Burger Dive at Tony Jaro's River Garden

The classic Northeast Minneapolis dive bar Tony Jaro's has new management in the kitchen. The guys from Smack Shack have opened Burger Dive and are putting out solid burgers. I think the changes happened last summer and it took us ages to get here, as is our custom.

side of fries to share

I had the wedge burger topped with American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, blue cheese dressing. It turns out all of the burgers here are a double. It's a pretty thin patty and the edges had nice crispiness. The bun was nicely toasted and everything had great flavor.

John had the house burger topped with American cheese, minced onion and pickles. 

I'm not sure it is worth commenting on the service. I mean, the service is quick and efficient, but may be a tad abrasive. It's a dive bar, so keep your expectations in check if you get what I mean.

One important item to note- Tony Jaro's does not take credit cards; cash only. You will need to pay for food separate from your drinks also. There is an ATM on site.


Burger Dive at Tony Jaro's River Garden
2500 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
Phone: (612) 789-9728
https://burgerdivene.com

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers recently opened in Maple Grove. We stopped in for a quick weekend lunch to try the food. The service was fast and cheerful and the room was certainly busy and bustling.

We both ordered the Single Steakburger with cheese and a side of fries. The burger is made from high quality beef and served on a butter toasted bun. The burgers are quite thin as a result of the cooking process. The fries are very, very thin matchstick fries. They are very fresh and hot and tasted quite good. There is a special seasoning salt you can add to the fries and they have a special fry dipping sauce as well. Both just seemed to make everything quite salty however.

Other menu selections include frozen custard, chicken sandwiches, Chicago Style hot dogs, onion rings, chili, chili fries and chicken fingers, so there is something for almost everyone.

While the food was fine, I’m not finding any reasons to go out of my way to return. The burgers are very, very similar to Culver’s and there are a lot more Culver’s locations in Minnesota than Freddy’s locations. (Freddy’s does have a second location in Savage, MN.) The burgers appear to be made in a similar manner to Culver’s in that they are smashed thin on the grill and made from high quality meat. The menus are slightly different, but the custard selections seem similar as well.


Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
11600 Fountains Dr
Maple Grove, MN 55369
763.600.6713
www.freddysusa.com

The Skyroom at Macy's

It has been some time since I have done a post on skyway lunch options and somehow I have never done a post on the Skyroom at Macy's. The Skyroom is located on the 12th floor and it is a spacious room with many large windows and several food kiosks with different food offerings.

The major draw for many people is the huge salad and soup bar in the middle of the room. The other kiosks offer Mexican, Italian, grill and deli selections.

salad bar

On my recent visit, I went to the grill counter and ordered the grilled chicken sandwich and french fries. The chicken sandwich is unique as it is marinated in piri piri spice and served with lettuce, tomato and guacamole on a toasted potato bun. The piri piri lends a bit of spice and extra flavor to the chicken breast and the guacamole really brings it all together for me. The fries are nothing special, but not bad if they are freshly cooked.

The Skyroom is a great option for lunch in downtown Minneapolis as it is good quality food in a nice setting at affordable prices. Plus, there are huge windows and if you sit in a cubicle all day like I do, this is a welcome respite from gray walls.

Deals & Discounts: Punch cards are available; after seven visits your eighth meal is free.

The Skyroom - Macy's
12th floor
700 On The Mall, Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 375-2200

Galaxy Drive In

We decided to stop in to Galaxy Drive In the other day. It was a really nice day and we probably don't have too many of those left. I don't think we've visited in a long time as I tend to forget about it. I think we stopped awhile after the re-opening with the new concept and new name, but I think that was a couple years ago now.

I had the bacon cheeseburger with fries. The burger was pretty good with two full strips of delicious crisp bacon on it. I really liked the toasted bun. The fries were seasoned with some sort of seasoning salt. There was way, way too much seasoning on the fries and it made them almost inedible. You also receive a pop with your combo meal order.

John had the cheeseburger with onion rings. He thought the burger was good also. He really liked the onion rings and those did not have the seasoning salt on them so they tasted fine. He thought maybe they could have been handmade onion rings, but it was hard to tell for sure.

The service was very quick and friendly, though we were there pretty early for lunch, and it was not very busy at all. They have lots of fun decorations dotting the lawn as well as a giant chess game and a fire pit. Lots of things to keep impatient kids busy. You can also pull up and order from your car if you'd like. We just sat at a picnic table in the grass on this visit. The prices are also very reasonable considering you get fries and a pop with your burger. I believe our total bill was under $20 with tip.


Galaxy Drive-In
3712 Quebec Avenue South
St. Louis Park, MN 55426
Phone: 952-277-7777
http://www.galaxy-drivein.com

Monday - Sunday: 11:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.