Tavern Style Burgers

Tavern Style burgers Tavern-style burgers weigh in at a third- to a half-pound, incorporate a generous fat-to-lean ratio (“greasy” seems harsh), and taste best when cooked on a seasoned flat-top griddle. These need to hit certain criteria of quality but don’t benefit from flights of fancy or too much locavore earnestness. Doneness was a real bugaboo in this niche. Offhand service we expect, offhand cooking is another story. Our five favorites:

 1. Buster’s on 28th
95.00 points 
4204 28th Ave. S., Mpls., 612-729-0911, busterson28th.com

This relative newcomer is a gourmet tavern of sorts. Philip Dorwart is a regular but had not adequately prepared us for the perfectly pink, beautifully caramelized, sprightfully seasoned rounds of beef on a pillowy bun from A Baker’s Wife next door. This was our favorite tavern burger in the Twin Cities—juicy, flavorful, with the best griddle char this side of In-N-Out Burger, and obviously crafted with care. We wish we could say as much for the fries. There’s a great selection of beers and a nice informal vibe, though service can be brusque. Inconsistency can be a problem.

2. FireLake
90.67 points 
31 S. 7th St., Mpls., 612-216-3473, firelakerestaurant.com

The FireLake burger is about the most perfectly composed burger in town, though so large that it can be a challenge to eat. Made with naturally raised beef, it is supremely beefy, char-grilled, and beautifully seasoned on a Franklin Street Bakery onion bun. Delicious housemade pickles, mustard-mayo, and shredded iceberg round things out. It is a melding of flavors that will put you in your special place. The ambiance is so upscale that we almost labeled this baby “luxury,” but it’s really a classic tavern-style burger, with not a detail ignored. Overcooking can be an issue here.

3. Redstone American Grill
90.50 
points Eden Prairie and Minnetonka, redstonegrill.com 

Redstone is not for everyone. It has a reputation as a singles spot for the middle-aged set, but its food remains undeniably good, and that includes its vaunted burger. It hit all the high points, from perfectly cooked to well-seasoned beefy exuberance, to a nice bun cradling shredded lettuce and great pickles. Its burger, like many of the more upscale burgers, was char-grilled, not griddled, and that grill char presents a completely different flavor profile than Buster’s or The Nook.

4. Casper’s and Runyon’s Nook 
89.00 points 
492 Hamline Ave. S., St. Paul, 651-698-4347, crnook.net

Our first visit to The Nook was disappointing—an overcooked burger, served in pieces on a bun, some pieces covered with cheese, some pieces not. There’s clearly a hit or miss factor here, but on a return visit (out of deference to the legend), we hit the mother lode. It was a deeply fatty burger that bled juice even when overcooked, served on a delectable bakery bun. It was rich with griddle caramel and perfectly seasoned. Great fries and a superbly St. Paul ambiance fill out the resume. Sister restaurant Shamrocks, on West 7th, serves the same beef, in case you find The Nook’s lines unbearable. Joe Mauer eats here; Ricky Rubio wants to.

5. The Bulldog Lowertown 
85.67 points 
237 E. 6th St., St. Paul, 651-221-0750, thebulldoglowertown.com

The best Bulldog? Well, we only tried two. St. Paul eschews the trendy Kobe beef of its Northeast sibling, which we’re cool with, and we’re also just fine with the thinnish half-pounders here, served on our favorite bun (potato flour) in town. It was adequately beefy, nicely seasoned, and delectably charry. It came slightly overcooked, but still juicy, and sporting those great grill marks of love. We love the Dog’s thin fries and killer cheese curds as well. And they offer a beer or 90.