Around Town is our local check-in with businesses, people and just plain fun activities going on around the Twin Cities Metro Area. We believe that you build a community through working together every day. If you or your business wants to be visited, please let us know.
Anyone with kids knows, gathering a 3 year old and an 18 month old together for dinner out at a restaurant is always a bit of a challenge. However, when given the opportunity to check out the new Blue Door Pub location at Lake and Lyndale, my wife and I decided we would go through the drill and hope for our daughters to be on their best behavior.
If you have never been to The Blue Door Pub you may not know what a “Blucy” is, and if you have, you will be happy to know that they just opened a new location near Lake and Lyndale in Minneapolis (3006 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN).
A Blucy, for the uninitiated, is their take on the Minnesota born cheese filled burger creation known as a Juicy Lucy. Since opening, The Blue Door Pub has taken a handmade approach to items on their menu as well as featuring an ever changing assortment of Blucys, Totchos (think nachos made with tater-tots) and Chicken Wings.
When first walking into the new Blue Door location, you will notice the high tin covered ceilings, brick walls and a large welcoming (but not overpowering) bar area. It is a very approachable space and pretty much anyone would feel comfortable and welcomed here. To those who are Blue Door regulars, it will feel familiar but with its own vibrant Lyn-Lake neighborhood energy.
As a nod to the nearby nightlife, this is also the only Blue Door location offering an array of cocktails. These have names such as “Door ‘Groni, Ranch Water, Rumble Bee and Fashionably Crazy”, but with two kids in tow and wanting to have one of the great local taps, I was only able to have a taste of the Rumble Bee that my wife ordered. True to form, the cocktail tasted fresh and unique mixing the tastes of rum, lime, honey syrup and serrano tincture which gave it a nice hint of heat to round out the light sweetness and citrus notes provided by the honey syrup and lime.
Like other Blue Doors, the tap beer list was solid and filled with great local beers that fit the neighborhood tastes. While enjoying the beverages, my wife and I perused the food menu trying to decide from the list of Blucys with names such as The Blucy, The Classic, Bacon Blucy, Cease & Desist, Lyn-Laker and Mount Blucuvious among their many offerings. We settled on ordering the Cluck Yeah Sandwich, Corn Dog and The Classic along with some Cajun tots and deep-fried green beans...locking down the parent of the year award for including a green vegetable in the mix.
Now I understand that compared to options with names like Mount Blucuvious, Hella Totchos and Smoky Bandit, these offerings sound less adventurous and maybe not as exciting. I can tell you that they did not disappoint.
Let’s start with the corn dog which is a ¼ pound offering displayed on a giant Texas toast bun with garlic aioli, cotija cheese and corn salsa. The corn salsa alone is something they should put in a jar and sell. Well noted for the next visit was their inclusion in the Hella Totchos.
As far as Blucys go, I really didn’t see how I could go wrong with The Classic. Fear of melted cheese while wearing a business suit prohibited me during other visits but this time around it was my chance to taste all of the essential Blucy elements in their minimalist form. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed with The Classic! The patty was tender and the cheese had the proper melty consistency without being scalding hot and falling apart. When the Cluck Yeah arrived, it looked great and clearly it was as my wife finished this delicious sandwich quickly; without providing me the opportunity to even try it.
From my experience I can tell you that while best known for their Blucys, tater tot creations and chicken wings, The Blue Door has options for everyone including glutton free and vegetarian options. All of the menu items appear to be executed with the same attention to detail and care as their name sake burgers. Based upon my first impression, The Blue Door Pub is going to become a neighborhood staple in Uptown just as it has in its original St. Paul location.