Spring. Even though we don’t pass our official last frost date for a couple more weeks, it’s probably safe to say that spring is really here.
That said… what a winter. We nearly broke winter precipitation records two years in a row—last year for the highest ever snowfall at 140 inches (356 cm), and this year for the least, but a final March snow pushed us above our previous record low of 36.5 inches (93 cm). You could say it was a rebellious winter. American Thanksgiving brought a real bite in the air for our post-feast walk, while mid-December brought us 48-degree temperatures (9 Celsius) and a brown Christmas.
The Winter That Never Was felt a little like a paradox, but here I sit with the trees budding, my beehives pulling in loads of pollen, and the sun burning the chill out of the air. Finally, maybe. What a strange and rebellious year.
As an ode to the coming of spring after a barely-winter-but-still-cold-enough-I-am-ready-for-sunshine-and-vitamin-D, we are going to throw out all the rules and talk about a couple restaurants that are unapologetically themselves. They do what they want, just like Mother Nature. They’re rebellious, and paradoxical.
REBEL Salad, Thunder Bay
REBEL Salad is a passionate place. They are passionate about salad, of course, but also about community, connection, and sustainability. A woman-run business in Thunder Bay, REBEL Salad was established in July 2017 and has been slinging salads ever since, following a “build your own” model. Here’s how it works:
- Choose your base. This can be a blend of greens, kale, or organic brown basmati rice.
- Choose your fixings. There is an extensive list to choose from, but a basic salad will get you three vegetables (like marinated mushrooms, roasted beets, or baby tomatoes), one topping (like feta cheese, bacon, or homemade croutons), a homemade salad dressing, and two proteins (such as thunder oak gouda, hard-boiled egg, or roasted chicken or tofu).
- Choose your side of fresh baked bread or corn chips.
- Devour.
It’s a simple model yielding delicious results. REBEL Salad has worked hard to curate a creative menu with flavorful profiles and infinite possibilities. Each of the 11 salad dressing choices are created from scratch, and from fresh and local ingredients whenever possible. Further, REBEL Salads are served in biodegradable “to go” containers. If you would like to further reduce waste, REBEL Salad runs an eco-container program where patrons purchase a reusable plastic container that they simply exchange with their next salad order.
You’ll find the REBEL Salad café, located in the Bay Algoma District, to be bright and relaxed, with local art hanging on the walls. The open space is a lovely place to sit your rebellious self down for a lovely salad, or you can take your food to go. Online ordering is available, with limited delivery capabilities over the lunch hour.
Burger Paradox, Duluth
The Burger Paradox is, intentionally, a little paradoxical. At first glance, the place is kind of a dive with a plain storefront and graffiti down the side of the building in Duluth’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. A closer look, however, reveals the paradox. The graffiti is beautifully stylized, and the motif of brightly painted walls continues inside with edgy art spanning the length of the building, and an underlit bar adds to the ambiance. It’s almost… classy.
The menu is just as carefully planned, and defies any idea you might have of a “dive bar.” Ironically, the burgers at Burger Paradox are called Smashies, and each comes with your choice of fries, chips, or KBBQ Brussels sprouts: deep fried Brussels sprouts with Korean BBQ, soyoli, and fresh cilantro. The Paul B’Onion is one of their signature burgers, with all beef patties, cheese, Top the Tater, potato chips, and pickled onions all piled onto a pretzel roll. A far cry from golden arches, you may want to try the McDowell, featuring all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and onions on a brioche bun. No sesame seeds… it hits different. And vegans, do not despair! The Mission Impossible with its sun-dried tomato aioli, vegan patty, and pickled red onions is here for you. Gluten free buns are also available.
At the time of this writing, Burger Paradox is the newest member of the Duluth Grill family, and it feeds all sorts of crowds, from families with kids to more “mature” folks, and they strive to make every experience special. From their website, they do not serve hundreds of customers a day—they serve one customer at a time, hundreds of times a day. Burger Paradox is open late, from 4-11 p.m. daily, so stop in, and grab a Smashie and a cookies and cream malt or a salted caramel hard malt, or dilly cheese curds and ranch, and catch Lincoln Park’s night life!
Crafting good food is an artistic endeavor, as you bring together elements of taste and texture to create something that pleases the senses. This is something both REBEL Salad and Burger Paradox strive to do. Their food is art, both in presentation and in taste.
And now that spring has arrived, it’s time to dig out of our hibernation holes and experience all it has to offer.
