Tracy's Saloon and Eatery

Tracy's Saloon and Eatery is a neighborhood bar in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. Despite being a bar, it has a pretty wide-ranging food menu, including, of course, burgers.

I bellied up to the bar and ordered myself a "California Cheeseburger", which is to say it had mayo along with the usual lettuce and tomato and was topped with Wisconsin cheddar cheese. With a side of tater tots, it was $10 even (regular french fries are $0.50 less). I wasn't given a choice of doneness level (insert ominous music here).

The burger was delivered and, wonder of wonders, not a pickle in sight! The cheese was nicely melted, the meat was well-seared, and the toppings (the lettuce and a single large-diameter slice of tomato)neatly covered everything. The patty looked to be something like 1/3 lb. Cutting it in half revealed what I had surmised would be the case -- well done.

With the first bite I knew it was a decent but not exceptional burger. The good: The meat was seasoned perfectly, the cheese was great, and the bun (from the Franklin St. Bakery a mile or so down the road) was soft and fresh. On the other hand, the outside of the patty was seared so much it had a hint of that acrid burnt taste -- no bueno! And the patty was pretty thin, which gave the burger a pretty low meat-to-bun ratio. And, of course, being so well-done, it was pretty dry. Try as it might, the tomato could not make up for the meat's near-complete lack of molten fat. The above-average acoutrements aren't enough to make up for the sub-par beef (though I should note that it's not necessarily sub-par in terms of quality, just cooking).

In the end, I wouldn't come here specifically for a burger. BUT...if I happened to be here anyway on a Monday night, when some (most?) of the burgers are half price, it would take some convincing to get me to order something else.

Tracy's Saloon and Eatery

2207 East Franklin Avenue

Minneapolis, MN 55404

(612) 332-1865