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.