On July 11, I posted a photo and thoughts about eating an Olive Burger while reminiscing about the Key Hole Bar's olive burger. Ta dah! Sound the trumpets, fire up the grill... we drove 1,828 miles to eat the real thing.
During our tour-de-home we drove to the UP of Michigan (as a matter of fact I'm typing this blog from Sault St. Marie, MI in the UP, just a few miles from the Canadian border) and made our way to the famous* Key Hole Bar. I scanned the menu and nearly had a heart attack; nothing on the menu was listed as The Olive Burger. Noooo! Could we have waited too many years (GDG was 8 weeks old last time we visited) and it was gone?? But alas, after reading deeper into the menu we found that the olive burger has a real name: The Passion Burger. My favorite bar burger was definitely on the menu. Out of habit, I ordered it as the 'olive burger' and our waitress didn't blink, but scribbled notations on the order pad she held in her hand.
About 1/3 of the way into my beer (Killian's) the luscious, juicy, perfectly medium-rare toward rare, grill prepared hunk of beef on a grilled bun arrived surrounded by crispy fries, a tart dill pickle spear, and a side of tangy slaw. Bar burger bliss, I tell you!
I learned a couple of things about the delicious beef on a bun. First, the burger sits on a lightly buttered, grilled bun. No surprise here, but oh it added to the 'passion.' Secondly, the burger itself is topped with a piece of swiss cheese, which by the time I was ready to take a bit had melted just enough to be deliciously gooey -- it even had a bit of the fresh mozzarella stringiness to it. Third, the olives are in the sauce. If I had to put money on the olives, I would venture to say that they were thick slices of large martini olives (one of my favorites with or without the martini, very dry). However... and this is a big however... I'm still not certain as to the recipe of the 'secret sauce' (as it's listed on the menu). It's definitely not mayo. It's light and creamy and thinner than mayo and does not have the mayo sweetness. It reminds me of high end ranch dressing that doesn't have the seasoning in it. Which means the sauce may well have been sour cream based. I'll continue to think on this part and may have to experiment when we get home.
To find the Key Hole Bar, exit off of I-75 at the last exit before the bridge/toll (it's marked as the last exit) and turn right. At the first major intersection turn left. Travel down that block into the area where the boulevard parking is. The bar will be on your left (the north side of the street).
While you're there... order the Passion Burger.
Endnotes:
Ken had a whitefish sandwich (delicious), Gregory had the Wilbur Burger (cheese and bacon), and Madeleine had a plain burger which was juicy. Each of the burgers was cooked to perfection --
*we had a thoughtful conversation about the Key Hole Bar... is it famous in our family or is it famous to Michigan travelers?
