A Burger Jones Redux

Joint:  Burger Jones
Location:  Uptown
Bottom Line:  Order simple for a great burger.

Well, I'm changing my tune on Burger Jones.  I paid a visit last year a few months after the place opened.  It was overcrowded (from a lot of hype), and my White Trash Burger was undercooked and a cluttered mess.  My main mistake was ordering the White Trash burger to begin with. No burger patty could survive the addition of Velveeta cheese, three enormous slices of deep-fried bacon and a pile of deep-fried cheese curds.  It was like an overloaded rowboat on the verge of capsize.  But I've stopped ordering clutterburgers and thought I'd give Burger Jones a second try.

The day of my next visit, just last week with Michael Bollinger of Livefront and Tech.MN, was auspicious: bright sunshine and lunch on the patio.  I went simple this time - a basic cheeseburger with a cheddar upgrade and fries.  I made my usual request - medium - and added lettuce and tomato.  Overall, it was a great burger experience from top to bottom.  The bun was fresh and butter toasted, the patty was flavorful and right-sized, the cheese just covered the patty and the rest of the ingredients were fresh.  I was especially pleased with the patty, cooked exactly to order this time.  While the inside is still a little fancy for a burger joint, the burger itself is the equal of SmashBurger and Five Guys (its two closest cousins in indie burger chains).

A few lessons from my Burger Jones experience: (a) stay away from novelty burgers, and (b) visit a new place at least twice to let them work out the kinks.  Give Burger Jones a try.  I think you will enjoy.

Thoughts on Burger Jones?  Share them here!

Burger on.

BANK: The Burger

Joint:  BANK
Location:  Downtown Minneapolis
Bottom line:  Good burger.  Try it.

What do you think of hotel restaurants?  Me too.  Usually I assume they will look fancy, be mediocre and charge a lot.  Unfortunately, this is often true.  One noteworthy exception in downtown Minneapolis is Firelake Grill at the Radisson Plaza Hotel.  Innovative fire-oriented cuisine and a place to go regardless of the hotel.  And they have a great hamburger. 

What of BANK, the restaurant in the Westin Hotel?  It has one amazing asset – the 20+ foot ceilings and décor of the early 1900s era Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank.  This alone makes a visit worth it.  Another reason: they sells desserts as “shots.”  So you can actually get just a bite of cheesecake (as opposed to the gut-bomb size served by most restaurants).

Overall, it is a fine cuisine-type hotel restaurant – with a focus on “fresh, local ingredients”; the kind of place to go for business lunch.  I personally wouldn’t go for a night out, but you could have a very nice meal there.  My companion for the visit, Brian B., had indicated alternating food and service issues on his previous visits.  We had neither.  The service was professional and friendly, and the burgers were good.

For the burger, we both ordered their one offering, the “all natural grass-fed burger” (Price: $12).  Features: thick patty, cooked medium; grilled bun; cheddar cheese; wood-smoked bacon (2 crispy slices); lettuce; tomato.  Overall, a tasty burger.  My only issue was the over-pronounced char-grilled flavor on the outside.  At first, I thought it would be over-cooked, but it was actually still juicy on the inside.  Thankfully, as well, the toppings were of a size and proportion to not overwhelm the burger (“Down with Clutterburgers!).

The fries, served in a cone of paper, were similar to Capitol Grill – thin, with parsley and some other light flavoring (to be determined).  I found them properly fried, served hot and flavorful. 

Bottom line:  If you’re going to BANK, try the burger.  While not the best of the upper-end restaurant burgers (think Vincent), I think you will enjoy.

In the (Burger) Loop

Joint:  The Loop

Location:  Minneapolis - North Loop

Bottom Line:  Recommended.  Well-cooked very flavorful bar burger and good fries.

The Loop is a busy bar/restaurant in North Loop, an emerging and very cool urban neighborhood in downtown Minneapolis within eyeshot of Target Field.  While it's not the East Village, North Loop has a good mix of old-fashioned industrial business, new great restaurants, loft living and access to the river.  If I were 25 with a new job, I'd love it (or 65 - long way off...).  On a melting March day, I headed on a burger run to the Loop with good friend, and fellow burger fanatic, Peter Quale.  Overall, I was very pleased.

On this visit, I tried the eponymous Loop Burger with:  6 oz. meat patty, parsley pesto (fresh made), garlic aioli, white cheddar cheese and a toasted bun (a tiny bit over-toasted) – with lettuce and an onion slice to complete.  I ordered my usual medium and it was cooked exactly as requested – neither bleeding nor dry.  The meat was flavorful enough that I could have eaten solo (a good sign).  I had some reluctance about the pesto, but it was good.  The pesto and garlic mixed nicely with the overall package and did not overwhelm.  I appreciate topping restraint (a rare virtue). 

Fries were good – not amazing but good.  They were golden-brown, fresh-cut, skin-on and well-salted.  Fresh-cut is essential – accept no less.  My only issue was that there were a few fries that seemed improperly fried (outside the optimal temperature range or too long).  This can result in fries that are soggy or overly-crisp.  But this was a minor flaw.  Overall, the fries were tasty and a good accompaniment to the great burger.  One macro observation – I continue to have at least equal luck with finding great burgers at bar/restaurants as at dedicated “burger joints.”  So never assume you will get a great burger at a burger joint or a poor burger at a general restaurant/pub.  Let the mouth be the judge.  Burger on. 

Not the Only Flame(burger) in Town

The Joint:  Flameburger (Little Canada)

Rating:  Decent diner burger


There are two Flameburgers in the Twin Cities.  I did not know this when Jesse Stremcha (www.twitter.com/stremcha) and I agreed to meet for a burger run at “Flameburger” last week.  So it happened, following Google Maps, that I showed up at the Flameburger on N. Rice St. (Little Canada) – in a strip along the road.  A very unassuming exterior with a good dive diner interior.  My tattoed server was kind to offer me a drink as I sat overlooking the grill.  Around 12:45 (15 minutes after our official meet-up time), I began to wonder where Jesse was.  So I texted him:  I’m here.   Response:  I’m at Flameburger – where are you?   ---  I’m at Flameburger too…  Ooops.  Short story – he traveled, I bought.  So we enjoyed our burger at the Rice Street location. 

Apparently, back in the day, the two Flameburgers were affiliated – co-founded by some brothers?  Some rift – maybe a friendly parting.  And now we have two unaffiliated Flameburgers - one on Rice Street and one on Central Ave. NE.  

So what of Flameburger East?  It was okay.  I give it good marks for being an overt burger dive and for good 70’s era interior.  You will not feel you are eating at a fancy place.  These are not yuppie burgers – but rather traditional diner burgers eaten by real people, many of them eating solo on a work break.  Here’s to non-overstated, retro burger joints.  

I got a basic cheeseburger and onion rings.  Neither the burger nor the rings were of gargantuan proportion – and that’s totally okay.  I don’t like to be crushed by food.  You could dash in, enjoy a burger/fry combo and not roll out of there.  Ingredients, aside from the frozen onion rings, were fresh and the burger was cooked at request and to my table from the grill in seconds.  The typically thin patty was reasonably flavorful – not amazing like Blue Door or SmashBurger – but not dull and gray like typical fast food.  Pluses were the real flame broiling and sautéed onions. So I give it a decent rating.  Worth enjoying - not a home run.  

I mentioned the frozen rings.  Frankly, I put a high priority on fresh fries and rings – real sliced potatoes and onions.  So this is a mark down.  An okay burger can be saved in part by fresh cut fried potatoes.  Or mediocre fries by an amazing hamburger.  So, Flameburger East, start chopping potatoes!  

Bottom line: if you’re in the mood for a traditional diner burger, this would be a decent choice. Now I need to try Flameburger West on Central Ave. to prevent mass confusion. 

Points if you can guess the mediocre musical reference in the title.

Smash Mouth - SmashBurger - yes.

Joint: SmashBurger

Up/down: way up - highly recommended

There is no relation between the the band and burger chain except they're both mighty good (and are two of the few English words/phrases beginning with "Smash"). I like retro sounding bands, but with a modern edge (think of the Jam with Pete Townshend-style guitar thrashing). Thus, I like Smash Mouth.

And I like SmashBurger - the latest hot burger chain to be invading the Twin Cities. Five Guys is great, but I prefer SmashBurger. The first SmashBurger opened in St. Anthony, MN in 2009 and now there are 4 (including Roseville, St. Anthony and Golden Valley - Eagan and Woodbury soon). Here's a link for location info.

SmashBurgers are just that - 100% Angus beef "smashed," grilled and seasoned on a hot griddle - placed on a butter-toasted bun (this is essential). The burgers come in 1/3 and 1/2 lb. size and there are several custom varieties as well as make your own. These are of the so-called thin burger variety - though in 1/2 lb. form, it's hard to call them thin. Typically served on a tasty egg bun (except the Twin Cities Smashburger served on an onion bun - see below).

I have gone twice, getting the 1/3 lb. each time - which is really the perfect size. On the first visit, I got a Classic SmashBurger ($4.99), which comes with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, onion, pickle and smash sauce (mayo, ketchup, pickles, lemon juice). A relatively classic combination of burger and toppings. All contents, especially the beef, were flavorful and extremely fresh. Their cooking technique must make a difference - the patty was slightly crispy on the edges but juicy on the inside.

On the second visit, with friend, Jesse Stremcha, I got the Twin Cities Smashburger ($5.99; see pic above). Also very tasty, with melted cheddar, Swiss cheese, garlic grilled onions, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. This sounds like a lot on a bun, but was not. As opposed to some of the poor patties I have encountered that are overwhelmed by their toppings, the SmashBurger patty was still the dominant flavor and texture.

Fries are: above average. All are of thin and crispy variety, but get the SmashFries, which are tossed with rosemary, olive oil and garlic (and salt!). Not a massive pile and not undersized either - just the right portion.

Both visits were to the St. Anthony location (in a nice strip mall). I appreciate visual design and in contrast to the almost over-dressed visual style of Burger Jones, Smashburger has a clean, modern, but interesting appearance. Reasonable prices. And the restaurant itself was clean. This is not a dive and it's not like a typical fast food place - more like if Chipotle served hamburgers (and SmashBurger does serve beer).

Here's a link to the official Smashburger site.

Burger on.

Through the Blue Door

The place: The Blue Door (St. Paul, MN)

There once was a Puerto Rican restaurant in my St. Paul neighborhood called Puerta Azul. Great little spot that served dishes I hadn’t seen since my days of prowling the streets of Brooklyn and the Bronx (plaintains; rice/beans; stewed pork). But then, like so many other small family restaurants, Puerta Azul closed, leaving a restaurant void at that quiet end of Selby.

Magically, in 2008, new owners took over and opened a bar and grill in the same spot called the Blue Door. I began to hear good things almost immediately about the quality of the burgers and beer (2 for 2) and that the place was like the Groveland Tap – another neighborhood favorite. In fact, the owners came from the Groveland Tap with a few of the servers. I also heard about the lines to get in. So I waited a number of months to let things cool down. I puzzled over the origin of the name until foolishly realizing that it was the old name translated (Puerta Azul = Blue Door).

It was on a summer evening that my neighbor, his son and I ventured over and were lucky enough to get a spot right by the window. The Blue Door wisely got a permit for street seating right away – and they need it. The place has two cozy rooms anchored by the bar in the middle serving a great selection of local/craft beers. There was Summit, but also a number of other great varieties (Surly; Lagunitas; Bell’s).

The food specialty here is – burgers! They have a few regular build your own burgers, a Jiffy Burger (with peanut butter, bacon etc...), black bean burger and a family of “Juicy Blucys.” Among the Juicy Blucy variants: the Blucy (w/blue cheese and garlic); the Luau (mozzarella, pineapple, Canadian bacon); the Merriam Park (bacon, blue cheese, garlic, red currant jelly); and the Frenchie (swiss cheese, caramelized onions, au jus on the side). If you can eat all 10 Juicy Blucys (not at once!), you get a t-shirt and a free burger.

I ordered the Frenchie and it was a good choice. Half pound of juicy Angus beef cooked to medium (house standard). I have had a poor experience with burgers overloaded with cheese and onions – but this was done just right. Enough of the good stuff inside to give great flavor and texture, but not enough to kill the burger. The meat tasted great by itself (burgers rise and fall here). The burger was so tasty that I only used the au jus a few times – though that was good too. The bun was pillowy and flavorful with that slight oil sheen that harbors a great grill-type burger. Fries were a highlight: fresh-cut, reminiscent of the french fry stands at the Fair, thick enough to still taste like a potato and a well-caramelized/browned exterior.

While I’ve only gotten to go to the Blue Door once, I can tell the kitchen has quality folks buying, assembling and cooking high-quality ingredients. I’m lucky to have the Blue Door in my neighborhood. But this is worth the drive from anywhere in the Twin Cities for a great burger and beer.

Town Talk Diner - Re-birth and Re-Burger

The place: Town Talk Diner

Where it is

Located in S. Minneapolis near the rejuvenating corner of Lake and Minnehaha, Town Talk Diner is a Lazarus restaurant. Originally founded in the mid-1940s, Town Talk v.1 had died a slow death – shuttered and dark - in a neighborhood that was dying a slow death. And it had a great burger – the Town Talk Big Burger…. Fast-forward to February 2006, chef David Vlach and partners reopened the venerable Town Talk Diner and re-conceived it as a mod urban diner with great food, original cocktails (“Jackson Pollock” and bacon-infused bourbon? Yes.) and visual atmosphere. All good.

And I was lucky to be there twice this summer (6/23 en route to X show at Cabooze – they rocked – and 8/11 with Irve Dell, artist buddy/St. Olaf prof.). Town Talk has an eclectic and imaginative menu, including a worthy selection of burgers - the Begnaud Burger (w/a corned beef patty?!), the Brat Burger (I need to see this) and more standard offerings.

I stuck with the last category, going for the Kitchen Sink Burger (depicted above - before X) and the Bacon Cheeseburger (w/Irve). Both contain: a juicy, delicious and flavorful patty, sesame seed bun, lettuce, tomato, thick-cut bacon and cheddar cheese. The burgers were both cooked to my specified medium with a little red inside and a slightly crisp well-grilled exterior. The patty was right-sized, not so big to overwhelm the stomach or so small to get lost in the toppings. All components of both burgers were fresh and hot/cold as appropriate. Lettuce and tomato on the bottom (under the patty) and bacon/cheese on the top. Add the Kitchen Sink sauce for burger #2 - per the Town Talk – “mayo, ketchup, garlic, dill pickle, jalapeno, salt, pepper, cumin and love."

Good pile of garlic-parsley fries on the plate, just slightly larger than pommes frites-style. Check the picture – properly fried and flavorful (like the garlic-truffle fries at Capitol Grill). Price – around $10 for burger/fries.

Overall a great burger and/or drink stop when wandering through South Minneapolis (many other great-looking items on the menu). Note to other restaurant entrepreneurs: Town Talk’s restaurant revitalization model is a great way to keep old favorite establishments from passing into the dustbin.