The Oasis in the Distance

“Oasis”

Not the British rock band, but the real definition of the word. When applied to a bar, it inspires images of an in-pool, swim-up bar offering paper umbrella mai tais and rum cocktails served in half a coconut husk; a watering hole paradise amidst miles of desolation and desert. However, the Iron Range doesn’t lend itself to such biomes, and you won’t find any fat, hairy, shirtless retirees sucking on crazy-straws, or any champagne supernovas, at Britt’s Oasis Sports Bar & Pub.

Somehow, though, the bar crafts its own definition of its namesake hideaway, nestled amid the pines in a cozy little side road just far enough from Highway 53. You take Biss Road off of 53 north of Virginia, then the 2^nd right to Peel. The Oasis shines through the dark trees a large, welcoming bar and restaurant with plenty of parking for your vehicles or snowmobiles. The pictures on their Facebook page will show the crisp, clean interior that reminds you you’re at the edge of the Superior National Forest that brought loggers to Minnesota. I wouldn’t have guessed that they recovered from fire last year as the place looks homely, lived-in yet kept-up. A separate restaurant room is smaller than the bar area, which frequently hosts live bands. I’m not sure I’d try to watch a football game there, though, as their TVs are just a tad too small to be viewed from across the bar.

We were welcomed in as the visiting 9-ball team for our first time, and co-owner Megan made us feel like regulars. Megan and her fiancé Matt own both the Oasis and Wink’s, in Virginia.

My favorite quirk – one flirting with unsavory potential – is their chalkboard-painted restroom doors. A cup of colored chalks sits near the sink, and a warning is scrawled along the top of the door: “Remember: kids read this!” This particular Monday night the door was wiped clean, and while we didn’t get very creative at all with it ourselves, I could see hints of past scrawlings, complete with juvenile “For a good time, call…” and the flowery script of a girl or two who snuck into the men’s room. The door saves the rest of the bar from any permanent graffiti, leaving even the bathrooms comfortable and clean.

Though I hadn’t planned on it, I was roped into buying their Egg Burger. You see, frying an egg for a burger is just right in my book, but it must be done with care. A dangerous precipice one walks when frying an egg for a burger – too little and the burger is a sloppy mess, too much and you lose style points. The mere mention of “egg” and “burger” in one sentence is enough to sell me a second dinner (or breakfast, or lunch…). I was in for one.

Now do me a favor, dear reader, and take a moment to recall a very certain sound, one not heard often in restaurants or bars & grills. Imagine that familiar smack of a hand-shaped burger patty, that thick thwack-thwack-thwack of meat against your palms. Hearing that sound from the kitchen is like Sam Elliot pulling up a barstool next to you, ordering a sarsaparilla, and assuring you that you can abide.

The burger was presented and Megan got a tad bit worried. “I’d have gotten you better chips if I knew you were going to take a picture!” I assured her that bottom-of-the-bag chips were not a concern; I specifically didn’t order their thick-cut waffle fries (as good as they looked in Shoppa’s basket, it might have been a mistake). I just wasn’t hungry enough. In fact, the burger was more food than I planned to eat anyways! Our hostess made one request: “I’m the sort of person who puts ketchup on their ketchup, but try at least a bite without ketchup on it, please!”

On the way home, Shoppa proclaimed that any burger you can eat without ketchup is a good burger. Our ketchup bottle remained untouched.

The burger stacks up. A soft, lightly-toasted bun was thick enough to hold the patty, fried onions, pepperjack, bacon, and egg yolk. Because here’s the important part of an egg burger: the bun must maintain structural integrity while simultaneously absorbing as much yolk as possible. And that’s the catch with the eggs: they must be prepared just well enough that some of the yolk is cooked, but enough of it still runs out to soak the bun. The way you handle an egg burger is important as a diner, too. The first satisfying squeeze of the buns should break the egg, and one must slowly rotate the burger before the yolk drips down onto your fries or chips, ensuring maximum bun saturation.

The mountains on the glass turn blue when you pour a cold tapper!

The first bite is the best, they say, and this one was no different. The Fabroni’s bacon was just thick enough to be subtle. The Oasis knows that the bacon plays second fiddle to egg on an egg burger. In fact, I’d learn, all their ingredients are locally purchased, and their hamburger comes from Zup’s in Cook. That thick, hand-formed patty was cooked perfectly through, showing definite skill on the grill. The no-filler hamburger provided a perfect textural counterpoint to the egg. Just as the gooey egg slides down your throat, the pepper jack cheese announces itself. Real pepper jack is featured here, not that tamed down deli slice you find on meat and cheese platters. This stuff’s warm enough that even my ghost-pepper-seasoned mouth could enjoy the sizzle, though not enough to make an amateur sweat.

Oasis has your regular domestic tappers, and I was impressed to hear how willing they were to order new liquors. They had a bottle of 2 Gingers ordered on customer request, so Deuce (being the whiskey hound he has become) got to enjoy that. I think another bottle – Wild Turkey honey perhaps – was special ordered for another customer, and Shoppa helped polish that off. It’s good to see a bar willing to cater to their customers like that.

The burger and 2 beers was $12.75 (though ordering with fries would probably be a buck or more).

All in all, I promised Megan and the Oasis a positive review, and I believe they earned it. Not many bars my 9-ball team visits are worthy of it (often time we’re eager to play quick and get the hell out of there), and the Oasis made fans of us all. Between good eats, great company, and an inviting atmosphere, this Oasis proved more than a mirage. I definitely foresee another visit in the near future – and not just because I forgot my credit card there! Next I’ll tackle their “Big O” burger, but for now their egg burger earns high rankings in my book, and will definitely make the list of top burgers in Northern Minnesota.