Review: Lexie's Test

Disappointed that Good Karma Café closed last year? Looking for a new place to get your burger fix? Tired of spending money on expensive food? Look no further. Lexi’s Peace-Love-Burger has just opened up a location in Exeter: the Test Kitchen.Nestled in front of the Amtrak Station and adjacent to Gerry’s Variety Store, the remodeled building looks completely different from the former Good Karma Café. The first story of the building appears larger with the cash register pushed into a cavity on the left wall. Customers wait at the front for a friendly host and can choose either the outdoor patio or the indoor seating. The wood-panel walls have been painted red, orange, and white with pop of teal. The red chairs and the wooden tables match the walls. The mid century lighting fixtures expose draped crimson cords and fancy filament bulbs. The modern restaurant design is a refreshing change from the hippy-esque, eco-friendly Good Karma Café.The menu offers a wide variety of burgers, fries, milkshakes and sandwiches. Their specialty is beef burgers, but they also offer a housemade “Beanie Burger” for vegetarians like myself. Their “Green Lantern” burger, which comes with avocado, cheddar cheese, tomatoes and chimichurri, is my personal favorite—the different flavors melt into a mouthwatering concoction. For a salty and crunchy side, I ordered their plain fries.For meat eaters, I’d suggest the “Highway Man” burger, which comes with ham, bacon, a fried egg, American cheese, crispy onions and BBQ sauce. Customers are also allowed to build their own burger from a list of about 20 ingredients. Lexi’s other specialty is their famous milkshakes. Each has their own scrumptious presentation. A couple of standouts include the “Chocolate,” which features dark chocolate dripping down the sides of cup, and the “Death by Chocolate,” which sports a Hostess Cupcake floating in a storm of whipped cream. The Test Kitchen also features daily specials on their Facebook page, which always include two milkshakes and a burger.In terms of pricing, Lexi’s is extremely affordable on a student’s budget. Most of their burgers are less than six dollars and their fries are only a dollar and 50 cents — a huge change from Good Karma’s 12-dollar burgers and six-dollar fries. If you don’t want to spend big bucks at Green Bean, Lexi’s also has a grilled cheese sandwich for only three dollars. Their milkshakes may be a less healthy alternative to Laney and Lu’s 10-dollar smoothies, but they are less than half the price. You’ll walk out of The Test Kitchen with a bigger stomach and a bigger wallet too!I only have a few complaints about this new restaurant. The first is that their service can be slow. When they are packed, they tend to take a while to even take your order. It is definitely not a fast food restaurant. In addition to this, the indoor seating is very limited since they eliminated the upstairs component that Good Karma Café utilized. Once winter hits and the outdoor seating is closed, it will be difficult to comfortably fit a large group of friends in the loud space. I also think if they began to deliver, their profits would drastically increase. However, the quality of food is very good considering the low prices, and the environment is both kid and teen friendly. The Test Kitchen is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and despite these small critiques, I definitely suggest you go try it out.