Burger Jones

If there is one restaurant that has been getting the PR in the past two months, it has to be Burger Jones, down near Lake Calhoun, and brought to us by the restaurant geniuses at Parasole. I hadn't even tried to stop in yet as, on my daily drive home from work, I can see the folks hungrily waiting outside, rain or shine. I decided to let some of the glitz and glamour tone down, or, let's be realistic, I was waiting until I actually had the time and the patience to wait.

On Friday night, G.P. and I headed over to Burger Jones fully prepared for the long list that confronted us. Unexpectedly, however, a couple got up from the bar and we were able to immediately sit down rather than wait an hour (or two). It was not surprisingly crazy busy with the servers and bartenders in constant stressful movement. This was not a place to come to relax and take a break from your day. Given the crowd, once we sat down at the bar, it took quite a while for us to get served. Once we got the bartender's attention, we quickly full-on ordered rather than try to do drinks first, then food. Let's keep their attention while we have it!!

The menu is online so no need to repeat it here. Comfort food to the nth degree. G.P went for the Green Chile Cheeseburger and I for the veggie burger option, the Birkenstocker (I didn't see a trademark attribute on this... my lawyer would pass out). To accompany this, we looked at each other and threw health consciousness straight out the window and ordered both cheese curds and french fries. My Birkenstocker was pretty good - not the very best homemade veggie burger I have ever had but still good enough to order again. I liked that it had some black beans in it but I didn't like that it was still mushy with the texture not well distinguished from the bun itself. I did like the buns though, covered in crunchy sesame seeds and apparently homemade. A nice touch.

I have to say that I REALLY enjoyed the cheese curds. They had a little too much breading but when you found the curd itself, it was mighty fine cheese. And dipped in the smoky ketchup, it was perfect (okay, now someone break my heart and tell me there is bacon in that ketchup... just go ahead and do it...). Even more fun was putting the cheese curd onto the burger, like the bartender recommended. Delicious! I think I crave these curds and any man is welcome to take me on a cheese curd date to Burger Jones.

We tried the regular fries as a starting point - future visits to hit the other two varieties available. But I wanted to start with the basic fries. Quite good but in this day and age of truffle oil on everything, I think souped up fries are starting to grow on me. They just seemed so plain compared to the curds and fancy burgers.

The one thing I found disappointing at Burger Jones was the house pinot grigio. Basically, it was gross. If it is indicative of the other house wines available (poured from those oversized bottles), avoid them at all costs. More thought could have gone into finding burger friendly wine rather than just cheap wine. Parasole should know better!

Basically, Burger Jones is worth a visit but patience is required.

Thumbs Up: Fun menu, awesome cheese curds, lively atmosphere
Thumbs Down: Mushy veggie burger, crowded, wine list

Burger Jones 3200 West Lake Street Minneapolis www.burgerjones.com