Yukon Inn

So my trip through the UP continues with a drive to The Yukon Inn. This place is off of M123 In Paradise, MI. And it is right on the corner of where M123 turns from north to west. I know this because I sailed right past it. And I was looking for it. However if you are in familiar with the area, then you can't miss it. Upon pulling up I quickly realized this would be an experience...I was not wrong. The Yukon Inn has no windows and that will make you think twice being a single black female. Or any single female for that matter. But it was daylight and I like to think people like me until proven wrong. So I ventured in...the inn.


You will now have to forgive the lack of pictures, but there was just no freakin way. There are just some places you don't whip out a camera until you know folks and this was one. I went right up to the bar and sat down, mind you with no bartender in sight. I surveyed the menu and saw my reason for being there. The Yukon Burger. I read the rest, cheeseburger this, mushroom that. But I was there for the Yukon Burger and it was so worth it. The nervousness subsided and I ordered my Yukon Burger and 1919 root beer. I was just chilling there when two guys came in, and sat next to me. This 50-60ish guy wearing a Detroit Lions cap made my day. Dennis and I chatted about the NFL draft our respective teams. Bears, duh. And our mutual hatred of the Packers. Finally my burger arrived.

Oh yea, that's Canadian Bacon.





And a layer of regular bacon under American and Swiss cheese.

My first reaction was that this was not the mammoth burger I was expecting. Especially for $6 with no fries. It was served just how you see it with a tray of condiments (mustard, chopped raw onion, relish, and pickle slices). It needed nothing. I did enjoy a few pickle slices just to take a break from downing this burger. I wanted to savor it, but it was too perfect. I only found one review of this burger, but it was described as cooked to perfection and that was not a lie. Though this is a 1/3 pounder at best, everything is proportional. The meat is not really seasoned but it did not need to be with all that saturated fat on top of it. The patty was juicy and hot as was everything else. Another well executed burger. The cheese, both slices, was melted and the bacon was fresh and crisp. I was amazed how well it worked. In college we used to have the cafeteria grill guys add a piece of ham to our cheeseburgers, but it rarely worked out. The timing has to be right to get good grilled ham that stays hot. The Canadian bacon fit the burger perfectly, the cheese fit perfectly. Take a moment to scroll back up and notice how even the bacon (under the cheese) is not falling off. And the garden variety bun worked because it was not about the bun. You shouldn't even to notice the bun. This burger is about two flavors of cheese, and two cuts of pork on top of a competent beef patty. Eating this burger was a treat of flavor.



My conclusion is that this is a destination burger. I am now hunting for this burger's Chicago cousin. It's expensive but you have to get over that. The beer is cheap. Well at least by Chicago standards. So if you find yourself within 2 maybe 3 hours of the Yukon Inn, go there. Get the Yukon Burger. Leave. Take a walk. Go look at some nature or something. Then go back for a second burger. Seriously, Mackinaw, Cheboygan, even Traverse City, go check it out. Dennis mentioned that 300 or so types/species of birds fly through twice a year. So, if you are into bird watching and burgers, go. The Yukon Burger will not disappoint.

Yukon Inn

8347 N M 123

Paradise, MI 49768

(906) 492-3264

Next weekend I am in Ohio. Then finally the homefront.

Clyde's Drive In

If you know me, you know that I live in Chicago. No where even close to this inaugural burger joint. Once I knew I was headed there for work, I thought why not start this venture asap. So after some research I determined when in Sault Ste. Marie, MI this was a cheeseburger not to miss. I arrived at Clyde's after driving all day to the UP of Michigan. I was there to shoot (photos not guns) at a graduation at Lake Superior State University. Mad luv to them by the way. Good people over there. Now the drive in concept is just about lost on me, being a city kid and all. There was some wandering around by the door looking at the menu wondering just how this was to go down.

Note the "Curb Service" sign

I settled on the Big C Cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and grilled onion. 3/4 pounder for $7.75. I also got fries...I don't know why either. I went back to my car and waited for the 16 year old girl to come and take my order. It was a rainy chilly day and I felt kind of bad for her. Anyway, I placed my order and she soon returned with one of the heaviest bags of I have ever had for just me. After a quick stop for beer (which I should have done first) it was off to the hotel for dinner.


I pulled it out of the bag with anticipation. I need you to grasp the magnitude of this burger. I have had 3/4 pounders before and this was definitely bigger. It looks deceptive from the overhead photo. It was truly amazing though. It was on a massive bun that looked custom built for this burger. It did make me wonder if they use the same bun for the regular burger. This burger took a bit of mental preparation before just diving in. After a few seconds of figuring out how to hold it, I was munching away. This was a well executed burger. All the toppings worked together very well. Most burgers do not succeed with toppings. Sometimes the lettuce is wilted and slides all over, the tomato is mushy, and onion is the worst. I prefer grilled onion and have had some bad ones. They can be too plentiful, not grilled enough, or just too big to name a few issues. These onions were perfect. Right amount, right flavor, and right size. Made me wish I had tried the onion rings because the fries sucked.

Looks like a single patty.

Right about my third or fourth bite I was reveling in how the flavor of this burger was working so nicely for such a huge burger. So I opened it.

Ah ha. Two patties and I'd barely touched the second one. This was not billed as a double burger. This shed light on the bun question and why it was not yet overwhelming. Like I said this burger was very well executed. Not overly seasoned but good meat. Not overly cheesy but a good balance. Not greasy but very moist. I was going strong until the middle of the burger.

The middle was quite overwhelming. And all I had eaten that day was a banana like six hours prior. It is very important to note that this bun held up to the task of holding this beast. Soon after this photo I had to stop. I was not hungry till the burger the next day. See Yukon Inn.

So my overall impression of Clyde's Big C Cheeseburger is try it. This not a destination burger if you need to go more than 30 minutes. But if you find yourself up there try it. If you are in school up there and have limited funds it's not cheap but well worth it. If you scrape up 8 bucks you can either eat it for two days or finish it in one sitting and be full for two days. Please share your comments if you have had one, or recommend something else.

Clyde's Drive-In
1425 Riverside Dr
Sault Ste Marie, MI 49783
(906) 632-2581