The burger: Pity the turkey burger, which has a reputation — not entirely unfounded — as being the killjoy of the burger set. Not for nothing, it's often viewed as the dietary equivalent of a cling peach and cottage cheese on a lettuce leaf. You know, virtuous, but not exactly brimming with personality. The many hockey puck-like turkey patties I've encountered — thirst-inducingly dry, absent any traces of flavor — only reinforce this notion.
But that's so not the case at Public Kitchen + Bar. The restaurant, which opened in mid-2014 and overlooks Mears Park in St. Paul's Lowertown neighborhood, has recently gone through a kitchen switcheroo. Owners Madison Equities have tapped Lenny Russo — arguably the region's leading locavore and the driving force behind the nearby Heartland Restaurant & Wine Bar — to wipe the slate clean.
His response? Simple. "Try not to serve anything that sucks," he said with a laugh. "That's the bar that I've set for myself." OK, that's Lenny-speak. "We'll offer familiar dishes that are made out of good ingredients," is what he meant to say. "The goal here is to create a better guest experience, and a better value. When we do that, it's a victory."
Russo has drastically trimmed the menu's sprawl-all-over-the-place precursor, which tried to please everyone but left little room for the kitchen crew to focus on consistency and quality. His replacement is rooted in the British ale house/gastropub model: uncomplicated, recognizable, well-prepared fare.
There's room for a beef burger — two, actually — and they're fine. More than fine, really. But I was intrigued by the turkey iteration. Turns out, it's a total winner.
Why turkey? Simple. "Because Minnesota is the country's No. 1 turkey producer," said Russo. "It's a quintessentially Minnesota ingredient, although people here probably don't think of it that way."
Works for me. Russo's inspiration comes from a straightforward Italian pork sausage recipe that he's had in his repertoire forever. Turkey thighs and pork fat are ground together in an 80/20 ratio, then seasoned with fennel, chile pepper, dried oregano and other like-minded herbs. Why pork fat? "Otherwise, it would be really dry, and horrible," said Russo. "It's turkey, remember? It's an incredibly lean protein."
It's true: pork fat improves everything it touches, especially ground turkey (there goes that whole Diet Food rep). The tightly-packed patty is enormous ("It's just shy of a half-pound," said Russo) and it's grilled on a flattop until the surfaces achieve a gently crisped caramel brown, yet the interior retains a modicum of sizzling juiciness.
