Ever since beginning my search, I have looked forward to the day that the adventure would take me to Casper & Runyon's Nook located across the street from Cretin Derham Hall in St. Paul's Highland Park Neighborhood.
A word of advice? With the restaurant across from hometown hero Joe Mauer's high school stomping grounds, I'd avoid trying to eat at this tiny establishment during a Twins game.
After a long-ish wait, Kate and I grabbed a table and got ready for JuLu Search's Saturday staples: cheese curds and Jucy Lucys.
While the cheese curds didn't quite outdo to amazing curds from Groveland Tap or The Blue Door, there was very little to complain about from this curd lover.
In all honesty, though... it's about the Jucy. Hands down the best I've had thus far on my search, I think the picture above shows exactly why The Nook has been featured on The Food Network's Diners, Drive-Is, and Dives.
Like Newt's, The Nook was also featured in Minnesota Monthly's Burger King listing as the #10 place to get a burger in the state of Minnesota.
Whereas Newt's scored a 19 on a 40-point scale of inherent awesomeness, The Nook scored a 34.
As mentioned, the article discusses the one downside of the Nook... the wait. But it also wraps it up by validating my time investment.
The Nook is St. Paul’s cult burger. People queue up outside for an hour, sometimes even two, to wait for a table to get the thing. They do this on happy, sunny days, of course, but they also do it on gruesome, blustery, rainy, and downright cold and nasty days. What could make people do such things? Because the Nook is home to the definitive bar burger: Well-charred, meaty but tender, wrapped in a soft white bun, and served with a mess of fresh-cut fries in a plastic basket. This thing just hits the sweet spot of what it means to live a real, unpretentious Midwestern life full of friends, family, community, and cold beer (when the time is right). And that’s worth standing in line for (Minnesota Monthly, 2008).
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After a fantastically delicious expedition to the Blue Door yesterday, my lunchtime Jucy Lucy excitement level was as high as it's been since I officially launched my search for the best Jucy a few weeks ago.
As I mentioned yesterday, the Blue Door offers an unrivaled variety of options in terms of the stuffed burger (aka the Juicy Blucy).
Following yesterday's tasty Bacon Blucy and fries, Kate and I returned over lunch for cheese curds only rivaled by Groveland Tap and a yummy treat known as the Blucy.
What is a Blucy, you ask?
It is a stuffed burger filled with bleu cheese and garlic. This is the most adventurous Jucy I've had to date, and I am hooked!
The best part? The world's GREATEST tater tots. Perfectly crunchy and delicious, they come either original, buffalo, or cajun.
A solid 4.75 stars out of 5, the Blue Door is a hidden gem that any MSP-area food lover must try.
Rarely, a Jucy Lucy Restaurant offers so many options that one visit will not suffice.
See the Blue Door Pub in St. Paul's Merriam Park neighborhood.
The Blue Door boasts the 2009 City Pages Best Burger (one I intend to go back and try).
But that's not all. See below for the Blue Door's selection of Juicy Blucys.
A quick look at the array of options...
- The Blucy - stuffed with blue cheese & chopped garlic (check back on Monday - I'm having one for lunch)
- The Luau - stuffed with mozzarella and pineapple with a slice of Canadian Bacon on top
- The Frenchy - stuffed with Swiss cheese and caramelized onions (au jus for dipping)
- The Merriam Park - stuffed with bacon, blue cheese, & chopped garlic with red currant jelly on top
- The Classic - stuffed with American cheese
- The Breakfast Blucy - stuffed with cheese and bacon with a fried egg on top
- The Bangkok - stuffed with coconut milk-soaked mozzarella and ginger, with pickled carrots, cucumbers, and red onions on top
- The Cajun - stuffed with pepper jack and jalapenos
- The Mushroom Swiss - just as the name says
The Bacon Blucy is the classic bacon cheeseburger with the bacon & cheese on the inside.
In a word... superb. The Bacon Blucy is a burger lover's dream. A solid 4/5 stars.
No review on the cheese curds yet. Check back tomorrow.
I have taken my inspiration for my posts this week and next from the article Bicyclists on a mission: Find the best juicy Lucy in St. Paul from the July 1, 2009 Pioneer Press.
Today, my weakling Minnesota taste buds went to an extreme - the Cajun Lucy at Groveland Tap, the 2008 City Pages Readers' Choice Best Burger in the metro.
Stuffed with jalapenos and gobs of pepper jack cheese, Groveland has a Cajun lucy that easily rivals the similar version (Southwestern Juicy Lucy) at Bar Abilene, stuffed with peppers, jalapenos, pepper jack cheese, and cheddar cheese.
Because everyone knows of my love for appetizers, my trusty companion Kate and I started with both cheese curds (easily the best we've had on this adventure) and went a bit more risky with deep fried pickles.
The cheese curds were as close to perfect as any curd can be without having been purchased at the MN State Fair.
After my last less than impressive Jucy experience, Groveland met and exceeded every expectation with both its original Jucy and the Cajun Lucy.
With a perfect ratio of cheese to meat, Groveland Tap's Jucy Lucy selections score a solid 4.5.
I couldn't even begin to rate the cheese curds.
After a near perfect Jucy Lucy experience on Wednesday, I had high expectations for tonight's tasting at Tuggs Tavern.
My high hopes were based on my love for a traditional Mushroom & Swiss and my expectations for a burger with those ingredients on the inside.
At first glance, Tuggs looked to be a strong contender for the following reasons:
*cheese curds
*three stuffed burger options
*scenic view
*general ambiance
The positivity stopped after the cheese curds were gone.
While I recommend anyone look to Tuggs for curds that are the closest to rival those at the State Fair, I do not recommend the burgers.
With my two companions in tow, we sampled each of the options. To date, these were the driest burgers (no actual cheese on the inside) and were generally overcooked and disappointing.
I may give Tuggs another chance in the future, but without figuring in the cheese curds, Tuggs gets 1/5 stars.
It never fails. Newt's Bar in Rochester is a Jucy Lucy lover's dream every time.
Minneapolis has two restaurants that claim to be the home of the Jucy Lucy, but Newt's is a step above.
Award Winner
In 2008, Newt's was named the #16 best place to get a burger in the state of Minnesota by Minnesota Monthly.
On an "Inherent Awesomeness" scale of 1-25, Newt's scored a 19.
Ambiance
"Newt’s is not easy to find. It’s down an alley, then up a steep staircase. But this doesn’t seem to stop every person in Rochester from going there. Stop by on a Friday night and you’re likely to wait an hour for a table. The draw? Great burgers and a strange ju-ju that makes it feel like you’re drinking in Vermont circa 1978" (Minnesota Monthly, 2008).
The Food
"The hardest things to do well are always the simplest. The elegant, juicy, gorgeously plain Newt’s burger proves that rule—and is worth the hunt" (Minnesota Monthly, 2008).
The Minnesota Monthly article puts it better than I ever could.
While Newt's scores a 4.5/5 for its fantastic take on the Jucy Lucy, it easily hits the full 5 on its atmosphere.
Up next? Tuggs Tavern with co-reviewers in tow to try each of the three options (listed below) that Tuggs has to offer. We can't wait!
- Saloon Burger - stuffed with bacon & cheddar cheese
- Stuffed Mushroom & Swiss
- Tuggburger - stuffed with jalapenos, sweet onions, and cream cheese
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. 