Guest Restaurant Review by Tyler Retzer
The Red Cow… the red cow? This is the name of a Burger Shop that opened up this year in the very trendy 50th and France area of Edina, Minnesota. For me, the name brings up images of perfectly cooked Burgers (the bright hue of red on the inside) and generic Burger Shops stereotypes of what a modern Burger Shop should look and feel like. Which image will hold true?
I went to The Red Cow this last Wednesday to celebrate my mother’s Birthday. She had suggested it and I thought why not? As we walked up to the front door, we noticed that the patio was completely packed (it was a fantastic September evening) and full of energy; It was a welcoming sign. We walked in and tried to get a seat outside on the patio but the wait would have been too long so we sat at the bar.
The decor is minimalist with a plethora of rustic wood, bare metal, and exposed ceiling; The type of place where business people would go to after a long day at the office for a beer and sit next to locals who either walked or biked. The Red Cow fits in well with the general atmosphere that 50th and France tries to manifest.
We sat down just in time for Happy Hour, which I’m happy to report is EVERYDAY from 3PM to 6PM and 10PM to close. It is made up of $2 off all tap beers (their large selection include many local offerings) and reduced price appetizers. I ordered a 612 Pale Ale and began looking at the Burger menu. Aside from burgers, they offer other items including: soup, salad, sandwiches, and even breakfast items… but I focused on the Burger part… this is a Burger Shop review after all.
The Red Cow submits 17 different Burger offerings with a variety of choices: buffalo, elk, lamb, salmon, tuna, turkey, chicken, duck, mushroom, veggie, and of course Angus . All of these come with their own toppings that accentuate whatever meat might be on the bun. They do not allow you to pick your meat and toppings to make a custom Burger, but the burgers presented are mostly unique and interesting so a custom system is not needed. Every Burger comes with your choice of regular fries, sweet potato fries, and Parmesan fries and the prices range from $10.00 to $15.00. This is the prime price range for a quality Burger and fries. The Breakfast Burger (Angus Burger, peanut butter, over-easy egg, bacon, and cheddar) looked best (interesting) to me so I ordered it with a side of regular fries; Not ten minutes later and a freshly made Burger was placed in front of me.
On first look, the Burger looked different from what I was expecting. The bun was two highly buttered and toasted pieces of thick Texas toast and they were big enough to keep everything from spilling out. I cut the Burger in half and saw that everything was layered neatly to ensure a taste of every item in each bite. On first bite, all of the flavors come together perfectly. The peanut butter (I was afraid it might overpower everything else) was a perfect complement to the salty thick Bacon and well cooked egg. The Breakfast Burger is the only name you could give this Burger because it brings numerous breakfast flavors into one nice Burger package.
My only issue with this Burger is the Angus Burger itself. It had no flavor and was over cooked. The waiter never asked me how I wanted my Burger cooked (he was too busy hitting on me) therefore, it was grey and overcooked. I’m not sure if the wait staff is told not to ask (a sign of poor quality meat) or if my waiter was too distracted to ask. Either way it is unacceptable. The fries were divine, I ate every since one that was placed in front of me.
So in the end, the red in The Red Cow doesn’t hold true but it does break the generic stereotypes of a modern Burger Shop. The decor and atmosphere is trendy and modern, the service (outside of being hit on and not asking how I wanted my burger cooked) is pleasant and quick, the bar is local and well stocked, and the selection of Burgers will keep you coming back simply to try something different. The Red Cow is a convenient, fun, and relatively affordable place to hang out after work for a beer and a snack or to make a meal out of one of their many choices for of burgers. I would come back for just the fries and a beer. Overall I give The Red Cow seven thick Bacon slices out of ten.
Visit The Red Cow at:
3624 West 50th Street,
Minneapolis, Minnesota
(612) 767-4411.
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