Searching for Minnesota's Best Jucy Lucy

After a brief venture to Mendota to sample a Jucy Lucy east of the river -- I changed my plan for the week and went back to a Minneapolis restaurant. Adrian's Tavern is also in the Nokomis area of Minneapolis, like Matt's and the 5-8. Upon first impressions, Adrian's had a lot going for itself. What do Minnesotans love almost as much as a good Jucy Lucy? A Jucy Lucy accompanied by cheese curds and keg root beer.

Adrian's has a similar atmosphere to Matt's - very true to the neighborhood in which it is located.

It is worth noting for all Jucy Lucy lovers that Adrian's should be enjoyed on a completely empty stomach. Unlike other Jucy Lucy establishments, Adrian's serves its Jucy as a double cheeseburger. After cheese curds and multiple glasses of 1919 rootbeer, I was full before the end of the 20 minute wait for the burger and fries.

All in all, Adrian's does a pretty standard (yet delicious) version of the Jucy. I'd give it a solid 2 3/4 stars out of 4 -- the extra 3/4 goes to the cheese curds and root beer. If the burger came with fries (or at least an option to substitute), I could have felt it worth a solid 3.

As I mentioned last week, my Jucy Lucy adventure is slowly expanding out of the confines of the Minneapolis city limits. Yesterday, I ventured east of the river to Mendota's Lucky's 13 Pub. Because of the fact that I love the St. Paul suburbs, I was excited to see what Lucky's had in store for me. I thought that this would be the perfect place to start with a new feature I'll be introducing to my blog - reviews accompanied with cheesy photos. Armed with my iPhone, I was ready to take a picture of Lucky's oozy Juicy Lulu (their variation on the name).

To set the scene - I had just returned from a family reunion in Northern Minnesota and had my VERY Texan cousin, Libby, in tow. Because Libby had never heard of a Jucy Lucy, I figured that she would be a perfect companion on my trip. Unfortunately, I was not able to sway her on the merits of the J.L. and ended up flying solo when we ordered.

You'll notice that this blog is NOT accompanied by pictures. Thus the basis for the 1/5 stars I've given to Lucky's. Immediately upon cutting into the burger (trust me - you HAVE to cut it, unless you want to risk first degree burns), all of the cheese poured out and I was looking at a ground beef patty with a hole in it, and a cheese-soaked bun.

Needless to say, I may have to give Lucky's another shot - but I'm holding out hope that Newt's will provide me with a photo opp before the week is over.

There is one thing that I can easily recommend to anyone who has chosen to begin their own Jucy Lucy search. If you're attempting to try more than one Jucy each week, give yourself a night off in between.

Unfortunately, I hadn't been warned prior to my trip to Matt's Bar in south Minneapolis last night. I figured my best bet to determine the difference (and a preference) between Matt's and 5-8 would result in trying the two as closely together as possible. Matt's has an advantage due to its underrated and vibrant surrounding neighborhood. With a local farmer's market, charming locally owned shops, and a budget movie theater, the Nokomis neighborhood offers many options for a full evening of fun - beyond just the Jucy Lucys.

Fortunately for myself and my co-reviewer, we were able to determine a clear favorite. We have yet to shed any further light on the true originator of the Jucy. Matt's has one thing that the 5-8 is lacking - atmosphere. It appears to be a hole-in-the-wall from the outside, but has a certain character and charm when the patron enters the basement restaurant. Also - it's impossible to complain about the price.

While Matt's also offers the traditional option and little else in the way of the Jucy Lucy, the homemade "whiz" has some sort of special ingredient that has an apparently addictive ingredient. It appears, from my co-searcher "Jfood's" review of Matt's that I may have missed out by forgoing the fried onions option.

In my amateur opinion, Matt's beats the 5-8 by a landslide.

Check back next week when I'll be comparing two SE metro restaurants, Lucky's 13 Pub in Mendota and Newt's Bar in Rochester.

Not far from the trails of Lake Nokomis is the up and coming bar/restaurant, the 5-8 Club. Last night, I took in a softball game in which my coworkers played a team from another agency. Afterward, I coerced a small group into joining me on my first adventure into the search for the best Jucy Lucy. Because of the fact that two different restaurants have claimed to be the home of the Jucy Lucy, I figured I should tackle both in my first week. Among others, the University of Minnesota's Daily has taken on the Jucy Lucy debate when it comes to Matt's vs. the 5-8 for those seeking further information on the "conflict."

Every city has something similar to Minneapolis-St. Paul's Jucy/Juicy Lucy. While the meal itself may not apply to your hometown, I hope that it will inspire you to go on your own "best of" search.

Our night at the 5-8 consisted of a large dilemma. Do I venture onto the Saucy Sally, or do I stick with the "same old" burger stuffed with cheese? After much debate, I passed on a burger stuffed with "special sauce" (something about that made me a bit nervous), and went the traditional route.

All-in-all, the 5-8 did not disappoint. I always fail to remember the danger that comes along with the Jucy Lucy - that is the likelihood of the cheese to cause burn marks to the face. The 5-8 would be better served by adding more cheese and offering a few more non-traditional options, like those of the other restaurants in the area. Next time, I may venture out and try a Saucy Sally, but thought that it wasn't the right time to throw extra variables into the mix on round one.

Hi all -

Welcome to my blog and my search to find the greatest Jucy Lucy in the state of Minnesota! While I don't think we'll ever solve the dilemma of the ORIGINAL Jucy Lucy, I do think I'll be able to find a few of the best that the state has to offer. This week - I'll start out with the two restaurants that claim to be the home of the Jucy Lucy - Matt's Bar and The 5-8 Club.