|
Burgers
surprise
at restaurant that
draws fame from
ice cream treats
Nov.
14, 2006
| If
You Go |
Owner-operator: Maureen “Mo” Robertson.
Manager: Nancy Hanson.
Cake decorator: Kari Hanson.
Address: 1160 Menomonie St. (near the
entrance to Carson Park).
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; summer
hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Telephone: 834-9323.
Wheelchair accessible: Yes.
Reservations: No.
Smoking: No.
Parking: In lots on site.
Prices: Regular hamburger — “3
pound plus” — $3.60; added cheese,
20 cents; bacon or mushrooms,
15 cents.
Extras: Custom cake decorating available. |
We
can't resist restaurants with a clear sense of mission
— and the drive to accomplish it.
Zipping
down Menomonie Street in Eau Claire recently, moving
toward dinner somewhere else, Audrey spotted this
on the Dairy Queen's big, bright sign: "The
Best Burgers in the Midwest."
Utter
silence in the Honda — a most unusual thing.
And
then:
Jeff:
"Honey, c'mon: it's a DQ! There's no way."
Aud:
"But …"
Jeff:
"But what?"
Aud:
"But what if?"
We
changed plans so fast our brakes complained.
Culinarily
speaking, we were surprised to learn, this Dairy
Queen is one-of-a-kind. It serves standard DQ ice
cream products, but not standard DQ food.
Longtime
owner Maureen Robertson explained: "We have
the flexibility to create our own food line."
Astonishingly,
the Menomonie Street DQ orders its hamburger meat
freshly ground from Sokup's Market in Chippewa Falls.
Delivered
Mondays and Thursdays, the meat is quickly hand-shaped
in-house into thick patties. The burgers-to-be are
wrapped tightly and frozen, then slowly thawed before
cooking.
On
the advice of a counterperson, we ordered our burgers
"a little less done than well." The result
was a glistening surface with some dark-brown crust;
a gently compacted, slightly crumbly texture; a
moist interior; and an honest beefy taste. The tender,
lofty, kaiser-style bun by Village Hearth is a fine
sop for meat juices.
Choose
from the usual condiments and toppings. Audrey prefers
the standard burger: freshly chopped onion, dill
pickles, ketchup, mustard. Jeff likes lettuce, decent
tomatoes, pickles and ketchup with extra mayo.
Skip
the bacon and cheese; they distract from the goodness
of the meat.
Robertson
is justly proud of these burgers, which she often
likens to "homemade." She's right. With
your first bite, you'll find it hard to believe
you're eating in a fast-food restaurant.
The
Midwest's best burgers? Oh, probably not.
But
darn good.
Main
Course, the Leader-Telegram's restaurant review
column, runs the fourth Sunday of the month. Diners'
Notebook, a sampling of favorite restaurant offerings,
runs the second Tuesday of the month.
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