Burger Friday: Make a list, check it twice, with these 35 don't-miss Twin Cities burgers

Here's a quick way to access the subject of 35 installments of Burger Friday. Click away.

By Rick Nelson Star Tribune

December 17, 2016 — 9:23am

On most Fridays, I recommend a Twin Cities hamburger (well, it's usually a cheeseburger) by placing it in the Burger Friday spotlight.

I'm hip-deep into a project that's publishing soon, and didn't have time to burger it up this week. Instead, I've sorted through the past 18 or so months of Burger Friday posts and pulled together what I hope is an easy-to-use guide to the burgers I've admired. (That's the Revival burger, pictured, above).

Two notes: I'm ignoring the Burger Friday posts where the subjects are, for whatever reason, no longer available. And remember: this isn't a Best Burgers in the Twin Cities summation (which is why there's no nod to the Kenwood, or HauteDish, or Lake & Irving, or Nightingale, or the Chef Shack Ranch, or the many, many other first-rate burgers that I've hailed and dissected during the nearly four years and 100-plus installments of Burger Friday consumption); this is a highlights reel that only reaches back into the Burger Friday archives to roughly mid-2015.

I've called upon a few sorting mechanisms. Let me know if you'd like to see others; send suggestions my way via rick.nelson@startribune.com.

Late night cravings? Hit up 112 Eatery, Nighthawks, Constantine and Red Cow.

Exotic: There's the Beef Wellington Burger at Reve Bistro & Bar, the sort-of Sloppy Joe at Dakota Junction, the first-rate Filet-O-Fish imposters at Sea Change (pictured, above) and Eastside, the beef/elk burger at 6Smith and the goat burger at -- no surprise here -- the Curious Goat food truck.

Veggie: It's all about the Birchwood Cafe.

Bargains: One of the best is the happy hour price at Victory 44. Constantine chef Mike DeCamp also keeps prices low, a reflection, no doubt, of his faithful homage to McDonald's.

Just plain amazing: The diner-style double-decker cheeseburger with bacon at Revival. The boffo "brisket" burger at Barnes & Noble Kitchen. The cheesed-up monster at Wyn 65 food truck (pictured, above). The single-patty wonder at Constantine.

The superb straight-up beauty (with four-star fries) at Meritage (pictured, above). The once-a-week (Wednesday only) and worth-the-wait cheeseburger at Lowry Hill Meats; ditto the Tuesday-only special at Blackbird Cafe that's also a big happy hour hit.

Here's a geographic rundown:

At the Mall of America in Bloomington: Burger Burger and Shake Shack.

Columbia Heights: Miller's

Eagan: Volstead House

Edina: Barnes & Noble Kitchen

Little Canada: Flameburger

Mound: Dakota Junction

Minneapolis: Blackbird Cafe, Birchwood Cafe, Constantine, Curious Goat, Eastside, Lowry Hill Meats, Manny's Steakhouse, Mercury Dining Room and Rail, Nighthawks (pictured, above), 112 Eatery, Red Cow, Revival, Sea Change, Sheridan Room, Sparks and Victory 44