Convention Grill was always one of those places that we’d go to on a rather irregular basis, the sort of restaurant that everyone liked, but just never thought of when it came time to decide what to have for dinner. It’s a little out of the way if you live on the south side of town like we did, but not so far that we couldn’t bear the ten minute drive (hey, don’t laugh, Minnesotans live a very leisurely lifestyle). And while I haven’t been there many times, I most certainly have not been there in many many years. In fact, I’d venture to say it’s been almost 10 years since I was last there, maybe more (but hey, the place has been around since 1934).

Let’s get down to brass tacks, so to speak: there is one word I would use to describe this burger, and it is “good.” It’s not mind-blowing, you won’t walk out of here with the sudden urge to sneak back in the door and order another for carry-out. But it really is a solid display of hamburger, juicy, cooked to order, and satisfying. I have to admit I’m always disappointed when a burger has better toppings than meat, and this is one of those burgers. But oddly enough, while the bacon and cheddar really blew me away, I really wasn’t that upset by the mediocre beef patty (hey, at least they cooked it how I like it!). In fact, my favorite part of the whole burger was the bun, a fresh and squishy unseeded white bun, ever-so-slightly toasted, and a perfect sponge to save all of that beefy flavor.

Aside: Convention Grill also introduced me to the idea of eating sour cream on french fries, something that I rarely do, except when I’m at this place.

Nostalgia aside, the Convention Grill is still a great spot to grab a burger in the Twin Cities. With all the new-school joints opening up in uptown, downtown, and St. Paul, there’s something really special about hitting a classic restaurant and enjoying the same delicious sandwich that I’ve been eating for years, especially when it’s been ten years since the last one.

My coworker, Bich Ngoc Cao, just sent me this little piece of heaven, straight from my hometown of Minneapolis. This comes from Burger Jones, a sightly posh kind of new restaurant that I’m now dying to try. Love it.

Turns out the burger is so popular, that Mira’le Grill in Los Angeles has designed a few stuffed burgers themselves in homage to the originals.  LAist tells me they’re pretty tasty, but I’ll have to try one out for myself.

Via Cafe Introduces Minnesotan-Inspired Cheese Stuffed Burgers – LAist.