[Editor’s note: For this week’s essay we’ve once again pulled out a relic from the archive of Slim Goodbuzz, who served as Duluth’s “booze connoisseur” from 1999 to 2009. The Sultan of Sot documented his experience at the Anchor Bar in the Nov. 29, 2000 issue of the Ripsaw newspaper.]
At the northern edge of the United States lies the state of Wisconsin, which leads the nation in alcohol consumption. At the northern edge of Wisconsin lies the broken-down city of Superior, which features the famed Tower Avenue, a street lined with dozens upon dozens of cheap dives. And at the northern edge of Tower Avenue lies the Anchor Bar, the Queen Mother of all dives, a place that represents everything good in the world.
The Anchor Bar is the love of my life. The beer selection is extensive, the food is excellent and both are cheaper than hell. And though all appearances indicate that it is a bar for thugs, there are no thugs there; the tough women behind the bar ran them out years ago. Fortunately, they grudgingly tolerate the hooligans and drunks, such as myself, who remain. Decorated in early pigsty, the place is dark and greasy-smelling, and is populated by the kind of people who just want to drink beer and act like real humans.
I joined Burger Radio‘s visit to Big Daddy’s Burgers in Duluth as part of the podcast’s Northland Burger Tour. Tastefully astute, yet by no means snobbish, Bruce’s latest installment describes his burger dining experiences at Gordy’s Hi-Hat, the Anchor Bar and Big Daddy’s Burgers. Bruce covers the Minneapolis-St. Paul burger scene but enjoys tasting and reviewing burgers nationwide.
The Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives featured five Duluth-area restaurants in segments shot during the spring and summer of 2010. The clip from the Anchor Bar & Grill in Superior was shot on July 1, 2010 and aired on Jan. 31, 2011. It should be noted that Guy Fieri did not actually make an appearance at the Anchor; this segment was for a “Viewer’s Choice” episode. The segment can be viewed at foodnetwork.com.
There is no shortage of great burger joints in the Duluth area, but the undisputed king of them all for the past three decades has been the Anchor Bar. Among the other dozen nominees in Perfect Duluth Day’s poll, only the Fitger’s Brewhouse pulled a significant chunk of the vote. When the two went head to head, the Anchor took 61 percent, and the Brewhouse took 39.
