Ready for a 'Loose Meat' burger?

Yeah, that's what I thought too! What is a "loose"?? I'd never heard of that critter before!

Himself's Uncle Allen explained that it was like a sloppy joe...without the joe but still sloppy.

Uh-huh...that really cleared things up...

So off we four went to have supper at the 71 year old Austin, MN culinary tradition of Tendermaid Burger.

We went into a cute diner with the cooking area in the middle and a bar and stools around 3 sides. And in the middle was a steaming container of browned ground meat with a counter load of condiments nearby.

Alrighty then…I’ll take a bacon and cheese burger! Let the show begin!

The waitress took a slice of cheese and dropped it into the container of hot meat (they never said it was beef…). As the cheese softened she placed the condiments on the bottom bun. Then she quickly plopped some more meat on top of the cheese and scooped the whole ball up onto the bottom bun. Placed on a square of wax paper, top bun placed on and set in front of each person with the comment “Want a spoon with that?”

“Yes”, Aunt Dorothy answered for me.

Good thing, because in attempting to eat this burger you lose a lot of it to your wax paper. The spoon gets those last crumbs.

Add on one of their chocolate milkshakes and you’re having a real Austin tradition for dinner.

Teri, Dorothy and Allen.