Meaty, cheesy bliss at Wisconsinburger

If you grill it, they will come.

Pardon me for adulterating the mystical message Kevin Costner heard in “Field of Dreams.”

However, I felt a similar otherworldly tug when I saw the Wisconsin-shaped metal sign attached to the honey-mustard colored storefront at Ninth Avenue and Hatch Street, not far from the Perry District on Spokane’s South Hill.

“Wisconsinburger,” it read.

I parked and headed inside for my first bite of bliss.

If it’s true that you are what you eat, then I should have “body built by burgers” tattooed somewhere on my bulky frame.

Over three decades of journalistic travels, I have consumed ground meatwiches from the famed Hudson’s of Coeur d’Alene to the iconic Billy Burgers in Wilbur.

And all points in between.

Dick’s, Ron’s, The Ram, The Steer Inn, Paul Bunyan burgers, D’. Lish’s and Mickey D’s.

I’ve consumed so many Zip’s Big Zippers that the working title for my biography right now is, “Man of Broken Seams.”

But savory sojourns aside, Friday night at Wisconsinburger I may have eaten the best burger of my life.

Admittedly this was no pedestrian patty. This was a Wisconsinburger special dubbed The Germantown.

The succulent sandwich was dressed with Wisconsin cheese, sauerkraut and slices of juicy bratwurst.

Wunderbar!

Confession time: Friday was my fourth trip to Wisconsinburger in less than a month.

I know. I have a problem.

But I’m not alone.

This unique burger bistro with its off-the-track location, quirky bowling theme decor and unabashed love for a state some 1,400 air miles away has been packing them in all summer long.

“I feel like I’m home,” said Paul Drew, who was scanning the menu. Because of Wisconsinburger, he added, “I haven’t gotten out my barbecue grill out all summer.”

So how does a Wisconsin-based burger joint wind up in good ol’ Spokaloo?

“Do something you’re comfortable with and that you like.”

This is the business plan for Milwaukee-born Jeff Nordvall and Dubuque, Iowa, native Laura Paisley.

The articulate, affable couple opened Wisconsinburger in April. So far, they’ve been pleased by the growth that has evolved for the most part through word of mouth.

“We’re still nervous,” said Laura in a cautious tone, noting that most restaurants can make it a year.

Jeff nodded in agreement. He believes the story of Wisconsinburger will be told in “a couple of years.”

“Then we’ll feel safe,” added Laura.

From what I’ve seen, these young entrepreneurs have everything it takes to be extremely successful.

Take Friday night. Jeff, his head topped by a red University of Wisconsin ball cap, was greeting customers, busing tables and basically working his fanny off.

There was none of the phony swagger that so often infects an owner.

The example he was setting has obviously rubbed off on the staff. Speaking of which, the waiter who served me was friendly, attentive and could answer any question about the menu.

We also must give Jeff and Laura credit for also having the courage to so openly celebrate Cheesehead Nation in a Seahawk stronghold like Spokane.

Wisconsinburger recently opened its Packer Room, where breakfast is served only on those Sunday mornings when Green Bay games are on the tube.

There are no big screens in the main dining room, which is by design. Laura and Jeff wanted it to have a more conversational vibe.

One more word about the decor.

Much of the custom benches, bars and woodwork comes from recycled lanes of bowling alleys.

It may sound crazy, but it’s not.

Doug Bradford, Wisconsinburger’s carpenter, did an absolutely stellar job at putting together a look that works on every level.

“You’re sitting on a bowling lane,” Jeff said as we talked in the Packer Room.

The bowling touches are subtle and not overdone.

The front desk, for example, is one of those retro scoring monitors. A curved Brunswick sign hangs on a wall. Some old bowling ball holders line an area behind the bar.

So why not Wisconsin?

Or make it Spoconsin.

We Lilac City residents have always been knocked for having Midwestern sensibilities.

We might as well accept it.

Jeff immediately saw our commonality when he first came here in 2006. Working in the medical field at the time, he viewed Spokane as similar to Milwaukee but with much better snowboarding.

He left for a time and eventually met Laura, another medical field worker, in Boston.

Soon a plan was hatched.

They would move to Spokane, where, as Jeff explained, the weather was agreeable and the people extremely friendly.

In 2008, they moved near the Perry District, where they became part of its revitalization effort. Defying all odds, they obtained the district’s first liquor license and used it to open the Lantern Tavern, a 12-seat mini bar that almost immediately drew fans.

The cramped quarters morphed into the more spacious Lantern Tap House when Jeff and Laura sold it about two years ago.

While wondering what to do next they remembered the big storefront adjoining the Sherman Arms Apartments at Ninth and Hatch.

They had rolled past it one day while bicycling and couldn’t help but notice the “for lease” signs.

“This district needs a burger shop!” said Jeff, adding, “Wisconsin was a natural.”

Focusing on fresh ingredients, the Wisconsinburger meat is ground each morning. Fries are fresh cut, too.

Eight bucks will get you a basic burger like the Wisconsin – which features sharp cheddar from you know where, lettuce, tomato and grilled onions. The total bumps to $10.50 if you want another quarter-pound patty.

That’s just the beginning. Laura and Jeff have high praise for their chef, Tim Ahern. They credit him with helping create gourmet sauces and a unique menu.

The Awe Geez, for example, includes battered fried Wisconsin cheese curds. Wisconsin blue cheese is the star on the Beloit Blue.

Or try the Spooner, which is topped by a spoonful of bacon jam and an onion ring. I ate this during one of my visits. Marvelous.

Never fear vegetarians. There’s a house-made vegan bean patty for you.

( That last sentence was hard for a carnivore like me to write.)

In the end, the proof of any great restaurant is naturally in the eating.

Along those lines, Jeff recalled the 60-something couple who dined there one day.

“This is the best burger I’ve ever had,” exclaimed the husband as they were leaving.

At which point the wife rewarded hubby with an indignant stiff elbow shot to the ribs.

Jeff laughed. “I could tell that she’d been the one who’d been cooking his burgers for probably most of his life.”

If that’s not an endorsement, what is?