My Take:

After spending the day with my parents celebrating my mom’s birthday, Jacob and I decided to make a stop at Mary Jane’s in Perryville. We had actually been here a few years ago, but it was before we were really consistent with Burger Bounce, and by the time I went to write about it, I couldn’t remember enough of the details to do it justice. So when the opportunity came to go back, we figured it was time to give Mary Jane’s another try.

The burger menu was a little smaller than I remembered, but there were still plenty of choices. We started with the Spicy Bites… chicken bites tossed in their spicy sauce, and I absolutely loved them. They came with ranch for dipping, but I skipped it. I know ranch is supposed to cool down spicy food, but I’ve never been a huge ranch fan, and I actually think the flavor of ranch takes away from the flavor of the spice. These didn’t need it anyway. They were tender, flavorful, and had just enough heat to make me happy. And we really don’t need an excuse to order something we enjoy!

For my burger, I chose the Jose Jalapeño Griller with the chipotle aioli. It had a great combination of flavors and just enough spice without crossing over into the “I can’t feel my mouth” category. I never had to reach for my water to put out the fire. I paired it with sweet potato fries, which were also really good. Overall, I was very happy with my meal.

But Mary Jane’s was only part of what made this Burger Bounce special. The restaurant sits right on the adorable town square in Perryville, and the whole area has that quintessential small-town feel you might expect to see in an old television show or movie. After lunch, we walked around for a bit and stopped into a bookstore, just enjoying the afternoon. And that’s what I’ll probably remember most about this one. I got to celebrate my mom’s birthday, spend the day with my parents, and then spend even more time with my son. I don’t get to see my parents as often since they moved away, so days like this are especially meaningful to me.

The food was good. The town was charming. The burger was definitely worth the stop. But the company? That’s always my favorite part of Burger Bounce.

Jake’s Take:

We had stopped by Mary Jane’s in Perryville a few years ago, but it never made it into the original run of Burger Bounce. This is mainly due to life getting in the way and our first blog schedule was a bit all over the place. Well, we decided to finally rectify that by stopping out at the city’s main square to grab another bite. Unfortunately, this just had to be the day where my allergies were the worst they had been in a long while. I worked to keep my spirits high and the conversation flowing, but I couldn’t help but feel less than stellar. But hey, I’m at an eatery, and there’s an easy temporary fix for something like this: spicy food! I believe just last month I wrote that I would need to hold off on the spices for a couple of Burger Bounces moving forward, but this was a less-than-standard occasion, after all!

​The first phase came through the appetizer, which this time around were their “Spicy Bites”. Ten pieces of chicken, breaded and dipped in what they called their “house hot”. Surely this would help to clear up my sinuses. Well, that’s certainly what we thought. I don’t know what their “house hot” is, but it tasted much like a milder form of buffalo sauce. It wasn’t all that spicy, but it WAS hot. They had a great deal of that kind of heat; they had just come out of the frier you could tell. I even burnt my mouth on one. Though not in the way that their side of ranch could cure, sad to say. These were perfectly serviceable; the chicken was nice and tender. I was only a tad disappointed with that hot sauce as it didn’t do me a lick of good. So, on to phase two of my plan.

​The two of us could tell that their burger menu had been vastly reduced, or at least revised, since the last time we had been here. This was mainly since I recalled there being a peanut butter and jelly burger on their menu that was no longer present. Maybe a slight rebranding in general, as there were also unfortunate AI pictures on the wall of celebrities wearing merch shirts, which I wasn’t a big fan of. But that’s beside the point. In the way of burgers, they had just what I was looking for. The Jose Jalapeño Griller. An all-beef patty with caramelized onions, jalapeños, pepperjack, and all on toasted sourdough. I went without their aioli, as I tend to do since I don’t really care for it. This was delicious AND made me feel so much better. The spicy was unmatched, and the pepperjack melted just the way I like. So often the cheese is either rigid or goop, but that just-right factor in the middle is what I’m looking for and they certainly delivered. Jalapeños were spicy but seedless, so they weren’t overbearing in their heat. And the patty itself was cooked just right; they hadn’t asked me how I wanted it cooked but it came out medium anyways. That’s my favorite temperature for sure. And you know, the fact that I left that place with clear sinuses and was having a much better time just existing, that’s always a plus!

Well, another Burger Bounce in the books! And another day that reminds me just how much I enjoy and cherish these days with my son.

With love,

Mindy