An ode to the Jucy Lucy (or Juicy Lucy) of Minneapolis, which may be the best cheeseburger in Americ
The Jucy Lucy may be the best burger in America. Also known as the Juicy Lucy, the cheese-stuffed burger was invented in Minneapolis nearly 70 years ago. It’s an ideal convergence of beef and cheese. Yet the iconic cheeseburger remains relatively unknown. Untouched, the burger appears modest by modern standards, no toppings stacked sky high. Yet it belongs in the culinary realm of Chinese xiaolongbao soup dumplings and even the Chicago-style stuffed pizza (on the rare occasions when the latter is done right). They’re technical marvels, barely containing their deliciousness within.
Legend has it that two South Minneapolis bars claim to have invented the iconic cheeseburger. I discovered that’s not quite true after visits last fall. Only one clearly stakes the claim, while the other concedes it’s the customers who’ve fought its case. Matt’s Bar in the Corcoran neighborhood is known for its deliberate misspelling of the dish, a historic holdover from a printing error. “A Jucy Lucy is a burger that was created here by Matt Bristol in 1954, the year he opened,” said Amy Feriancek, general manager. “He and a few locals were here on an afternoon when it was slower, and he created this wonderful burger.”
At Matt’s, the Jucy Lucy ($8.95) has a crust that conjures a seared dry-aged steak. Not even the warnings for what lies within prepares you for the molten American cheese magma that pours out with a bite. Three miles south on Cedar Avenue, the 5-8 Club in the Nokomis neighborhood has been continuously operating since 1928, originally as a speak-easy during Prohibition. While its claim to the cheese-stuffed delicacy is perhaps less concrete, its fan base certainly isn’t.
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The classic 5-8 Club Juicy Lucy ($12.25) looks like a big, thick contemporary burger, complete fries and coleslaw on the side. The oozing experience feels more subtle, with the melted cheese melded into the beef fat. What’s most surprisingly overlooked with the Jucy Lucy and Juicy Lucy conversations focused on cheese has been the absolute importance of fried onions on the burger.
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There’s no judgment if you want to add ketchup or mustard, but unlike a Chicago-style Big Baby double cheeseburger, you’ll have to add the condiments yourself — Minnesota nice does have its limits.
https://news.yahoo.com/ode-jucy-lucy-juicy-lucy-103000656.html
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I think that Obama visited Matt's.
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