It’s innovative. It’s historical. It’s Austin.

For 70 years, the Tender Maid has provided its infamous loose- meat, secret-recipe burgers to patrons as close as downtown businesses and as far as the Philippines.

Its special quality is not doubted by visitors and owners Sara and Gary White; the White’s haven’t yet strayed from the ingredient blueprint designed by the 1938 Tender Maid founders Mildred and Jerry Thatcher.

And now it has gained state recognition.

In the July 2008 edition of Minnesota Monthly, nationally-acclaimed food critic Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl proclaimed the restaurant’s original burger, adorned only with ketchup, mustard, pickles, onion and cheese, the 14th-best burger statewide to grace tastebuds.

“How does that loose-meat burger taste?” Grumdahl writes in the article, titled “Burger Kings.” “Good. Iconic. A little meaty. A little sweet. A little salty. It’s not the best thing I’ve ever eaten, but it’s quite likely the most American. The most Minnesotan. The most Minnesotan-American edible icon we have. In short, it’s something you should experience before you die.”

Wow.

“It’s like Gary’s dream magnified ten-fold,” Sara said.

“This is also a great tribute to Mildred and Jerry Thatcher, because there’s really isn’t anything to it,” she added. “And we’re so proud to carry their legacy, the tradition they started.”

The Whites say they had no idea the food critic visited their store until receiving notice of the award from Minnesota Monthly about six weeks ago. According to Grumdahl, she visited dozens of restaurants, covered hundreds of miles and consumed thousands of calories to determine Minnesota’s 18 best, which were determined through a “methodology,” or formula, based on flavor, texture, condiments, ambiance, side orders and “ultra-Minnesotaness.” The top score: 50 points.

The Tender Maid earned a 32, and Grumdahl encouraged one to eat it with the signature spoon.

“When else in life are you going to get the chance to eat a burger with a spoon?” she wrote.

The White’s bought the restaurant, located at 21 Fourth Ave. N.E., in 1997, and, according to their guest books, have since been frequented by people from all 50 states and eight countries.

“And really the word has traveled all over the country,” Gary said. “People come from all over to eat here.”

Sara recalls one New York family that arrives annually to fill a cooler with fully-prepared burgers — 35 to 50 total, depending on the fit — to return and freeze in their home state.

“We have such loyal and generally wonderful customers,” Sara said.

The couple can’t remember winning such an honor at any level before, though they say their iconic local status and customer compliments are the default awards they earn daily.

The burger, which has been adapted to include assortments of bacon, cheese, barbecue sauce, jalapenos and more, is now a state and federal trademark, making it the sole property of the Tender Maid.

“It’s our burger,” Sara said, adding that the steam preparation not only makes it tasty, but one of the healthiest on the market.

Rochester-based Newt’s was the only other in southern Minnesota to make the top 18; it placed 16th. Most others were concentrated in the metro area.

The magazine has already hit newsstands.