The burger: What a pleasure to find chef Lucas Almendinger at the helm of the Third Bird, the Loring Park newcomer that opened in late August in the former (and more enchanting than ever) home of Cafe Maude at Loring (and, before that, Nick and Eddie). He's a huge talent who made the short-lived Union Fish Market a notable new-in-2013 endeavor.
For the burger on his lunch, dinner and brunch menus, Almendinger is skipping beef in favor of grass-fed bison. "The focus of what I want to do here is be a Midwestern restaurant," he said. "Bison is a little healthier than beef, and it's unique. I'm from South Dakota, and I sort of love bison. There are bison burgers all over South Dakota, and they're not good, so I wanted to do a good one."
Mission accomplished. Almendinger wisely exercises restraint, allowing the meat's gentle, pristine flavor to speak for itself. The only (well-calibrated) seasoning is salt and pepper, and then the thick, hand-formed patties are fried on a flattop. In butter, a welcome fat injection for the naturally lean meat.
"How do you like it cooked?" asked my gracious and well-schooled server, music to my ears. When I told her I'd prefer it the way the kitchen prefers to prepare it, she came back with "medium-rare," and that's precisely the way it arrived. (And thoughtfully cut in half; my friend and I were sharing courses).
Composition-wise, Almendinger is offering a kind-of tribute to fast-food burgers, and the muted, scrupulously attended-to details bear that out.
A Thousand Island-style dressing serves as a shout-out to the Big Mac, but Almendinger's far more flavorful aioli-based version isn't exactly Golden Arches territory, what with its Sriracha (for subtle heat) and cornichons (for brief acidic flashes) touches.
White onions are sliced thin and coaxed on the griddle to sweet, near-black caramelization, then finished with a splash of mustard oil. A stack of pale, crisp iceberg adds just-right crunch.
As for the bun, it's a soft, milk-laced beauty, its golden top studded with sesame seeds and its interior toasted on the grill. They're baked on the premises, and they're terrific.
