I can’t believe it took at least two years for us to make it to Parlour! After my visit to Borough with some friends in January of 2013, I vowed to get back so that Rob and I could try the burger. If you are confused, let me explain:
Parlour is Borough’s downstairs bar…
offering a small menu of bar snacks.
Lately, we’ve seen that burger that I once eyed at Borough as one of the Twin Cities’ best on several lists. However, while we’ve seen both Borough and Parlour listed with this best burger, it’s now only listed on Parlour’s menu online.
Still, it was only by chance that we made it to Parlour. We just happened to be in Minneapolis’ warehouse district on a beautiful – yes beautiful! – April evening last Saturday. Rob mapped Parlour from our location. It was only a 15-minute walk. Did I mention the weather was beautiful?
There was no reason not to go for a walk…
When I saw the sign for Borough in the distance, I thought we would be entering there, from which we’d take the stairs to the basement. But before we approached the entrance, I saw some stairs leading down from the outside. I instinctively took them.
The Parlour was packed! We did a walk-through and there were absolutely no spots to be had. On our walk back to the door, I saw two empty seats at the bar; but a man was standing in front of them. I took a chance..
“Are these seats taken?”
He kindly motioned for us to sit. He was just standing with the group seated next to us. Score!
Parlour is a craft cocktail bar. So we just had to give one a try.
I am still such a novice when it comes to craft cocktails. I can rarely even imagine what any will taste like because I often don’t know or understand all of the ingredients. Sometimes I’ll ask the bartender for a recommendation. This time, I just took a shot in the dark!
Pistol Pedro – green tea infused correlejo blanco, pistachio syrup, birch extract – $12
“What’s correlejo blanco?” Rob asked when I pointed to my choice.
“I’m not sure, but I’m assuming tequila.” It only made sense.
It was a cocktail that tasted like no other. It was a bit boozy, but I could taste the subtle pistachio flavor!
Rob’s drink was entirely different:
Age Before Beauty – silver rum, 5-year rum, falernum, grapefruit, lime, jamaican bitters – $12
You really can be whisked away to different parts of the world with different cocktails! This one: The Tropics.
Then came the fries:
hand-cut fries – $5
I love hand cut fries and these were satisfying. Rob enjoyed them more than I did, though. I thought that they needed a little aioli or something.
And then THE burger:
burger – ground sirloin, ribeye, brisket, american cheese – $13
That photo will never do this burger justice. The burger wasn’t as big as I had remembered; but it was plenty of food for us to split it with the fries! Can you believe that this burger is made of all of those delectable cuts of meat?!
Everything was perfect about this simple double-patty burger:
- The meat had that nice little seared crust on it that I love.
- The cheese was melty, ooey, gooey and everything you’d want a cheeseburger to have. The thing is, after you eat this burger, you realize most don’t.
- The bun was nicely buttered and toasted not only on the top and bottom buns, but also the outside of the bottom bun!
In retrospect, there was absolutely no sauce on this burger that either of us recall. But it didn’t need it. The burger was perfect as is – no sauce and no toppings. Simple. Perfect.
There is a reason this burger is on so many top Twin Cities burger lists. It definitely made Rob’s, although he hasn’t updated that one in the last year.
What about a burger makes it stand out as a top one for you?
Cheers~
Carrie
Season It Already! 