Reetsyburger's Cheeseyburger Date

Recently, Gerg and I headed out on a cheeseburger day date on a not-so-nice day in November. We were inspired by Dara Moskowitz's article, "Burger Kings," published in Minnesota Monthly magazine.

CHEESEBURGER DAY DATE??? Indeed! The cheeseburger day date was contrived as a response to the leaves being too frozen rake. "We can't rake?? Let's eat cheeseburgers! "

Our plan: to patronize two of Dara's destination recommendations, and to split a burger at each of those two venues, thereby increasing our intake of burger options and venues in one fell swoop. Indeed, we killed two burgers with one stone.

To prepare for our date, I engaged in an hour-long morning workout, and consumed a glass of white wine for breakfast. By 1pm, we were out the door, dreaming about cheeseburgers for lunch.

We selected two stops: King's Place in Miesville, MN and the House of Coates in Coates, MN.

We headed to the King's Place first. King's Place ain't fancy - just simply decorated with beer signs and a Hamm's bear statue from March 2007. Starving, we grabbed two stools at the bar, ordered a tall glass of Hamm's and started to peruse their burger menu.

They offer more than 35 types of burgers at King's Place, including the Triple Play Burger topped with bacon, cheddar, swiss, pepper-jack, green olives, and sour cream. They also have one of those Goober Burgers with peanut butter and mayo on it. We decided to split the most frequently ordered King Burger. Two gals in a very tiny kitchen cranked our burger out in no time. Also, they wore leg weights.

Behold, the King Burger.

The King Burger at the King's Place is awesomely tasty. Nicely seasoned, very juicy, tender, slightly charred, the beef burger was topped with grilled onions, American cheese, mushrooms, and bacon. The bun was buttery and barely there - napkins were definitely in order. The grilled onions practically melted. We both agreed we really liked this burger. We agree with Dara; this burger has inherent awesomeness. "Devourable" is the perfect word to describe this burger. After we finished it, gerg wanted to order another. However, we knew we had another burger awaiting us in Coates, MN.

After about 15 minutes, we arrived at the House of Coates, in the middle of nowhere, still hungry enough to split another burger. The House of Coates' decor consists of plywood booths, rafters leading to nowhere, bar stools, and a pull tab booth. I ordered a Summit IPA, and gerg, being a pepper, ordered a Dr. Pepper.

Their menu offers a handful of burgers - the most strange being a "Vegemite" burger, which is a burger topped with cheese and vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli. We opted for their house favorite, the Swanee Burger.

The Swanee Burger is served with American cheese, onion, and bacon, with a pickle on the side. The beef was a tad dry. The grilled onions were tender and buttery. The bun was big. I would have preferred a less substantial bun, and a rarer burger. It was a filling burger, and worth it, for the price. I think we were the only non-regulars in the joint.

Overall, the cheeseburger day date was a success. Two burgers were split. One was awesome. One was decent. And with a $100 pull tab win, the date paid for itself.

We are in the process of developing justifications for a drive back Miesville. We're eager to go back and try some of King's Place's more wacky combinations. We raved about the King Burger while we were eating it. We raved about it as we finished our Hamm's and played pull tabs. We're still raving about it today.

[where: 55406]