Last weekend I found love. As a Chicagoland native, I’m a diehard cheeseburger enthusiast, and have always been on the hunt for the next best burger. This one just might’ve made the cut.
For the unacquainted, a Jucy Lucy [sic] is Minneapolis’ original version of the cheeseburger, where the cheese of the burger is inside — yes, inside —the beef patty. Two bars, the 5-8 Club and Matt’s Bar, battle over the bragging rights for inventing this wondrous beast, but personally, I’m just grateful it exists in the first place. There are endless variations, including the “Blucy,” featured at the Blue Door Pub and stuffed with blue cheese, and the “Saucy Sally” from 5-8 Club filled with their secret sauce.
If you’re in the mood to have all your hopes and dreams come true, a cheese-stuffed burger is never far out of reach. The Jucy Lucy and all her cousins can be found at various locations throughout the Twin Cities:
Blue Door Pub: (closest to campus, right by Black Coffee and Waffle Bar)1514 Como Ave. SE, Minneapolis
Matt’s Bar: 3500 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis
5-8 Club: 5800 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis
The Nook: 492 Hamline Ave. S, St. PaulI had my Lucy cherry popped at the conveniently located, and recently opened, Blue Door Pub on Como Ave., a casual but edgy-urban joint that’s perfect for anything from a chill lunch to somebody’s birthday dinner. The meal started with fried pickles and cheese curds for appetizers, because no all-American meal goes without dunking something in batter and frying it to a golden crisp. Let me just point out for our Gophers from Wisconsin, this place has some bomb-ass cheese curds.
Then she came out. Escorted in a humble fast food basket, her buns were glistening with grease from the kitchen, and she was stacked tall and perky with lettuce, tomatoes and pickles at my request. As the basket was placed on the table, I swear she winked at me.
Of course I did what any other hungry college girl would do — I gingerly held the Jucy Lucy in my hands and braced myself. Digging deep with my first bite, hot melted cheese spilled from the center and smothered my taste buds. For a moment the world stopped spinning as my senses were overloaded with beefy, creamy pleasure. Each glorious bite outshone the one before it, and as I finished with my face covered in juices, the last bite was a bittersweet goodbye, until next time.
If you haven’t yet made love to the Minnesotan pride and joy that is the Juicy Lucy, now’s your shot. It’s just like they always say, you’ll be a changed woman.