Burger Hunter: JL Beers
Week after week, Mike S. impresses us with the depth and breadth of his burger knowledge. Plus he’s quite the traveler, like the Rick Steves of patties! Check out all The Burger Hunter’s meaty exploits at the #GreatAmericanBurgerHunter tag on Instagram and at @BurgerHunterUSA on the twitter.
Once in awhile it takes a couple visits to fully figure out what’s all going on with a burger. This happened to me at JL Beers. You know JL, it’s those North Dakota beer dudes that came to Twincy to strike burger gold. So on visit numero dos I bellied up to get a birds eye view of how and why my burger is coming out so quickly, yet so good. And there it was—a clam grill that comes over the flattop and puts a full court press on your meat with heat from both sides. 1 minute and 15 seconds later, out comes your seared up beef patty party. It’s most likely ground chuck with nice flavor from classic seasoning. Juicy, too! I ordered the University Ave Burger. The bun looks regs, but it’s so not. Fresh and seriously almost perfect. Butter grilled with a crispy inner and soft gentle outer . . . Mmmmm gentle outer . . . Just holds in your hands so nicely this one. Cheese is American and gooey good. Topped with clean crispy bacon that adds to the positive crunch factor throughout this ride. The salty beef plays nicely with the sweet bbq sauce. They calm each other down. Ever had one of those friends? Anywho, the fries are solid and fresh cut with your choice of topping. I love how perfect this burger is. Looks nice, tastes great, quick, easy, no attitude or gimmicks, and fresh! Sign says, “Great Burgers Sold Here.” And I put my stamp of approval on that!
Scorecard: Flavor: 8.8 Presentation: 5 Originality: 7
JL Beers, 24 University Ave. NE Suite #100, MPLS; jlbeers.com