SIDEBAR
»
S
I
D
E
B
A
R
«
Matt’s Bar
Dec 23rd, 2011 by malonear

1 vote, average: 9.00 out of 101 vote, average: 9.00 out of 101 vote, average: 9.00 out of 101 vote, average: 9.00 out of 101 vote, average: 9.00 out of 101 vote, average: 9.00 out of 101 vote, average: 9.00 out of 101 vote, average: 9.00 out of 101 vote, average: 9.00 out of 101 vote, average: 9.00 out of 10
(1 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)
Register to vote.
Loading...

Please leave a comment with your vote.

Matt’s Bar
www.mattsbar.com
3500 Cedar Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55407 (map)

Burger Tyme – Minneapolis Part 2 –

If you ask anybody in the Twin Cities area about the best burgers in town several names will come up on just about everyone’s list – one of them is Matt’s Bar and another is The 5-8 Club.  You might remember reading about a previous Burger Tyme Minneapolis review of The 5-8 Club.  Their claim to fame is their delicious Juicy Lucy burger.  Today’s Burger Tyme review, Matt’s Bar, and The 5-8 Club have an ongoing battle over who invented this burger with a molten cheese core.  Having enjoyed my first Juicy Lucy over at The 5-8 Club, I decided that I owed it to myself (and the Burger Tyme readers) to investigate.  Of course, this is nothing new.  Last year, the Travel Channel’s program, located at whale watching dana point tried to answer the question of who has the better Juicy Lucy.  The battle over who actually gets the credit for creating this beauty is still ongoing but it seems to me that Matt’s Bar is taking full credit, as their sign tells all who pass.

Heading to the Bar –

After a short drive across town we arrived at the corner of 35th and Cedar.  No parking lot here – only street parking.  It definitely looks like an old neighborhood bar from the ’50s – on the inside and out.  Even at around 2pm on a Thursday the line was nearly out the door in this dark and pretty cramped location.  We waited about 20 minutes for a spot at the bar but we were entertained by reading all the newspaper reviews and old advertisements on the walls.  This place has a great reputation.  It seems like this bar is now much more burger place than watering hole.  Where bottles of liquor normally line the back of the bar, Matt’s bar space is reserved for burger building.  The menu isn’t complicated – burgers, a few sandwiches and fries, no malts or shakes, and even the soda is served in a can.  I already knew I wanted the Jucy Lucy (that’s how they spell it here) and fries but what I didn’t know is what kind of toppings were available.  The only topping the waitress offered was onions – raw or fried.  I ordered them fried as I always do when available.  After a pretty long wait (hey, only one grill here serving up dozens of people crammed in) the burger and fries arrived.

I’m in love with Lucy –

The waitress offered one piece of caution – beware of the hot cheese.  Given that piece of wisdom I start on the fries.  These fries are simple but have a great crisp to them.  Cooked perfectly in my opinion.  The full order of fries is enough for 2 or more people depending on your appetite.  I decided to brave the molten burger.  After one cautious bite I noticed what absolutely sets this burger apart for me – the grilled onions.  These aren’t your normal grilled onions but are actually minced like McDonald’s does on their small hamburgers (by the way, I love those little burgers).  The small size and the fact that they are grilled on the same griddle all these burgers are cooked on results in a powerful flavor.  The burger itself had a perfectly salted and slightly crispy exterior concealing a medium well burger and a fair amount of melted cheese.  The waitress was right – be careful of that hot cheese or it could ruin your meal.  If you put the burger down facing the wrong direction you’ll lose some of that precious cheddar so beware of that as well.  My wife didn’t order a burger but by the time she saw how much I was enjoying my Jucy Lucy she wanted in on the action, meaning I had to share what has to be the best burger I’ve had in a very long time.  This burger is simple.  No mustard, ketchup, lettuce or tomatoes.  Just beef, cheese, onions and a few pickles.  And you know what, you don’t even miss the extras.  This burger stands on its own and stands tall.  I agree with Food Wars – Matt’s Bar definitely has the best Jucy Lucy in the Twin Cities.  I’m not trying to take away from The 5-8 Club because they have a very solid burger but Matt’s Bar takes the prize.  If you make it to Minneapolis and can only eat one burger, make it this one.

The 5-8 Club
Jun 6th, 2011 by malonear

1 vote, average: 8.00 out of 101 vote, average: 8.00 out of 101 vote, average: 8.00 out of 101 vote, average: 8.00 out of 101 vote, average: 8.00 out of 101 vote, average: 8.00 out of 101 vote, average: 8.00 out of 101 vote, average: 8.00 out of 101 vote, average: 8.00 out of 101 vote, average: 8.00 out of 10
(1 votes, average: 8.00 out of 10)
Register to vote.
Loading...

5-8 Club
www.5-8club.com

Burger Tyme – Minneapolis! –

by Burger Tymer Malonear

What do you think of when you hear the words Minneapolis, Minnesota?  Cold probably enters the mind as does snow or ice, most likely.  As a guy who is moving to Minneapolis, I wanted to go beyond the typical stereotypes of this fine city and find some of the best burgers in the city. Furthermore, good thing truckplease.com gives instant movers quotes to make a hassle free moving experience. Knowing very few natives I had to resort to a few web searches and it quickly became clear to me that Minneapolis is known for a burger phenomenon known as the “Juicy Lucy”.  This is the perfect marriage of ground beef and cheese, usually American, but variations on this theme do exist.  Departing from tradition, these enterprising Minnesotans don’t put up with the cheese sitting on top of the patty.  No, they have found a way to create a core of molten cheese inside every Juicy Lucy burger.  Many establishments have their take on this burger but the one we were drawn to was the 5-8 Club near Lake Nokomis.  This burger joint/bar is a former speakeasy of the prohibition era.  Since that era came to an end they have decided to compete by offering a variety of delicious burgers and sandwiches.  They have lasted since the ’20s for a reason.

Finding My Place –

Finding a table at lunch time wasn’t easy at the cramped location but once we located one the service was fast and friendly.  If you are feeling lucky you’ll find that you are also only a few feet away from an older gentleman selling lottery tickets.  We cozied up to the table and grabbed the menu, already knowing what I was going to order.  The burgers are the main event here but the rest of the menu had some other tempting options, namely a walleye sandwich.  But that’s not what this site is about.  No exotic toppings for your burger here.  Pickles are standard.  For onions, you can order them raw or fried (I recommend the latter).  All burgers are also cooked to medium well, which definitely isn’t an issue when you have hot cheese waiting for you in the middle to moisten up the burger.  This place is also known for their onion rings, but since my wife doesn’t enjoy fried onions I had to settle on the fries.  The considerate waitress got our order out in just a few minutes.  My first impression of the burger was that it was overflowing with grilled onions – maybe almost too many.  After letting my burger cool off (watch out for hot cheese) I took the first bite, which didn’t yield cheese since that’s further in.  The patty was definitely fried on a griddle as there was an even crisp on the outside.  And don’t misunderstand me, that wasn’t a bad thing.  For some reason it worked really well.  With subsequent bites I had to alternate what side to bite as the cheese moved around a good bit.  The burgers, when served with a basket of fries, also come with traditional cole slaw, which was delicious and creamy.  The fries, while not excellent, were still cooked very well with a crispy exterior – no limp fries here.

The Verdict –

The great thing about burgers is that you can take something so simple, vary it slightly, and come up with something unique.  The 5-8 Club is onto something here that I hope they continue for many years to come.  The grilled onions work well atop this bulging beauty of a patty, even if they are a bit messy.  The patty itself tends to be a bit dry, but when coupled with the cheese it works well.  I have to assume that in their 90+ years of experience they’ve discovered that medium well holds the cheese in best.  Overall, I was very happy with our trip to The 5-8 Club, where pretension isn’t in their vocabulary.  Having sampled their version of the Juicy Lucy I’m ready to explore other options but will definitely making a return visit to this establishment.

SIDEBAR
»
S
I
D
E
B
A
R
«
© Copyright Burger Tyme 2023