It’s hard to understate how difficult it is to do what Burley and Shimp do—concept restaurants more for customers than critics, while moving from success to success with nary a clunker in the bunch. Whether it’s the State Fair’s wildly popular Blue Barn or taking a failed restaurant location in downtown Minneapolis’ financial district and turning it into the jumping Mercury, these two know their customers and what the Twin Cities customer is looking for. The common denominator is a customer-centric approach and concepts that feel right for where they are.