Cheesy Tastes of the Midwest: Mac n' Cheese Pizza and Jucy Lucy

Other than Chicago, we haven't had the opportunity to check out the food scene in the Midwest...until now.  With my recent trips out to Madison, WI and then meeting up with my husband in Minneapolis, MN (for a wedding), I indulged in a couple popular Midwestern comfort foods.

The first thing I heard when I arrived at Dane County Regional Airport in Madison was a cow mooing (honest!). It was a toy cow that had tipped over in one of the airport stores (where these shirts were being sold).

When in Wisconsin, I had to eat some cheese! So I looked online and found local pizzeria Ian's Pizza and ordered their top-selling pizza:  the Mac n' Cheese pizza ($10, 12 inch). 

It was carb-tastic.  There's something oddly comforting about mixing mac n' cheese and pizza.  I think it's also best enjoyed with a cold pint of beer and friends to share this heavy dish.  I made it through almost 75% of the pizza before collapsing into a satisfying food coma.

Ian's Pizza has various locations.  I ordered my pizza from the State Street location at 115 State St. in Madison, WI.

Next stop was Minneapolis, MN (loved this piece of art from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden) where my hubby and I stayed for a few days (more posts to come!)

On the top of my "To Eats" list was a Jucy Lucy - Minnesota's cheeseburger.  There are two places that lay claim to originating the Jucy Lucy:  5-8 Club and Matt's Bar.  We could only go to one, so we decided to go to Matt's Bar (in honor of our friend Matt who was getting married that weekend).  

We got to Matt's Bar and found a crowded hole-in-the wall space.  Luckily we only had to wait a few minutes for a table.

My hubby ordered a cold Summit EPA ($3.95, pint) and we shared a fairly large basket of French Fries ($3.25, half order).

And finally we got our Jucy Lucy ($5.15) with onions.  A Jucy Lucy is a hamburger with American cheese cooked inside the patty.  According to the restaurant, the Jucy Lucy was created in 1954 when a customer ordered two patties with cheese in between them.  When he bit into the sandwich, he exclaimed,"That's one Jucy Lucy!"

When you bite into the burger, hot melted cheese spills out.  It was so addictive. 

The patty itself wasn't overcooked and the cheese is tasted even on the last bite.

Matt's Bar is located at 3500 Cedar Ave S in Minneapolis, MN.