Klowns in my Koffee

My husband had the afternoon off and we took off to test a hometown favorite immortalized by the Travel Channel's Food Wars (http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Food_Wars). Minneapolis boasts competing bars both making version of the Juicy Lucy, a cheese stuffed hamburger of epic proportions. Not having sufficiently low cholesterol to be able to handle sampling both versions, we chose the 5-8 Club http://www.5-8club.com/.

This old-time bar is within sight of one of the urban lakes and green spaces that make the Twin Cities such a marvelous metropolitan area.

At 1:45 PM on a weekday, the parking lot overflowed and extended to the nearby streets. Entering through the back door that is the main entrance, it still felt a little like the speakeasy it has been during Prohibition when this location was out in the boondocks, before the city had grown around it. The restaurant's patrons were a boisterous and diverse group and nearly elbow to elbow. We found a spot at one of the tables near the bar. The interior was tidy and cheery and adorned with framed posters of nostalgic greats like John Wayne and Elvis. Service was equally cheery.

The family at the table next to us happily told the server, "We liked your show on the Travel Channel." And we realized that she was indeed the restaurant manager featured on the show.

The hamburgers were as good as advertised. And, just think -- these are the guys that lost the Food War. Next time we play hooky on a weekday afternoon, we'll check out the winners at Matt's Bar a few blocks north http://www.mattsbar.com/.