I love that there are so many delicious options for dining out on my lunch break. The area where I work has a wide variety of cuisines to choose from–heck, one plaza has Indian, Chinese, pizza, and sandwiches, all in one stop!–making it the ideal place to burn off an hour in the middle of the day and be a bit of a glutton. Despite all these choices, one of my favorites remains Plan B Simsbury.
Plan B Simsbury is situated in a renovated train station–pretty small on the main floor, but there is additional seating downstairs (though there is also a lack of ambiance downstairs). Morbid for those who are skittish about where their food comes from, with meat-hook light fixtures and cuts-of-beef paintings throughout, there’s still something homey about the place. Booth or bar, it’s all good; I love it here. This is the closest thing I will have to Cheers in my life. I walk in the door, the bartender, Erin, knows my name and drink order, and we go from there. Casual, fun, and tasty.
Plan B stands for all the good Bs in life: burgers, beer, beef, and bourbon. Since I’m usually there on my lunch break, I stick with the burgers, though I’d love to head there for a girls’ night out sometime. While their prices are comparable to the big chains, they use 100% certified humane beef and you can taste the quality in the hand-formed patties. The menu includes some of my favorites: the 3-shrooms burger, with sautéed mushrooms, portabella spread, and truffle mayo; the pretzel burger, which is served on a buttery pretzel roll; and the bacon cheese, which includes caramelized onions. YUM. Specials are always inventive and change on a weekly basis. One of my faves was the pb&j, which had peanut butter and bacon jam on it; I stopped in for lunch twice that week, so I could get my fill before they changed the special. There was another one that had cream cheese and strawberry preserves around Valentine’s Day; it was utterly amazing. It’s worth taking a look at the specials board when you walk in and trying what’s on it; rarely will you be disappointed.
Plan B gives you the option of some pink or no pink for how well they cook your burgers; I always choose some pink and have found, from time to time, it’s quite pink. This does not bother me, as I prefer a rare burger, but it is worth noting, since some people may be concerned about this. Me? I consider it a bonus. 🙂
Plan B can be found at 4 Railroad Street in Simsbury, Connecticut. They have other locations in Connecticut in Glastonbury, West Hartford, Stamford, Milford, and one in Springfield, Massachusetts, too. The kitchen is open 11:30 AM to 10:00 PM Sunday through Thursday; 11:30 AM to 11:00 PM Friday and Saturday. Say “hi” to Erin if you’re there for lunch on a weekday!
Plan B… rarely my second choice. Always first-rate!
This review has made me reconsider my Plan B opinion. I’ve only been to the Gbury location but whenever I go I am underwhelmed by the drinks and the food because I take into account how much I paid for it all and I just DON’T think it’s been worth any of the $ I’ve spent. However, I don’t think I’m ordering the right things. I try to eat healthy and it bothers me that the only healthy side option is a boring pile of greens. I also always get my burgers there bun-less because they don’t have wheat buns. But I should probably just go there and suck it up and get a big old juicy burger and fries. I bet I’d love it then. I’m a huge unique foodie fan and when I first heard about the PB and bacon jam burger I was quite impressed.
I look at it this way–you don’t go to an ice cream shoppe looking for a main course. If you’re going to Plan B, you kind of need to plan on it being an all out indulgence, because that’s what they’re good at. Greasy, cheesy, meaty goodness. Sometimes I’ll get the field greens as a side to moderate the load, but I know that there’s no point going there if I’m trying to eat healthy. Go big or go home, as they say. 😉 And when you do, you’ll get a very decent-sized portion for your money.
The other burger joint I frequent is Backstage in Torrington and their prices are pretty similar.
Caitlin, please come give us a try! We actually do have wheat buns as well as gluten free rolls. As far as your concern for healthy sides, we can always add cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, or whatever you’d like to the greens, and make it a side salad. Or you can try our cucumber and tomato salad, made with our home made dressing, which is one of my personal favorites!
These look just awesomely decadent! What a great place to eat!