The place: Town Talk Diner
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.
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