“Best Restaurants for All-American Food”, was the topic on the cover of the Mpls. St. Paul magazine in August, 2008. The lucky writers and restaurant critics who worked on this article got to go around town, eating at restaurants to evaluate: onion rings, BBQ ribs, fried chicken, meat loaf, pot roast, roast turkey, chili, pancakes, walleye, martinis, apple pie, ice cream sundaes and much more!
Did you notice that burgers were not on the list above? Not to worry—Juicy Lucys were on the list too. Just in case you don't know, they are double-burger patties stuffed with American cheese. These burgers are served in lots of bars in the Twin Cities and legend has it that they originated right here.
The Jucy Lucys (purposefully misspelled) served at Matt’s Bar since 1954, were rated the best by more than one local magazine over the summer. I had to find out if these burgers were as good as everyone said they were and so I took Kristen (Assistant Food Editor) and Kathy (Kitchen Technician) with me to Matt's Bar for lunch one day to sample them.
When we ordered them we were asked by our waitress if we wanted chopped, fried onions and pickles—all three of us did. Our burgers came wrapped up in paper (No ice. No plates.) and when we removed the paper, the aroma of perfectly fried chopped onions hit us. These burgers get a bit charred on the outside from the high heat of the grill on which they are fried and that adds some delicous flavor too. After just one bite, we knew the critics were right about Matt’s Jucy Lucys.
As we left the bar, the waitress said, "Thanks for taking a picture, she (Lucy) likes it!"