William's, Blue Door Pub: 5 great peanut dishes (could they soon be allergy free?)

By Phoebe Larson Wed., Jun. 16 2010 at 10:00 AM

Categories: Stuff We Like

Photo by: Jack Dykinga

Great news for the 1.3 percent of the population allergic to peanuts: At a recent conference in London, USDA research scientist Soheila Maleki announced that her team is close to developing a hypoallergenic peanut. The scientists discovered that nuts with certain genetic mutations were lacking in a major allergen. Through conventional breeding, they hope to develop a peanut that can be enjoyed by all.

In honor of the forthcoming universal peanut, we thought we'd give a shout-out to some of our favorite peanut-related dishes in the Twin Cities:

Supatra's Peanut Curry Sauce: Tucked away on St. Paul's West Seventh Street, Supatra's serves some of the best Thai food in the Cities. Peanut fans will love the peanut curry stir-fry: peanut curry sauce, coconut milk, and your choice of meat served over steamed spinach. It's like melted peanut butter with a bite. For a crunchy, peanuty appetizer, try the Thai peanuts: skin-on and deep-fried.

Blue Door Pub's Jiffy Burger: Peanut butter and beef--it's the best thing since, well, peanut butter and jelly. This burger is nothing short of amazing. Peanut butter, mayo, pepperjack cheese, and a few pickles. On paper it seems like a waste of a good burger, but the combination of rich beef and creamy peanut butter, punctuated by the zip of the pepperjack and pickles, makes it a new American classic.

Cheeky Monkey's Peanut Butter and Banana Pressed Sandwich: Sometimes, after a hard day, you just need a PB and banana sami. Granted, you can probably make eight pressed PB and banana sandwiches in your George Foreman for the cost of one ($5) here, but there's something more comforting about being served your comfort food. Plus Cheeky Monkey's version comes in a little basket with chips and a pickle.

Cupcake's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake: Sure you could have a peanut butter cookie or a handful of Peanut M&Ms, but why not go the distance? Cupcake's chocolate peanut butter cupcake is a moist chocolate cake topped with billowy pillows of peanut butter frosting, garnished with a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. We ask you, is there a better use of the peanut?

William's Peanut Bar: We can't talk about peanuts without mentioning William's. And you know what we mean. In your younger, drunker, frattier days, you were often at William's, sucking back liters of Mich Golden Light and trying to get lucky. We pity anyone who hasn't experienced it.