1. Jucy Lucy

A frost window night in Minneapolis snow, my dear friend, Will, and I went to Matt's Bar on Cedar Avenue to experience a culinary masterpiece of Minneapolis: The Jucy Lucy. 

The Jucy Lucy is a burger with cheese in the center of the patty rather than on top. The patty is grilled until the cheese becomes a sweet sweaty molten mess. It's delicious. It's a Minneapolis must.  I finally experienced it and polished it off with a pitcher of Premium Grain Belt. 

Cheese is a major theme of Upper Midwest cuisine. So are tater-tots.