I stepped up to the counter last Wednesday and asked for the luncheon combination of a half sandwich and soup. I chose vegetable soup over the cauliflower. And I asked for turkey and Swiss cheese on my sandwich.
The soup was too salty for my taste, but it was pretty good. The chunk of meat I found in it was large. Very large. But it was lean and tender. The sandwich more than made up for any shortcomings of the soup. The turkey was lean and plentiful; the wheat bread was soft and fresh. And there was plenty of lettuce shredded the way I like it on a sandwich.
Norma’s House of Goodies is a comfortable stop. There’s enough space so that you usually can find a place to sit. The windows have an inviting seasonal theme. Right now, there’s a beach with a lawn chair, a beach ball and some ducks.
Norma Kinney, owner and manager, said she likes to do special windows. But mostly she likes to bake. That’s why she bought the little cafe last November when she found out Mickey Darbyshire was willing to sell. Darbyshire had opened the House of Goodies in 1985 and established a pretty good reputation for baked goods. She also established the House of Goodies as “the home of the monster cookie.” Norma Kenny and her husband, Earl, are carrying on in the same manner.
The Kinneys are on the job early each morning. He helps out as much as he can before he goes to his regular job with Price King Car Rental and Limousine Service. She just keeps baking. Last Wednesday, for instance, she made apple and blueberry and coconut cream and lemon pies and cream puffs before most of us were out of bed. She also baked cookies she had mixed up the day before. On Saturdays, the Kinneys make old-fashioned cut-out doughnuts, which they sell for 15 cents apiece, or two for 25 cents.
Norma got her start in the restaurant business by working as a waitress. She learned a lot about baking from her mother, Geraldine Braaten of Manvel, N.D., who she says is considered a good cook. At least, that’s what everyone says.
The Kinneys also make their home in Manvel. They have three children who make quick work of any baking she does at home. At the House of Goodies, she doesn’t count the customers. She counts sacks of flour and sugar. She figures she goes through at least 50 pounds of sugar and flour a week. And in the fall, she says, you can double that amount.
About half of her business comes from people who work in the downtown area and stop by for orders they take with them. Although the cafe opens at 8 A.M. she finds she has regulars stopping by before that. They come early for coffee and rolls.
City Center Mall was destroyed by the Red River flood of 1997.
Bronze Boot Expands Its Dining Area, Shrinks Lounge
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JULY 19, 1989
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It’s business as usual as the Bronze Boot gets a facelift this summer. The supper club on Highway 81-N is getting a new entry, a larger dining area and a smaller lounge. Darcy Fonder, the owner, figures he will have $175,000 into the remodeling by the time it’s completed in another week or so. But, he figures, it’s a sign of the times. People are drinking less and eating more.
Constant Companion and I went to the Boot for dinner on a Saturday in July with Stan and Gladys Hendrickson (SH and GH), friends who spend more time in Arizona now than they do in Grand Forks. They come back to visit family and friends in the summertime.
SH didn’t even have to look at the menu. He said, “I always have walleye when I come to the Boot.” I followed suit and asked for broiled walleye, which was perfectly seasoned and had just enough sliced almonds to give it texture and add interest. It was, indeed, a rare treat.
GH ordered a prime rib sandwich, which she said was delicious. “Just the right amount to eat.”
Constant Companion ordered a tenderloin sandwich. His comment: “Very good.”
The Bronze Boot is one of those tried and true places you can always depend on. Our waitress was Trudy, who worked 18 years at the Elks Club’s restaurant before it closed. Now she loves seeing her friends at the Boot, and she was in an extra-good mood because she was about to embark on a trip with her daughter to her native land of West Germany.
Dinner is rather dressy at the Boot. We had a white cloth on the table, a slice of lemon in our carafe of ice water and the servers were wearing black suits and ties with white blouses or shirts. The ambience is friendly and informal.
Lunch at the Boot is a bargain, and less dressy than dinner. And there’s an interesting mix of workmen, farmers, businesspeople and family groups. You can go through the chuck wagon line between 11:30 A.M. and 1 P.M., for $4, including your beverage. First, there are meats. Last Tuesday, we found lean roast beef, fried chicken, meatballs, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy in the hot food sections. We moved on to an array of pasta salads and coleslaw. Beyond that, there was a good selection of fruit and rolls and butter. Iced tea, which is often watery in restaurants, has good personality here.
The Bronze Boot was opened by a group of businessmen and later operated by Leo Wong; Darcy Fonder took over from Wong in 1962. That accounts for the special Cantonese menu at the Bronze Boot, which Fonder said he still makes.
Taco Bell Is Like a Cool Pastel Oasis on a Hot Day
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AUGUST 2, 1989
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It looked like a traffic accident waiting to happen.
There were too many cars around, and too many people standing in line, the first time we went over to check out the new Taco Bell on South Washington Street. It opened in June, and I waited until things sort of shook down.
Now, it’s relatively easy to get into Taco Bell. From the parking lot, you notice the sign, “49 cents original tacos every day.” You see an ad for a free Batman cup with purchase of a 32-ounce drink.
The menu board lists tacos and tostadas, fajitas, burritos and enchiladas. Then, there are specialties such as the taco salad ($3.19), nachos belgrande ($2.09), Mexican pizza ($1.99), Kids fiesta meal ($1.69) and Meximelt (99 cents).
The first time I ate at Taco Bell, I had a taco light ($1.49) and a cheese tostado (79 cents). I was with Barbara Lander and her granddaughter. We agreed the restaurant seems like a cool oasis on a hot day. It’s decorated in soft pastel tones of peach, lavender, blues and greens. There are artificial cactus and desert flowers and a nice tile floor to carry out the Mexican theme.
On my second visit, with Constant Companion, I asked for the chicken fajita ($1.49) and a bean burrito (79 cents). I liked the fajita and burrito combination better than the taco and cheese tostada. It was more substantial.
I have yet to try the Mexican pizza, but I intend to do that on the recommendation of Marlo Gade. She was eating one the first time I stopped in Taco Bell, and she said it was great. Taco Bell will have a grand opening later on this month, when the drapes are installed.
John Serati, director of franchise operations, is quick to tell you that Taco Bell no longer uses coconut oil for frying. The organization switched to corn oil 18 months ago. He boasts of the real sour cream used at Taco Bell. He said the restaurant “canned” the ranch style dressing that used to add 500 calories to its salads for every three ounces used. And, he says, the restaurants no longer use Yellow Dye 5.
East Side Dairy Queen Offers Soup to Blizzards. Flow of Customers Begins with Early Breakfasts, Ends with Late Evening Snacks.
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AUGUST 16, 1989
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Can a cholesterol-conscious matron from the west side find happiness at the East Side Dairy Queen?
That was the question on my mind when I drove across the Red River of the North last week.
When I got there, I decided I would first have to find a place in the parking lot before I could find happiness inside. Although it was past 1 o’clock in the afternoon, the place still was surrounded by cars.
Once inside, I waited for Constant Companion. As I did, I could see the East Side Dairy Queen does a good business. Not only is it a Dairy Queen outlet, it also is a family restaurant. Beyond the DQ counter, you find a dining room with booths and tables in dark wood and
white walls with brown trim. Desserts and cans of juice twirl around slowly in the display case.
As I waited, I noticed guys with skinny waists drive up in pickup trucks and go away sipping on Dairy Queen treats. There were women and children coming in and out. All sorts of people. When CC arrived, we wondered if we should go up to the counter to order. Then, we could see there were waiters in red vests on duty and menus on each table. We looked over the neat white laminated menu, which has four sections: dinners, sandwiches, breakfasts and Dairy Queen treats.
I ordered a Queen burger ($1.90) and a diet cola, with firm resolve to eat fruit and vegetables the rest of the day. CC ordered the Southern steak sandwich, which is served with mushroom sauce and french fries ($3.30). He doesn’t worry about fruits and vegetables, but lately, I have been trying to convince him he should “strive for five.” That is, eat five fruits and/or vegetables every day.
Our orders didn’t exactly make up a gourmet lunch, but the food was basic and good. While a person doesn’t want to eat burgers and fries every day, it’s fun once in a while. And the East Side Dairy Queen is a good place to go. It also has a variety of dinner choices for $3.90 to $4.20, as well as buckets of chicken to go. It has sandwiches and salads, too.
Breakfast is a big draw, and manager Jerry Qualley says the restaurant is a gathering place for East Siders. “There’s lots of farm trade and lots of business going on here in the mornings,” he says. Qualley and other staff members make some of the pies and rolls. And he’s proud of the soup, called Chef Francisco, which the restaurant buys from suppliers.
Soup and a sandwich for $2.79 is a luncheon special offered between 11 A.M. and 5 P.M. Monday through Friday. Another feature is the 21-shrimp dinner, which the restaurant serves for $4.20. Qualley says the East Side Dairy Queen is different because it has a restaurant that was grandfathered in before franchise holders were required to stick to Dairy Queen products only.
“You don’t find many Dairy Queen restaurants like this,” he says.
Qualley says the Blizzard continues to be a big seller in the Dairy Queen end of the restaurant. This year, the version with frozen Reese’s Pieces is the No. 1 choice of customers. But he says, they still ask for the Peanut Buster Parfait. It was big before the Blizzards hit.
The East Side Dairy Queen continues to operate the attached family restaurant. Marilyn comments that they have retained a “steady following.”
Two Subway Stations Running on Washington Street
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SEPTEMBER 6, 1989
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Grand Forks has two Subways running along Washington Street, and I decided I should get with it and try them out.
I went into the South Washington Street Subway last Wednesday to check it out. I saw my friend Stephanie Brodeur sitting there with her dad, Dave. Stephanie was starting school this week at Sacred Heart, so after talking about that with her, I moseyed up to the counter. It was then I realized that ordering in the Subway calls for decisions, decisions, decisions. After looking over the list of subway sandwiches, I settled on a super club.
Whole wheat or French bread? Six-inch or foot-long? Mayo or mustard? Extra cheese? Vegetables? You want to eat here or is this to go? It took me a while to get with it. I felt like a klutz. Then I realized that all the fixings are free, and you just move along and tell the attendant what you want with it: cheese, onion, lettuce, tomatoes, dill pickles, green peppers, black olives, salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, mustard, mayonnaise, creamy Italian.
Whew!
Now that wasn’t really so hard. Then, when you order your beverage, you just have to specify whether you want a small, medium or large cup. And you can help yourself. When I got my Diet Pepsi and sandwich and napkins and straw, I sat down in a booth and looked around.
Subway is a cheery, yellow place. The booths and the hanging lamps above them are yellow. Along the walls, there are black-and-white reproductions from the New York World, showing scenes from the opening of the New York City subway.
In order to perfect my skill at handling the Subway, I made a second visit on Thursday. This time I went to the Subway at the intersection of North Washington Street and Gateway Drive. Here I found the same decor and the same pattern. I had asked Constant Companion if he wanted to join me, and I felt like an expert as I told him how to order.
After eating a 6-inch sub the first time, I decided to go the salad route Thursday. I ordered a turkey breast salad ($3.39) and CC asked for a 6-inch barbecue beef sub ($2.49). He said it was “kinda good.” My salad was fine. I thought I could do as well at home for less. But the point is, I wouldn’t. I don’t keep shredded lettuce, sliced peppers and tomatoes and black olives all ready to go. Besides, Subway is quick, convenient and fun. It has a following here in Grand Forks. Some customers are card-carrying members of the Subway Sub Club. After they have 11 sandwiches marked off, they are eligible for a free one.
So, who runs Subway anyway, I wondered. I found out the owners are Debbie and Brian Conneran, who are in the process of opening two more Subways in Fargo.
“We’re pioneers,” Debbie said. “We brought the Subway to North Dakota.”
She’s from Florida, and she just loves it here. She says she met Brian in a nightclub in Florida on Feb. 16, 1988. “I took one look at him, and that’s all she wrote,” she says. He is a native of Fishers, Minn., and they were married March 11 of this year in Florida.
“He sent me to Subway School,” she says. For two weeks, she attended classes in the Subway Franchise Headquarters in Milford, Conn. “We had classes all day and got on-the-job training at night,” she says. “It was tough, but if you don’t pass the exam you don’t get the franchise.”
The first Subway started running in Grand Forks more than a year ago, and the second has been running since February. Business is “fabulous,” according to Debbie Conneran. “We couldn’t be happier.”
They get their bread from the franchise headquarters and bake it up fresh every four hours. “It’s always fresh and soft and squishy,” Debbie says.
There are currently ten Subway stores operating in Grand Forks.
If It’s Thursday, It’s German Cuisine at Sanders 1907
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SEPTEMBER 20, 1989
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Sanders 1907 has turned into a bustling place approaching a bistro atmosphere during the past year under sole ownership of Kim Holmes.
Constant Companion (CC) and I went recently for an early dinner with Fanny Gershman (FG).
Our waiter described the German special ($9.50) as stuffed pork with spaetzle and red cabbage. Both CC and I asked for it. FG asked for the walleye. She always eats walleye at Sanders. We were seated in one of the green booths with high backs. A candle was glowing inside a white holder and there was a lace cloth beneath the glass cover on the table.
First came the bread—the same dense, crusty French bread we look forward to at Sanders. CC ordered a Michelob Dry beer. FG and I each ordered a glass of wine. Mine was Merlot, a wine that’s light and a little sweet.
You get a salad with the special dinners at Sanders, whether it’s German on Thursday, Italian on Wednesday or French on Tuesday. The house Greek salad is an entity all in itself, the likes of which you rarely find in restaurants around here. It comes spread out on a glass plate and tossed in an oil dressing. There were two or three different greens, fresh mushrooms slices, thin slices of red onion and a spike of cucumber. On top, a generous sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese. On the side, Greek olives.
Actually, I could have gone away happy after the bread, the wine and the salad. But we forged ahead, which was no problem after we saw our entree. Here we had a thick slice of lean, rolled roast pork stuffed with a mixture of apple, spinach and Gruyère cheese. The spaetzle served with it was miniature dumplings, which had been sautéed in butter. Along with the tangy red cabbage, the spaetzle was a perfect accompaniment for the pork.
Our plates were garnished with thick, perky parsley and a large, elabor
ate radish rose.
While we enjoyed our German fare, FG was focusing her attention on her broiled walleye, new potatoes and broccoli. The walleye was served with a happy face made with a black olive for an eye and thin strips of red pepper for whiskers. These are the kind of special touches that make Sanders a unique place to dine.
We finished our meal by sharing an order of chocolate decadence—one of three glorious desserts on the menu. FG had a cup of Norwegian coffee, which is mixed with a raw egg and poured from a big white enamel “ladies aid” pot. CC and I both asked for cappuccino, because Sanders is one of the rare places where you can find cafe au lait or cappuccino.
We had a chance to visit with Kim Holmes, the owner and head chef, before we hurried away to the preview of The Octette Bridge Club, which now is playing in Fire Hall Theatre. Holmes is a gregarious type and he makes a point of greeting and visiting all of the customers. He likes cooking breakfast and is planning to continue his breakfast club one Sunday morning a month. Sunday breakfasts are $10 and include whatever he fixes—usually cheese blintzes, fruit, eggs and home fries. “I like to have people come in with their newspapers and just relax over breakfast,” Holmes says. “Really, it’s a brunch.”
Crisp Fruit Pizza Pies Call You Back to Happy Joe’s
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NOVEMBER 1, 1989
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It was the fruit pizzas that brought me back.
Constant Companion and I visited Happy Joe’s Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor one day last week to try their Italian luncheon smorgasbord. We found enough there to keep us interested and eating—and full—for the rest of the day.
Grand Forks: A History of American Dining in 128 Reviews Page 5