Photograph by Caitlin Abrams
Melty cheeseburger with wine and fries
There’s no doubt we are a burger-loving bunch—most of us would vote to put the Juicy Lucy on the state flag. We crave our double smash burgers and the steamy griddle bombs from the Midway Men’s Club at the State Fair, but where’s the love for the patty melt? Does the shift from buns to bread deserve such indifference? Maybe the ladies at Chip’s Clubhouse can change that.
Tara Coleman and Gina Mangiameli, the duo behind this newfangled supper club housed in a strip mall off Snelling, opened it during the pandemic with the idea that people could use a little familiar comfort. The much-lauded cheeseburger is already trying to steal the show, but the sneaky patty melt sitting quietly on the edge of the menu is where it’s at.
Two righteous griddled slices of thick Texas toast buffer a beef patty blanketed with roasted shiitake mushrooms and caramelized onions, slathered in mustard-caraway mayo, and topped with orange American cheese (that’s the melt part). Guess what? You can order it without the beef patty, and it still kicks in all the comfort. Get it with one of Tim Leary’s cocktails, and toast to looking forward while hanging back every once in a while.
272 Snelling Ave. S., St. Paul, 651-330-1617, visitchips.com
