large brood. So when my parents and cousin visited, we went to the Liberty. They easily accommodated us and didn’t even wince when my 9-year-old discovered the blackboard and chalk stretching to the ceiling behind us. He stood on the booth seating to create a birthday chalk masterpiece that featured a vase of flowers and a “Mug-o-Beer.” Bad influence? Maybe, but he was happy with his Pub Burger, Zac enthusiastically enjoyed his too,  I was ecstatic over my American Crunch burger (see above, with added hand-cut potato chips piled high), John loved his pulled pork burger, my dad was pleasantly satisfied with  the Chicken & Dumplings, my mom gratefully tipped back her Belgian Framboise (strawberry beer), my cousin gleefully sipped her blueberry brew and chuckled at our chaotic table activity as we relit the birthday candle on my ripe berry cobbler topped with fresh-whipped-cream-which-sadly-turns-into-drippy-dairy-after-a-fourth-candle-lighting.

But I digress. We give The Liberty 18 thumbs up. Go soon!