The Herkimer Pub and Brewery – Minneapolis, MN

My most recent trip to Minnesota landed me at The Herkimer Pub and Brewery in Minneapolis. The Herkimer is located in the Lyn-Lake area of Uptown (at the intersection of Lyndale Ave. and Lake St.). This area is known to be very trendy and if you look close enough you may see a hipster or two walking about.

I stopped at the Herkimer for a quick lunch midweek. The place was pretty quiet- definitely not the prime hours for a pub. The bartender stood behind the massive bar and asked if I’d like a brew. I told him I was just there to grab a burger and had a seat at a table.

The menu had a variety of stock bar grub: sandwiches, burgers, fried stuff. I took a look at the burger menu and was impressed with the unique options thy had available. After a few moments of indecision I chose the bacon cheddar burger. Like the saying goes, KISS-Keep It Simple, Stupid! I have heard that their burgers were out of this world so they can’t go wrong with this choice.

My burger arrived after only a few minutes. I was excited to see the presentation of the food. The burger was presented with the bun half open, exposing the cheddar in its melted deliciousness. The cheese was melted in a such a way that it covered every inch of the burger and bacon. Wow. This burger looked amazing. And the fries! The fries were thin cut, my favorite, and served in a mini fry basket. The basket also came with a pickle and side of ketchup.

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At first bite the burger exploded with juiciness. I ordered it cooked medium-well and this was perfect. The cheese and the bacon blended perfectly with the flavor of the beef. The burger, surprisingly, was not as fatty as I had expected but still delivered that smooth beefy goodness.

The fries were nice and hot with a golden crisp to them. As I was eating them I got a nice spicy kick with the ketchup. I asked the bartender what kind of ketchup they used and he told me it was a chipotle flavored ketchup. Very nice touch!

This was my first visit to the Herkimer, and hopefully not my last! I would love to come in here when this place is hopping with people. Every burger lover should put this on their lists!

Also, if you are a beer drinker, don’t skip the local and house brews that are served in the bar!

JerryBuilt Homegrown Burgers -The Woodlands, TX

This week I visited JerryBuilt Homegrown Burgers in the Woodlands, TX. This is one of two locations, the other being in Houston. JerryBuilt prides itself on its unique approach to the burger joint using freshly ground beef and chicken, an in house bakery, and daily cut crinkle fries.

I went to JerryBuilt on a Saturday afternoon after the usual lunch rush should have ended. I was surprised to see how many people were in there. The place was busy, which is usually a good indicator of the quality of the food. I would not call JerryBuilt , “fast food,” but rather, “food fast.” It’s the typical order at the counter and wait for your name to be called. As I approached the counter, I took a look a the menu on the wall*. The menu was written in chalk and looks as if some of the items change from time to time. I noticed that they had several types of burgers and sandwiches (including chicken burgers that are also ground fresh daily). They also serve mac and cheese bowls and different types of hot dogs and salads.

*Funny thing I noticed: There was a girl at the counter who kept repeating, “I can help the next person in line!” I looked behind me and there was nobody there. I made quick eye contact with her and gave her that awkward smile knowing that it’s her job to keep saying it. Then I continued to look over the menu. She must have said it ten more times before I went up to order.

There was one burger in particular that caught my eye: The JCB. Jalepeno Cream Cheese Burger. This is the burger that both Marco and I ordered. We also ordered fries and drinks and had a seat at a table to wait for our food.

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JerryBuilt also has those cool Coke machines that have the touch screens to choose and customize your soda. I am a sucker for soda so I was very exited to see these. First was a regular Dr. Pepper and then I switched over to Cherry Fanta. It was Fanta-stick. By the soda machines, there were two circular windows on the wall that you could peek into to see the employees working on grinding the beef and chicken. On the left side of the soda machine was an entire glass wall that allowed customers to see into the bakery where freshly baked buns were being prepared by the dozen.

The decor was very cool and set a good environment. The entire back wall was made of chalk board and had the JerryBuilt cow logo on top of it made from wood. Stacks of chalk sticks were available for anyone to use to draw or leave messages on the wall. Some of the drawings were very high up an must have required a chair or two for someone to reach.

We waited for about ten minutes before our food was ready. The burger came wrapped in paper and was seated next to a mountain of freshly cut crinkle cut fries. I unwrapped the burger to find that the bun had been toasted on both sides instead of just the inside, which made for a wonderful crunch  on the first bite. The burger came with lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, and the jalapeno cream cheese. The actual burger itself was awesome. It had a wonderful juiciness to it in addition to a charred and smoky exterior. The jalapeno cream cheese was more spicy than I was expecting and gave the burger a good kick in the ass. The fries were piping hot and very crispy. On the table was french fry seasoning that I would sprinkle on damn near anything. Very good.

I will definitely be going back to JerryBuilt and would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a great burger joint in the Woodlands!