There are plenty of pluses at Stormy Sledster’s. The women’s restroom is large and attractive, but it’s a one-at-a-time kind of place. Servers wear coordinated uniforms and look professional.
On the minus side, although the smoking area is toward the back, it is not separated from the nonsmoking area in the front. Unless you ask, it might take a while to get your check. The menu says soup is served with a breadstick, but on one occasion I got crackers.
Flashy Cooks, 13 Sauces Await Mongolian Grill Diners
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OCTOBER 15, 2003
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Sheila Jerik (SJ) and her daughter April Wicks (AW) invited me to join them for lunch when I was standing in line in the new Mongolian Grill near Super One—at 2791 32nd Ave. S. We had our choice of three sizes of bowls called Little Khan ($4.75), Mighty Khan ($5.75) and Barbarian ($6.75). There’s also a Kid’s Khan for children younger than 10 ($2.75).
Then we moved down a line of pea pods and freshly cut vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers. There were noodles, seafood and thinly sliced chicken, beef and pork. I noticed peanuts, water chestnuts, pineapple, celery, carrots, zucchini, onion greens, tomato, hot peppers. So many choices.
After all of the choices, you find 13 sauces and select what you want to enhance your food when it goes on the grill. You can choose curry, garlic, oyster, Mongolian, barbecue, sweet and sour, lemon, orange, hot red. If you need help, you can follow one of the Mongolian Grill recipes.
Then the fun begins. You watch the chefs cook your meal on the large, gas-fired grill. There are three or four chefs on duty at mealtimes wearing dark green shirts that say “Wok this way” on the back. The chefs use long sticks to stir your meal and cook it for you. And they do it with a flourish as they fill a bowl half full and raise it behind them and then flip all around without spilling a dab. Then they finish filling the bowl.
You take your bowl to your booth or table, where you find a soup of the day and a bowl of rice. Beverages are extra, but SJ and AW and I found a glass of ice water awaiting us. SJ and AW asked for chopsticks, so I followed suit. I like to try to eat with chopsticks.
As we ate, AW commented on the nice presentation by the chefs. SJ called the Mongolian Grill meal “satisfying food.” I agreed. I had selected the vegetables and meat I wanted and was enjoying it. I also enjoyed the rice and the egg flower soup.
Later, I visited with owner Namtrung Nguyen, who came here from Montana to open the Mongolian Grill. After the first three weeks of business, he said it was not going as well here as in the six similar restaurants he owns in Boise, Idaho, and Billings, Mont. However, there seemed to be enthusiasm for the different-style Asian restaurant among the people who were coming in. And they were going out and spreading the word. Nguyen said he came here because he was encouraged by people from this area to open a business here. He wants people to come in and appreciate the open kitchen and the smell of fresh food that is cut twice daily.
His philosophy is that the customer pays only for what he eats by choosing from three different-sized bowls. Boxes are available to take leftovers home. The soup is different from day to day. It may be egg flower, Mongolian rice, seafood, hot and sour or vegetable noodle.
I like the Mongolian Grill because it is possible to pick up a healthful meal. The customer is in charge of what is going into the bowl. There is no monosodium glutamate used, Nguyen said. The only drawback is that it is confusing to understand what you are doing the first time through. The second trip is probably a breeze. You can follow the recommendations for sauces to create hot, medium or mild food.
“Expect Something Different” When You Go to Mamaz
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DECEMBER 31, 2003
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Count me among the curious who have gone to Mamaz on Demers Avenue in East Grand Forks to see what it’s like. After all, it’s a new restaurant in a familiar location, and it has a motto, “Expect something different.”
The evening meal I had there with Katy Mullen (KM) on Dec. 18 was different, all right. On the advice of Maria, the waitress wearing a Santa Claus hat, we ordered the special of the day—Indian Taco ($6.99).
“We sell a lot of these,” said Maria, as she brought us each a huge plate with mounds of chopped lettuce. She told us that Thursday was the day for Native American specials. Our entree was grounded with fry bread. On top of it, there was ground beef, diced tomato, onion and chili and grated cheese. To go on top, Maria left little packets of sour cream and taco sauce.
It was good eating and provided a lot of chewing, which I like. I was full by the time I got to the fry bread. But I tasted the fry bread and enjoyed it.
We looked around the restaurant that was formerly an Irish pub and before that an Italian restaurant. Now the decor centers on huge prints along the walls of wolves, panthers, cougars, zebras, leopards. That’s because Rachelle Weiss, the owner of Mamaz, likes wildlife. The restaurant has red, white and blue hanging lamps. It is divided into different areas for smoking and nonsmoking guests. Some of the divisions are created with brick archways and brick walls that seem appropriate for the theme of Mamaz. This is a place where you can buy dream catchers and earrings.
The Indian taco was different and good enough, but it would not draw me back. However, we returned to the restaurant for brunch on a Saturday in December, and I left with a feeling I would go back for breakfast—which is served all day. I ordered the first item on the breakfast menu—three pieces of bacon, two eggs and toast ($4.25). Coffee, which was good, is $1.25. The bacon was thick and done to perfection. It was crisp and free of grease. The toast was good.
I asked for my eggs scrambled. And scrambled they were—to perfection. All too often in restaurants, I am disappointed when I order scrambled eggs and get an egg pancake made from eggs that are mixed up ahead of time and waiting in a pitcher to be poured out and fried. You could tell these eggs were scrambled to order. They were fluffy and hot from the stove.
I was so intent on eating my scrambled eggs it took me a while to notice the breakfast pizza KM had ordered. This is a delightful concoction of eggs and nice melted cheese with a choice of sausage, ham or bacon—or all three—all on a crispy tortilla base. The breakfast pizza was nicely served on a plate with a twisted slice of orange as an appealing garnish. The pizza comes with another plate of hash browns and toast. All in all, a meal huge enough to satisfy your hunger for a week.
Mamaz has a complete breakfast menu and a lunch menu with burgers and sandwiches. The prices include french fries or potato chips. The dinner menu ranges from ribeye and sirloin steaks at $10.99 and $11.99, respectively, to chicken drummies for $6.75. Barbecued ribs are $8.99 and pork chop dinner is $8.25.
Weiss, the owner of Mamaz, has been asking opinions of her customers since opening her restaurant in November in East Grand Forks. She grew up near Mahnomen, Minn., and has had restaurant experience in Las Vegas. She promises there will be surprises as Mamaz gets established.
She has applied for a liquor and wine license. And she said Dec. 20 she was in the process of getting the paperwork taken care of and that she believed the license would help sales.
Besides the Native American foods on special Thursday, Mamaz features American, Mexican and Italian foods on other days. Weiss says she has Native American people who make the fry bread for her Thursdays, and people asking for it every day.
Mamaz is no longer in business.
Sarello’s Calls with Curried Sea Scallops, Lobster Ravioli
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NOVEMBER 10, 2004
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We ordered curried sea scallops for an appetizer, and they were the best I ever have eaten. We were in Sarello’s Restaurant and Wine Lounge, which seems cleverly hidden at 28 Center Mall Ave., in Moorhead. That’s right near Herberger’s in the Moorhead Mall.
The sea scallops were very white, very moist and very tender. They came in a spicy red curry broth with fresh basil and broccolini. My daughter Gail (DG) and I spl
it the appetizer ($9), and our waitress, Tara, brought two serving plates without being asked.
I had a feeling of accomplishment as we settled into a table covered with a white cloth and large crisp white napkins on a recent Saturday evening. I had heard of Sarello’s and been told it had the best food in Fargo-Moorhead. You have to reserve early. They serve dinner from 5 to 10 P.M., but they serve lunch only once a week, on Fridays.
Our reservation was for 6:30 P.M. We were served in the main dining room, which is small and intimate and rather quiet. There is enough space between the tables so that you can carry on a private conversation. Although it has an Italian flavor, the restaurant describes itself as “Contemporary Dining” on the front window. The place is rather understated. It’s nice without chandeliers and brass railings. It has a wine wall in the dining room. It is my kind of place!
The menu is a la carte. We skipped soup and salad, intending to concentrate on our entrees. DG ordered grilled salmon fillet with a honey soy beurre blanc sauce, Asian noodles and sugar snap peas ($17). She found the peas were crisp and nicely flavored. I ordered lobster ravioli with asparagus and shiitake mushrooms ($17). Every bite was tantalizing. Portions are adequate, not enormous. There are 10 entrees on the menu ranging in price from $16 for peppercorn pork chop with potatoes au gratin and asparagus to $28 for filet mignon with whipped potatoes and asparagus.
Service was impeccable. Tara told us in detail about the menu. I appreciated the fact that she also told us the cost of each entree she described. She was professional, pleasant, and not intrusive by repeatedly asking, “How is everything?” She just made sure everything was right.
I noticed Tony Sarello, the owner, around the rooms all of the time. And I thought how important it is to have the proprietor on the premises and visible. He, too, was friendly and professional in a business suit. There seemed to be a rapport between the staff and customers and several of the customers knew each other.
Anthony “Tony” Sarello told me later in a phone conversation that he originally was from Toronto. He and his wife, Sarah, met while working on a cruise ship. That also is where they met their chef, Christian D’Agostino. Since Sarah originally was from Fargo, they decided to open their restaurant in the area four years ago in December.
Sarello’s desserts are flourless chocolate torte, banana chocolate chunk bread pudding, gelato, sorbetto, vanilla bean crème brûlée and dolci del giorni (the daily specials). DG ordered a trio of brûlées: vanilla bean, chocolate and caramel—that came in three small custard dishes. Again, Tara brought an extra plate and dessert spoon knowing full well I would be tasting. We finished with coffee.
Our check came to $69.01, and that included two glasses of wine.
Sarello’s is still in business.
Whitey’s Continues to Offer a Fine Dining Experience
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NOVEMBER 24, 2004
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At the grand old age of 79, Whitey’s of East Grand Forks is easily the oldest restaurant in the Grand Forks area. It is, in fact, an institution, having survived since the days of the 1930s, when East Grand Forks was a mecca for bars and nightclubs, and the Flood of 1997, to flourish in the aftermath.
These days, the post-flood Whitey’s sits up the block from its former building but retains most of its distinguishing qualities. The horseshoe bar, built in 1933, was saved from the floodwaters. The glass blocks are there. The very feel of Whitey’s is there.
And lately, longtime staff members are wearing smiles. They say business has been good, and the Canadians are coming back again. They get calls for reservations when there are hockey games on weekends. They run a bus to Ralph Engelstad Arena.
The carefree ambience of Whitey’s continues along with a couple of old trademarks on the menu—although the restaurant adds items right along to keep up with the times.
I made a lunch visit there on a Tuesday in November, since pan-fried chicken livers ($6.29) are one of the features on Whitey’s luncheon menu. I can think back 30 or 40 years and remember ordering chicken livers when we would go out to dinner at Whitey’s. And they are as good as ever, whether you eat them at noon or in the evening from the dinner menu ($8.99).
The chicken livers, which are marinated in a butter-wine sauce before being pan-fried, are plentiful. With them, at lunchtime, you get a very good, fresh poppy-seed hard roll and butter and your choice of potatoes or vegetables. Mine was an attractive plate of vegetables. I ended up taking half of the liver home for a second meal.
I went back on a Sunday to try another Whitey’s classic—mushrooms and asparagus tips over toast topped with melted Swiss cheese. This was $6.99 on the Sunday brunch menu. With it, I had a choice of soup or salad and took the ham and bean soup. I was brunching with Katie Mullen David (KMD), and I think she made an even better choice of French onion soup and a half of a fried Canadian walleye sandwich ($5.49). For some reason, I always think the people I am eating with make better choices.
KMD noticed an interesting wrap sandwich on the menu, but dismissed it saying, “You can get wraps anywhere. The walleye is good in Whitey’s.”
And it’s true. When you are in Whitey’s, it is well to “do” the Whitey’s specials. June Miron, who served my chicken livers, says, “Whitey’s has the best shrimp, prime rib and steak in town.” She also is proud of the chicken liver pâté. June is one of the core members of the staff who have spent decades working at Whitey’s. Lolly Metcalf has been there even longer.
June started in the 1960s, and has been there off and on ever since. She remembers giving the late Whitey Larson rides home. And she helped train Greg Stennes, who now is general manager and owner along with Lyle Gerzewski and Alice Davis.
With its longevity, Whitey’s has the distinction of being a meeting place for people who come back to town. In its recreation, Whitey’s is a sports bar where people gather.
Among the things I like about Whitey’s is the Canadian flag that hangs behind the bar. I like the nicely starched, brilliantly white napkins. I like the narrow shape and the thin glass in the drinking glasses. I like the fact that the staff wears white and black. Usually, the service is good. Sometimes, it is slow—as it was on a recent Sunday. But the staff always is courteous.
You can still walk into Whitey’s and circle the bar to find your friends. The booths around the perimeter provide a bit of privacy. The dining room with a wall of windows looking out on DeMers Avenue usually is filled first, and it is a pleasant area for lunch or dinner.
City’s Only Japanese Restaurant Doubles Size in New Site
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DECEMBER 8, 2004
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A cheery waitress, Christian Baker, welcomed me to Kon Nechi Wa’s in its new location, near Menards, on a recent Sunday afternoon. As I puzzled over the menu, she explained that sushi is the rice, sashimi is raw fish and calamari is squid.
This I know, but this I forget. It isn’t often I visit a Japanese restaurant.
It’s pleasing to see this one faring well in a new location that has double the space of its former location, in the Grand Cities Mall. Kon Nechi Wa’s (which means good afternoon) is a unique, appealing place. It now has three small rooms, in traditional Japanese style, that are semiprivate, with half-length curtains. Instead of seating on the floor with space for feet in a pit below, Kon Nechi Wa’s has tatami mat seats of regular chair height for Westerners, with cushions for comfort. It provides an opportunity to experience fairly authentic Japanese dining.
The menu features a daily special of chicken or beef fried rice, an egg roll and beverage ($4.95). There are appetizers, teriyaki stir-fried meals ranging from $6.95 to $9. Soups, fried rice and sushi are offered in a variety of combinations. The rice is prepared each day, and sushi is made to order. Some customers ask for no monosodium glutamate. Others ask for ingredients in a wheat-free diet. Sachi MacGregor, owner and head chef, is willing and eager to accommodate.
My choice was a skewer of five coconut-breaded shrimp ($3.75
) and a pork egg roll ($2) from the appetizer menu. That tasted so good, I asked for an order of smoked salmon sushi to take home ($8). It came with a touch of wasabi (you have to go easy on that green hot horseradish) and some ginger. The food, especially the sushi, was excellent and a pleasing departure from the routine. It was well presented and inviting. It left me thinking I ought to pick this up more often.
I like the freshly prepared food in Kon Nechi Wa’s and the variety of choices. I like the fish-shaped pottery plate on which the shrimp was served and the matching plate for the egg roll. I don’t care much for the plastic glasses that say Coca-Cola, but they are new and shiny.
It’s also nice that there are disposable chopsticks on each table, as well as sweet-and-sour sauce in mild and sharp versions. Somehow, Japanese food tastes better to me if I use chopsticks—albeit clumsily.
Soft background music would be nice. As it was, there was only the sound of a compressor while I was eating.
Great Wall Offers More than 100 Choices on a Vast Buffet
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MAY 11, 2005
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A dab of fried rice, a piece of salmon, an egg roll. Skip the chicken on a stick. Take some lo mein (soft noodles). Take some mixed vegetables with garlic sauce. Oh, oops, here are some American foods. I can’t pass up green olives. Oh my, here is some imitation crab salad. I need a little of that. And maybe a little vegetable egg foo yong.
Grand Forks: A History of American Dining in 128 Reviews Page 17