The burger: You're familiar with Burger Friday? Plan ahead for Burger Monday, because at Willy McCoy's, the first day of the work week is all about burgers, beer and bargains.
The growing chain – there are five locations, and a sixth is opening soon in Chaska – slashes the prices of its burgers (reguarly in the $9.99-to-$12.49 range) in half on Monday. Yes, 50 percent. All day.
There are a dozen varieties, swinging from a straight-up California-style format and a "breakfast" burger (a beef patty topped with a sunny side up egg, applewood-smoked bacon and Cheddar) to a Cajun-seasoned patty smothered in a jalapeno-fueled beer-cheese soup and topped with beer-battered and deep-fried jalapeno caps. Oh, and the menu's four Juicy Lucy options (Willy McCoy's skips the whole Jucy Lucy spelling) are also included in the deal.
I opted for the "Juicy McCoy." The bruiser of a 9-oz. patty was stuffed with an evergreen combination: Cheddar, bacon bits and red onion slices that had been softened – and ever-so-slightly sweetened – on the stove.
Unlike the Juicy Lucys that follow the ooze-and-lose format – you know, a bite into the patty's center unleashes a veritable gusher of scalding, molten cheese that hopefully lands on your plate and not on your lap – this one was far more restrained. There's a presence of cheese, yes, but it tends to remain in the patty's center, and not everywhere else. For those who have been burned, literally, by overheated cheese, this restraint is a major Juicy Lucy evolutionary development.
The patty was taken to a uniform medium, with a slight exterior char, and probably would have benefitted from a more vigorous approach to seasoning. The ground beef was packed tight, a technique that allowed it to hold its shape even though its center was brimming with those tasty fillings.
Toppings included a lettuce leaf, snips of raw red onion, a so-so tomato slice and a flimsy garlic aioli. The chief attribute of the slightly toasted bun was its prodigious size, almost big enough to hold up to the weighty demands of that hefty, star-of-the-show patty.
Those who follow the bigger-is-better burger format will be very happy here. And those who appreciate a stellar bargain – particularly on Mondays – will be ecstatic.
