From the Press:

By: RICK NELSON
April 05, 2019

The goodness radiates outward from a top-notch patty. It's fashioned with freshly ground turkey, sourced from Ferndale Farms in Cannon Falls, Minn., a first-rate producer. Since turkey is a fairly neutral animal protein, flavor-wise, the Tillie’s kitchen wisely incorporates a pair of flavor-boosters: cooked wild rice for chewy nuttiness, and dried cranberries for a sweet-tart bite. It all adds up to a year-round Thanksgiving dinner, served in a bun.

Oh, and there’s also butter. Lots of butter, diced and carefully incorporated into the patty mix.

“As the meat cooks, the butter melts and the patty is basted in butter,” said co-owner Kari Grittner.

Genius, right? It’s not billed as the “Turkey Butter Burger” for nothing.

When that butter starts to sizzle on the flat top stove, it gives the surfaces of those thick patties a browned, savory sear. But the butter is doing double duty, because it also keeps the patties juicy and flavorful, two attributes not often associated with turkey burgers.

The toppings really enhance that well-crafted patty. The cheese is a creamy Havarti, its buttery qualities underlining all of that butter (it also inserts some much-needed salt). Preventing any hint of dryness is a pair of spreads. First is a whopping dollop of tangy mustard aioli that’s fashioned from the kitchen’s pickled mustard seed, plus mayonnaise and coarse ground mustard; that’s followed by a citrus-scented onion jam, the onions carefully nurtured over low heat until their natural sugars take center stage.

(The one disappointment is using bland spring mix for lettuce. A welcome pop of color, yes; but nada in terms of contributing flavor and texture.

The bun is perfection, a sesame seed-topped beauty (it’s from Denny’s 5th Avenue Bakery in Bloomington) that’s split, brushed with clarified butter and toasted on the grill until the inside surfaces are slightly crisped and the bread is warmed and softened. (There's also a gluten-free option).

Why a turkey burger?

“It’s something different,” said Kari Grittner. “You don’t see a lot of them. Our customers are also looking for something lighter and healthier.”

The Turkey Butter Burger has been a menu anchor since Grittner and her son, Tom Grittner, took over the former Trotter’s Cafe two nearly two years ago (the restaurant’s name is a nod to Kari’s grandmother Mathilda). It’s the No. 2 selling burger on their menu, beating bison and veggie versions and bested only by the (terrific, it must be said) “All-American” beef-American cheese rendition.

Here’s a measure of the turkey burger’s popularity: a while back, the Grittners briefly switched up the format, dropping the cranberries and wild rice in favor of Southwestern-style accents.

“It didn’t sell nearly as well,” said Kari Grittner with a laugh. “We had a lot of regulars asking, ‘When are you bringing back the real turkey burger?’ So we did.” Thank goodness.

Price: $12.

Fries: Included, a generous portion. They’re obviously cut in-house, and fried to a deep golden brown. While they could have been a bit crispier, they had just the right interior fluffiness.

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