Food review: New Lincoln Park burger joint delivers complex flavors, artful nostalgia – Duluth News Tribune

DULUTH — Nearly all booths and tables were filled on a Friday night at

Burger Paradox

The burger joint opened at 2113 W. Superior St. in May — the latest in the Duluth Grill Family of Restaurants.

More vacancies at the bar stools and high-tops, but once requested, the gracious host was cool seating us in the busyness rather than the bar. Painted in a deep-slate gray, the bar boasts pops of color in hot-pink painted vents and pink- and tangerine-tinted hanging light fixtures.

A swirling mural design in pink, cantaloupe and Big Bird yellow covers a wide wall with “cocktails” and “burgers” painted in shiny block letters and dripping in Garbage Pail Kids-esque ooze.

Exquisite, and the artful spin on nostalgia continues throughout.

Separated with floor-to-ceiling “windows” bordered in lime green, the dining area is dotted with wall hangings of a Pink Panther Vogue cover and a graffiti-backed Mona Lisa.

A colorful mural covers a brick wall in a full restaurant dining room. — Patrons dine and chat June 2 at Burger Pardox. The colorful murals on the walls in the dining room and bar were painted by an employee.

And, the restaurant name centers in a second mural painted in vibrant red, purple and blue. (Both murals were painted by an employee, reported the host.)

I greeted three friends, also first-time diners, en route to our seats, and the room buzzed with guests of all ages.

A front-and-back menu reads “munchies, smashies and malts” on one side, and “cocktails, drafts and tall boys” on the other.

This menu oozes charm with picks like the Paul B’Onion, What If I Want Wings? and the Galaxy Surfer — and bonus, it gives you a chance to flex your pop-culture chops.

Unprompted, I silently raced to name all the movies and TV show references I could, before affectionately describing a menu-referenced scene from “Coming to America” (which my dining buddy hadn’t seen — yet).

A handwritten sign displays business hours for Burger Paradox. — A handwritten sign displays business hours.

Burgers run $12-$15 and cocktails are $8-$10. Corn Ribs and Moo Fries (with pork and pickled veggies) are top-listed munchies picks.

We waited a few extra minutes to order, and I soaked in the scene.

You can hear the malt machine whirring from the prep area, and I overheard a waiter telling another table birthday guests get a free malt. I made a note to self, mentally dotting my fingertips together like George Burns.

Once we ordered, the food came out quickly.

Like at sister restaurant OMC, diners get a four-bottle tray of sauces — among them garlic aioli and a cilantro jalapeno. (They unveiled a quality-spicy southeast Asian chili sauce on our second visit that’s worth tasting!)

I ordered the Wompling, a beef and pork burger, seasoned with ginger and fresh garlic, carrot daikon slaw, pickled jalapenos, scallion cream cheese, sweet chili sauce and wontons on a grilled brioche bun. (Though, the online menu says it comes on a pretzel roll, mine came out on brioche.)

The first bite is a ride of complex flavors with pleasing textures in the crunchy carrot daikon and jalapeno cream cheese, leaving a lasting taste of sweet chili sauce. The smashed patty crumble-melted in my mouth.

Expect sweet, savory, crunchy and messy with pangs of flavor and subtle kick in this fresh, original-to-me and oh-so-delicious burger.

My fries came out slightly soggy, needing a minute or so more in the deep fryer. (On our second visit, they were perfectly firm, tender and lightly salted.)

Whipped cream, a vanilla wafer and a maraschino cherry top a malt standing against the backdrop of red, blue and black mural. — A vanilla wafer, maraschino cherry and whipped cream top this salted caramel malt.

Perfect for splitting or solo, the salted caramel malt is a thick, rich, sugary-with-a-pinch-of-salty treat topped with a pile of whipped cream, a vanilla wafer and a maraschino cherry.

The wafer added a satisfying textural touch, and the cherry an aesthetically pleasing spot of color for me. Not generally a fan of malt flavoring, this was a prime re-intro to a traditional diner staple.

FYI, Burger Paradox offers hard and soft malts (with or without alcohol).

I swapped burger bites with my dining buddy, who ordered a Royale with Cheese.

Less than a week later, he invited me down the hill for another trip to this burger joint, which is quickly becoming his fave — and I think he’s onto something.

Melinda Lavine is an award-winning, multidisciplinary journalist with 16 years professional experience. She joined the Duluth News Tribune in 2014, and today, she writes about the heartbeat of our community: the people.

Melinda grew up in central North Dakota, a first-generation American and the daughter of a military dad.

She earned bachelors degrees in English and Communications from the University of North Dakota in 2006, and started her career at the Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald that summer. She helped launch the Herald’s features section, as the editor, before moving north to do the same at the DNT.

Contact her: 218-723-5346, [email protected].