Despite having one of the worst names for a restaurant I’ve ever heard, Lord Hobo makes a pretty good burger. Dining with my now former Pastry Chef, Jenni, who was enjoying her last American burger before she heads to greater things in Paris, I’m glad it was worthwhile. I must be getting old though, because the noise level in there is just unpleasant, why go out if you can’t even hear what your friends are saying to you? It’s a mildly pretentious atmosphere, with the usual round-up of Cambridge hipsters and too-cool-for-school servers and hostesses. But the menu is pretty solid, if not overly priced in spots, and smaller than deserving portion sizes. The burger, ground from the traditional Chuck, arrives on a soft bun that’s in the neighborhood of brioche, not quite as “bread-y” as a brioche, a little less buttery, but glistening and an overall good fit for the beef despite being a tad too large. It may be dark, but I can tell my burger is over-cooked, not enough pink in this burger, and unevenly cooked. But the flavor is good, if not a little lean, there is some beef flavor present, and seasoned quite nicely. But it’s too dry because it’s more of a medium than a medium-rare, but again, a higher fat content might make the juiciness more forgiving, instead there’s barely a hint of moisture, despite the proper seasonings.

The fries, on the other hand, are a delight, and very memorable. I promise, all it takes is some salt and most fries would rank much higher on my list, these are perfectly fried and seasoned to perfection.They literally only taste of salt and potato, and that’s the way it should be. Look, I realize salt is a personal thing, but fries deserve to be salted liberally, something that must be done as soon as they come out of the fryer, not at the table. The fries at Lord Hobo aren’t ambitious or unique, they’re just good, I just wish there was more of them.

While the burger is good enough, and perhaps on a different day it’s even better when cooked the preferred medium-rare, the noise level is so bothersome to me I feel like a bitter old man even thinking about making that complaint. But to someone who is clearly less of a loser than I am, and someone who enjoys an extensive beer list and water served in a Mason Jar, this might be the place for you.

Overall Score: 83