Ask a dozen people to define their idea of a great burger, and chances are you'll receive as many different answers.
Is the patty straight-up ground chuck, or a mix of beef cuts, perhaps fortified with pork fat or butter? Is it turkey, lamb, goat or bison? Or a combo of beets, oatmeal and quinoa? What about the bun? Brioche, potato roll, caraway rye? How about the toppings? Mayo, pickles, tomatoes, romaine, iceberg, microgreens, shallots, mushrooms, fried eggs, ketchup, mustard, Gruyère, Cheddar?
You get the picture.
That overwhelming sense of possibilities is the impetus behind Burger Friday, a journey we started last spring that delves into the riches of a different don't-miss Twin Cities burger every week. So far, we've featured 17; that's barely a dent in the local constellation of burger greatness, but, hey, there are 52 weeks in a year, and a bottomless appetite for a spectacular burger.
Here are eight of our favorites:
