The five best burgers of 2018 ... so far

This isn't one of those best-burgers-in-the-Twin Cities' compilations. Instead, Burger Friday — a weekly blog that highlights a gotta-have burger — is marking the year's midpoint by revisiting the five burgers that made the most favorable impressions so far in 2018. Find Burger Friday at startribune.com/tabletalk.

Not content to already produce one of the Twin Cities most remarkable burgers, chef Mike DeCamp is at it again. This time, for a burger for the restaurant's patio, he's borrowed elements of the popular iteration he serves downstairs at Constantine, then adds a few uncomplicated twists, including a second patty. Which explains the name: "Dirty Double."

Those two thin, smallish patties sure stack up to burger decadence, because DeCamp invokes the same over-the-top chuck-brisket-butter formula (the ratio is six parts beef to four parts butter) that he uses for his Constantine burger. For added measure, he incorporates bacon to the grind. On top of that, DeCamp piles on plenty of soft, sweetly caramelized onions.

"I think beef and onions is a great combination, one that's hard to top," he said.

The sesame seed-topped buns hail from Cub, teaching this hamburger-bun snob a valuable lesson: One of the Twin Cities' top chefs buys a perfectly serviceable supermarket product ("Chefs — They're just like us!" would be the Us Weekly headline) and transforms it with his know-how. The secrets are butter, and heat. Warming the bun softens it (and subtly enhances its yeasty flavor), and when all that butter comes in contact with the stove, it transforms the bun's inner flat surfaces, giving them a delicate and delectable toastiness. Follow this practice at home, folks. Your burgers will improve, without question.

DeCamp also doesn't skimp on the cheese. Final touches include a layer of crunchy, tangy pickles — along with a chopped pickle relish — tucked under the bottom patty.

"It's just all the familiar flavors, you know what I mean?" said DeCamp. Totally.

To my everlasting regret, I had been stupidly unaware of this establishment's existence until Burger Friday reader Kim Whalen of Lakeville recommended it. Thanks, Kim.

"It's Bloomington's little secret," said co-owner Peter Taykalo. "It's such a small place that if you drive by and blink, you'll miss it."

Nothing about the modest building's exterior indicates that it's the purveyor of a classic — the argument could be made for standard-setting — dive bar burger, sold at a barely-more-than-Five Guys price.

The ⅓-pound, free-form patties ("it's Angus, always fresh, never frozen," said Taykalo) are seared on a well-worn flat-top grill until the beef skirts past a no-nonsense medium, allowing tasty bits of sizzled char to materialize on the outer edges.

The soft-yet-sturdy bun, baked at the nearby Denny's 5th Avenue Bakery, gets brushed in butter before the grill gives it a dark, crispy toast. Cheese is salty, half-melted American, although Cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella and pepper jack are also available. The sole garnish is a standard-issue pickle spear.

8512 Pillsbury Av. S., Bloomington, 952-881-7223. Open 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-midnight Fri. and 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Sat. $6.25 for a basic burgers, $6.50 for a cheeseburger. Fries included.

Yes, this is the burger that I declared the best I'd tasted in 2016, the year that butcher/owner Erik Sather introduced it into his weekly specials rotation. And yes, it continues to reside in the upper echelons of the Twin Cities burger pantheon. I'm including it in this midyear roundup because Sather expanded the burger's Wednesday-only schedule into an available-daily commodity.

The version that Sather is serving closely follows the same format as the burger I first raved about two years ago: deeply flavorful quarter-pound patties made with ground beef sourced from single steers. Other components include housemade American cheese, tangy housemade pickles and caramelized onions.

Rather than import buns from elsewhere, Sather taps the considerable skill set of colleague Gabe Carlson, who bakes a brioche-style bun with a butcher shop twist: Instead of milk, this soft, golden beauty is fortified with fat from the shop's hogs. They're fantastic. As is this burger.

1934 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., 612-999-4200, lowryhillmeats.com. Burger is available during the shop's hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. weekends. $10, or $13 for a double. Add an egg for a buck.

"Two patties means more surface for caramelization, more of that beefy, beefy flavor," he said. "And in my opinion, when you get those 6- and 7-ounce patties, they're harder to eat. They're a real commitment, managing those things. You can't keep picking them up and putting them down, you have to go headfirst into them."

Like many other well-regarded Twin Cities burgers, this one wisely relies upon ground beef from Peterson Craftsman Meats in Osceola, Wis.

"It's what Andy [Peterson] calls his 'Chuckwagon' blend," said Hoff. "It's really rich, probably close to a 70/30 [meat/fat] ratio, nice and juicy. That higher fat ratio keeps them from drying out. And, I like supporting Andy, it's great to know that they're just an hour or so away."

Turtle Bread Co. is responsible for the bun, a soft, golden, challah-style beauty. Cheese is a pair of semi-melted American slices, and the umami-boosting, Thousand Island-like sauce is an homage to Hoff's go-to burger from his California years.

"I'll just blatantly call myself a rip-off artist," Hoff said with a laugh. "The In-N-Out Double-Double [from In-N-Out Burger] is the best burger there is, and this sauce is a riff on that. We slather it on everything here."

Owner Steve Ramlow has always placed a burger — make that, burgers — at the forefront of the menu at his eight-year-old food truck.

"Personally, I just like them," he said.

For his popular California burger, the formula is, yes, simple: a nicely fatty beef that's fresh, never frozen, well-seasoned and cooked on the flat-top grill in its own considerable juices. A gooey slice of American cheese injects another jolt of saltiness.

Onions are fried in butter, their sweetness accentuated by the grill's heat, with the butter laying on another layer of decadence. Butter also plays a role with the bun, which gets a generous swipe of the stuff before it's toasted on the grill. By the way, that bun? It's a doozy, a brioche-like beauty that comes from the ovens at Franklin Street Bakery.

"It's just so soft and luxurious," said Ramlow. "It melts in your mouth."

Track the truck's whereabouts on Twitter, @Simplysteves. $10.