One great thing about driving around rural Minnesota and Wisconsin has always been finding “undiscovered” local taverns and roadhouses, like the Kounty Quarthouse, Billy’s, or Swamp Sisters. Some are pretty new (like 50 years or so) and some date back to prohibition. While widely known and popular with a very local crowd, patrons from away often have to stumble upon these joints by accident, and it’s usually a happy accident.
One such place, just outside of Duluth, on the Jean Duluth Road, just down from where we used to go horseback riding at Springhill Dairy, and near the source of our childhood play pen, the Lester River, is the Breeze Inn, dishing up the goods since 1962.
A smallish place, long on service, with excellent taste in food, and the knowledge of how to prepare it well, our Minnesota Burger Reporter Kawika, accompanied by friend, hit the place up the other nite because of the entertainment, Todd Ekhart, a former local boy who now tours the world doing his impersonation of half of the Rat Pack as well as other musical celebrities.
In any case, the entertainment drew our crew, but they stayed and raved about the food. A special grind beef from supplier Unger Meats makes the Breeze’s versions of the Juicy Lucy (cheese stuffed burgers) (a Minneapolis invention, tho the actual source point is argued passionately), extra fine, and Kawika went with the Roasted Pepper Lucy, stuffed with pepper-jack, and topped with jalapenos, bell pepper, onion, and seasoned sour cream. Burgers are served on a grilled Kaiser, and accompanied by house made chips, fries or sweet potato fries. Our party went with the latter and declared them some of the best they had ever consumed.
So if you’re tooling around Minnesota and want a great burger, hit the Breeze Inn; if your tooling around the world and want to enjoy a show by Todd Ekhart, his schedule is here. Either experience, you’ll thoroughly enjoy.