Jucy Lucys are South Minneapolis’ gift to the world of hamburgers, and an even greater gift than Seymour Wisconsin’s largest hamburger (I was there). Here’s how it works:
You take two burger patties and crimp the edges around the cheese with a set of tongs, then grill that baby up and let the cheese melt inside. But don’t get over excited and bite right into it straight off the grill. Practice patience by letting it cool off in it’s burger cradle, and then savor the rush of cheese, meat and bun that runs into your mouth, because the first bite may be the most satisfying experience based on surprise and taste.
What devilishly clever restaurant devised the Jucy Lucy? Some insist on Matt’s Bar while others lay claim to the 5-8 Club up the street. Me? I’m apt to believe that the patrons of the 5-8 Club were more interested in bath tub gin rather than burgers containing molten cheese, as it was best known as a speakeasy, not a burger joint.
From a CityPages interview, Cheryl Bristol, daughter of Matt, describes famous burger’s origins: “The whole story goes like this: There was a bachelor customer who used to come in every day and order a burger. One day, in 1954, he told the cook to seal up some cheese in the middle. So the cook did, and when he bit into it the hot cheese spurted out, and he wiped his mouth and said, ‘Oooh, that’s one juicy lucy!’ They used to talk goofy like that back then.” The source of the misspelling is merely a typo on part of the cook behind the bar. Unfortunately, the 5-8 Club has no such historic story to validate their claim. However, this is not to say that they can’t make a mean Juicy Lucy, they just can’t make a Jucy Lucy, but to some the inclusion of the “i” in Juicy all the difference in the world.
Read up on my trip to The Nook and had a Paul Molitor Jucy Lucy with pepper jack cheese (or would it then be a Juicy Lucy??).
As a native of Minneapolis and a person who debates this issue on a regular basis, I must tell you that the original (and better tasting) Jucy Lucy is, in fact, located at Matt’s Bar in Minneapolis. Might I add a mere 2 blocks from my house. I had my first Jucy Lucy experience so long ago that I don’t even remember it.
Ariana, I couldn’t agree more. I could probably eat one everyday, and sop up that oozing cheese with my french fries is better than anything else in the world.