Tomorrow is the 6th anniversary of my wife and me joining in marital bliss. We had the evening off and my mother-in-law was willing to watch the children so we headed off to the big city of St. Paul. Nestled near two antique shops on Selby and Snelling, we found one of our favorite burger joints, the Blue Door Pub. You might remember it from "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."
On any nice day, you can plan on waiting 20-45 minutes just to sit down. The waiting area is outside (rain or shine) next to the few tables that pepper the sidewalk. Yes, you are forced to watch other people devour delicious morsels while you drool all over your shirt. Today, we only waited about 20 minutes before we were able to take our seats on an old church pew on the sidewalk.
This is where I get to enter the only negative of this narrative. There are no alcoholic beverages allowed outside, as it is not an enclosed patio space. Because of what I experienced next, that is where my complaint will end.
We had one of the best waitresses I have had in some time. She was helpful, easy going, had outstanding witty banter, and she laughed at most of my jokes. Very pleasant.
Enough of the background, let's get to the food.
Yep, there it is, the first course: Spam Bites and Buffalo Wings. Both are favorites of my wife and me. Never heard of a Spam Bite? Here's the breakdown. Chopped dill pickles slices and cubed Spam insulated inside of a healthy layer of cream cheese, for our purposes today, we'll call it "Dream Cheese." This newly-formed ball is then rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried to golden-brown, delicious status. They are served with a sweet, red-pepper flake chili lime sauce, giving it just a hint of an Asian twist.
We all know what Buffalo Wings are, but these are the "Good" version of Buffalo Wings, crispy, lean, almost dry, with the perfect amount of sauce, not drenched, just nearly saturated, served with a side of Bleu Cheese, a side of Ranch, and some of those Veggie things. Most would say that would have been plenty, but I am not most...
Next!
The Jiffy Burger!
From the menu, "You've got to try it to be a believer. We slather our burger with crunchy peanut butter, a little mayo, pepper jack cheese, and bacon - just like mom used to make!"
As soon as this wonder of creation was laid before me, I could smell the faint whiff of Peanut Butter, quickly accompanied by the smoky bacon. As I like to eat my burgers after they've had a chance to cool, I nibbled on the hand-cut french fries, which had been cooked with the proper care. No soggy fries here, just a good crunch and seasoned to perfection.
During my first burger bite, my mind dream-sequenced into the "Best Burger in New York" monologue by Marshall from How I Met Your Mother. The bun was firm, but forgiving, soaking up all of the glorious juices that had oozed their way out of the meat. The pepper jack cheese had just enough kick, but was then quickly covered by the crunchy sweetness of the peanut butter. And then, the bacon. This wasn't just any old bacon. The perfect amount of smoke, salt, crunch, and chew. The next bite produced the tang of mayonaise, a very good complement to the bacon and the peanut butter.
This would have been plenty of flavor in one burger, but one unmentioned held each individual flavor up and combined them all into a chord of chin-slobbering ecstasy, the pickle.
As I have come to expect from The Blue Door, my meal was fantastic and I enjoyed it in every way. My only hope is that I don't have to wait until my next anniversary to go back.
