The Blue Door Pub

After a long and incredibly stressful week at work, I texted my man. I couldn’t wait to get outta there (hello, weekend) and there was no way I was going to spend my evening preparing a meal in a hot kitchen. The only practical solution to my dilemma? Dinner and a movie, of course! We had both been waiting to see Moonrise Kingdom for weeks and decided that tonight was the night. When I researched to find what theater closest to us was showing it, Grandview Theater in St. Paul popped up. I did a search to see what establishments the area had to offer, and my eye immediately landed on The Blue Door Pub.

Derek and I have been meaning to get down to the Blue Door for awhile. We’ve had countless people tell us how fantastic it is and Derek can’t say no to a good juicy lucy. With our evening plans made, we got ready and jumped in the car. We arrived at our destination around 7:15 and found a close parking spot along the street — their parking lot was looking pretty full. It was a gorgeous night and their few outside tables were all filled up. We stepped in the door to put our name in and were a bit taken aback — every seat in the house was full! I didn’t realize how popular this place was. Our hostess let us know that the wait would be about 20 minutes. Not too bad for how crazy busy it seemed — and busy means it must be good, right? Since it was crowded (and warm) inside, we opted to wait out front; the only downside being we couldn’t bring a beer out there with us. The time passed quickly as we sat and watched more and more people put their names in. Our turn came not a second too soon and we made our way back in and perched on our stools. The window seats were perfect for us; we love to people-watch.

We settled in, sipped on our quick-to-appear beers, and took a look at the menu. Derek decided on the Jiffy Burger (a burger covered in peanut butter, a little mayo, pepper jack cheese, bacon, and a few pickles, $7.75), and I went for the Black Bean Burger (A veggie patty topped with pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles and chipotle ranch, $7.50). Both came with the choice of hand-cut fries or tater tots. We weren’t sure which were better, so we asked our server and she was quick to recommend the tots — they are the for-sure crowd pleaser. That made up our minds, so Derek asked for the plain and I chose to try them cajun style.

Our food was pretty darn good. I couldn’t help but sneak a tot first and they were fantastic! Derek described them perfectly — “They’re all crispy on the outside with a mashed potato pillow in the middle.” The cajun seasoning on my tots was a superb combo of salty and slightly spicy. I didn’t want to ruin my appetite so I moved onto my burger. It was tasty, but it didn’t blow me away. The one aspect of it that stood out was the use of pickles — I’d never had pickles on a black bean burger before and it was a great addition! Derek enjoyed the unique mix of condiments used on his; a great use of sweet and salty elements. He’s a sucker for peanut butter, that’s for sure.

As we gobbled down our burgers, we relaxed and looked forward to our movie. We paid our bill ($33 after tip) and hurried off to make it to the theater. Moonrise Kingdom was a fantastic end to our evening and we headed home, bellies and wallets still fairly full.

Atmosphere
Fun and friendly neighborhood bar-type vibe.

Service
Excellent — even though it was extremely busy, our server was attentive and friendly.

Presentation
Straight-forward burger basket look.

Taste
Both the burgers and tots were very tasty.

Value for Dollars
We paid $33 after tip for two burgers & tots and two beers. Pretty standard casual dinner date price.

But don’t take my word for it:

The Blue Door Pub

1811 Selby Ave.
Saint Paul, MN 55104
651-493-1865

thebdp.com
The Blue Door Pub on Facebook
Twitter @bluedoorpub
Yelp

XOXO,