Trying a local favorite can be a wonderful part of a business trip. In between the educational sessions, the show floor and your networking opportunities at the NACUFS conference in Minneapolis, it just might be a great idea to meet “Lucy.”
The Juicy Lucy (sometimes spelled Jucy Lucy), essentially a cheeseburger with the cheese inside the burger, is a Minneapolis mainstay. How did it come about? An article about Juicy Lucys on the Serious Eats website offers this explanation:
“Decades ago, a Minnesotan, presumably suffering from cabin fever in the fifth month of winter, came up with the idea of putting cheese inside the burger rather than on top.”
So this is a burger with some molten cheese inside. Obviously you must use caution when taking that first bite. But hey, what’s a food field trip without a slight element of danger? One place that serves it, Matt’s Bar and Grill, has the slogan: “What’s more excruciating? Waiting for it to cool, or biting right in?”
It’s also delightfully sloppy. Another truism from Matt’s: “No ice. No plates. We blew the budget on napkins.”
And, if your'e a little more adventurous, there are spinoffs of the famous burger: The Saucy Sally at 5-8 Club (Lucy’s younger sister), with a secret sauce much like a Big Mac; or the Blucy (stuffed with blue cheese and garlic) at the Blue Door Pub, which also offers something called the “Bangkok Blucy,” with coconut-milk soaked mozzarella stuffed into a burger that’s topped with pickled carrots, cucumbers, red onions and ginger, served with a side of curry for “delectable dunking.” Hmmm…
Think you're ready to bite into it? Here are some local establishments that serve up the Juicy Lucy:
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Matt’s Bar and Grill: 3500 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55407; 612-722-7072
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5-8 Club: 5800 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55417; 612-823-5858
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Casper & Runyon’s Nook: 492 Hamline Ave. S., St. Paul, MN 55116-1613;
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Adrian’s Tavern: 4812 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55417; (612) 824-4011
- The Blue Door Pub: 1811 Selby Ave., St. Paul, MN 55104-6031; (651) 493-1865
