Grand Forks: A History of American Dining in 128 Reviews

by Marilyn Hagerty

  Service was quick, but we weren’t rushed. Our waitress, Roxi, gave us a chance to visit and study the menu. There was fresh Atlantic salmon, halibut, jumbo shrimp, shrimp David, walleye pike, jumbo sea scallops and Alaska king crab. A section of “Stage Coach Specialties” included center-cut pork chops, pork ribs, teriyaki chicken, tom turkey dinner, ground sirloin steak, veal cutlet, fried chicken and vegetable lasagna.

  Plenty of choices, but my mind was made up before I sat down. I had eyes only for the steaks, and I knew I wanted the 4-ounce tenderloin, which I have eaten before at the Boot. All the steaks are cut in-house. I ordered it medium, and it was excellent, as always. The dinner ($14.25) includes a choice of tomato juice or soup and salad. I had tomato juice and a spinach salad.

  I was eating with Jan and Earl Strinden (JS and ES) and Vonnie Goodman (VG). JS and VG also had the 4-ounce tenderloin, and ES had center-cut pork chops served with applesauce ($12.95).

  We enjoyed the bread basket that came soon after we were seated. We dug under the big white buns on top to get the thin, toasted garlic bread below. We were well pleased with the quality of the food. I thought the spinach salad was especially good with its light dressing that included bacon bits. We reminisced about the early years of the Bronze Boot in Grand Forks. ES was saying, “This is still such a good place to go. The soup is good. The pork chops are good.”

  The Boot is one of my favorite places for dinner because of the steak and seafood. You get a complete meal—and a nutritious meal. I like the cheery ambience and the hustle and bustle on weekends. I also like having a quick burger in the lounge before a hockey game.

  The Boot still serves Pete’s Special, named after the late Pete Smith. It’s a half-pound bacon cheeseburger with fries, soup or salad ($6.75).

  Besides dinners, the Bronze Boot serves a smorgasbord-style lunch on weekdays. Those who want the full buffet with three entrees pay $6.25, and those who want only one entree or meat pay $5.55.

  The Bronze Boot has an area for hanging coats—so important in this climate—and a waiting area at the entryway. Some patrons wait in the lounge, where they also can order food. The place has a classic look and is decorated in tones of deep green and mauve.

  The Bronze Boot closed in May 2012, after Don Shields, director of the Grand Forks Public Health Department, discovered water leaking in several areas of the restaurant. At that time, Shields told the Grand Forks Herald that he hoped the restaurant would be able to reopen. “It’s a long-term Grand Forks institution,” said Shields. “The steaks are great.”

  Capone’s Puts the G in G-Man

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  FEBRUARY 1, 2006

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  When I went to Capone’s for lunch with Vonnie Goodman (VG), we were greeted at the door by a “G-Man,” and welcomed inside Capone’s new restaurant on Gateway Drive by another gunman. By the time we were seated by a young woman wearing flapper dress and lots of beads, we knew we were having fun.

  Capone’s opened on the birthday of Al Capone—Jan. 17—and is currently serving only lunch, with plans to serve multi-course dinners soon.

  I ordered what is called Uncle Bit’s Favorite Italian Beef Sandwich ($8.99), a generous serving of beef cut thin and piled high on Italian bread. It was nicely garnished and finished off with a spring onion on top—a trademark of Chef Liz Stempinski. And since soup is one of her specialties, I ordered a cup of white chili soup and found it up to expectations.

  VG ordered an Italian Trio Salad ($12.99) that came with beef, sausage, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, black olives and parmesan cheese. With it, she had a raspberry vinaigrette that was especially piquant and thicker than most vinaigrettes. This is one of Capone’s signature dishes.

  Lunch choices include pastas and salads. Since we were exploring the menu, we went for desserts, including a mango cheesecake and spumoni.

  Our service was good and fast. VG commented on the food being piping hot. All the while, we were enjoying the music in the background that helped set the scene of a place full of Chicago gunmen.

  Capone’s reflects the thought that has gone into every phase of the ambience and the menu. The restaurant is decorated with authentic family photos, including some of Stempinski’s grandfather, who was a chef in Chicago. On one wall at the rear of the dining room there is a collection of sheet music from the 1920s and 1930s. It adds up to an atmosphere conducive for having fun and eating Italian food.

  The entrees include king crab served with drawn lemon butter on the side ($36.99) and another called Pretty Boy’s Porterhouse, which is a 24-ounce version with crispy roasted red potatoes ($36.99). Then there’s Lucky Luciano’s Chicken, served with asparagus and hollandaise sauce ($29.99). Scallop cakes and pork tenderloin dinners are also on the menu ($32.99). Other entrees are baby back ribs and seafood pasta parmesano ($36.99).

  The restaurant is planning a Valentine dinner, by reservation only, that will feature a reenactment of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre in Chicago.

  Sirloin Tips Top Menu at Al’s Grill

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  MARCH 1, 2006

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  People tend to visit with other people at nearby tables in Al’s Grill on South Washington Street. Herb Seaver of Larimore, N.D., told me he likes everything on the menu—especially the deluxe sirloin tips. Seaver and his wife, Clara Lou, stop in Al’s often, and she orders broiled walleye.

  Al’s Grill is a friendly sort of place that in a year and a half since opening has become a popular spot to eat for people who want good food and no frills at reasonable prices.

  My most recent visit to Al’s Grill was on a Saturday, when I had lunch with Donna McEnroe (DM), Ellen McKinnon (EM) and Donna Gillig (DG). DM ordered a broiled walleye platter ($10.95), which comes with choice of potato, coleslaw and a roll. EM ordered a cup of wild rice soup ($2.25) and a hard roll (35 cents). DG ordered a taco salad ($6.50), and I chose a half Reuben sandwich ($4) with a cup of wild rice soup.

  Our service was good. The food came to the table as it was ready, not all at once, which often means some is cold. The walleye is excellent at Al’s, and DM had a unique serving of whole red potatoes in a white cream sauce. With it, coleslaw with a vinaigrette dressing. That is the way coleslaw should be made.

  When EM’s soup arrived, we found out the hard roll is really soft. It has a quality of the brown-and-serve rolls we used to make at home, but bigger and better. DG’s taco salad was served on a plate big enough to be a platter and was presented with plenty of eye appeal and tostado chips arranged around the edge.

  The Reuben sandwich was one of the best I have eaten in a restaurant. No, make that the best. The corned beef was lean and of good quality, and it was piled thick with just the right amount of sauerkraut. The bread was toasted and had a nice taste of caraway.

  Al’s Grill is basic and unpretentious but still inviting. Among the pluses are the napkins of fairly good quality, the coleslaw and the casual ambience. Among the minuses: It can be cold sitting near the entryway. The silverware is minimal. When I made that comment, one of my friends said, “At least it isn’t plastic.”

  Al’s Grill continues to operate in Grand Forks at 3615 Gateway Drive.

  Toasted Frog Takes Its Place in Downtown

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  JUNE 7, 2006

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  We ordered a side of fiddlehead fern and a side of garlic wasabi mashed potatoes along with a pheasant lavosh. Then, we sat back and studied the Toasted Frog, which has been open slightly more than a month in downtown Grand Forks.

  I was eating out with Katie David (KD), and we agreed the Toasted Frog is indeed a unique place for casual dining—a notch or two above the same old places. It is unique because of the menu that suits the customer who wants a beer and wings as well as those who want a full dinner. And it’s unique because of the artsy, trendy decor.

  And yes, there are frog legs on the menu. They are served with buffalo sauce ($10). There are also sautéed clams, fried oysters and shrimp skewer
s.

  The fiddleheads, not usually found on menus in this area, were excellent. So, too, the mashed potatoes. The pheasant lavosh ($15) with its light cracker crust was delicious. The tender pheasant was enhanced with red onion and roasted red peppers in a light cheese topping. The serving was enough for KD and me, with the leftover portion going home in a takeout box.

  The Toasted Frog also has an open-faced pheasant melt ($10) sandwich. All sandwiches are served with french fries or sweet potato fries. Seven wood-fired pizzas are on the menu, including a Rome Dakota version with olive oil, garlic, basil, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and marinated pheasant.

  The menu, with a frog watermark on each of the two pages, lists fish tacos, lobster tail, walleye fingers, Angus burgers and buffalo wings. It’s not redundant or complicated, and that’s a plus.

  Our server, Laura Holt, made the outing pleasant with her good humor and helpfulness. The staff of 16 seems friendly. They wear khaki trousers and black shirts with Toasted Frog insignias beneath long black aprons tied at the waist. The music was not too loud, but it was enough to mute conversations at nearby tables.

  It seemed the opening of the Toasted Frog was a long time coming. It is good to have the corner of Second Avenue North and North Third Street, which used to house Lola’s, open and busy again. Those who enjoyed Lola’s are finding their way back to the Frog.

  The Toasted Frog retains some of the best features of Lola’s. The bar, designed by David Badman, now is in the rear and faces the open kitchen, where patrons can watch the chefs in white at work. The private dining room still is there. So, too, is the room-sized wine cellar. The bar along the side and the private booths are there. Contemporary artwork enriches the restaurant, and the tiny hanging lamps add a dramatic touch. The old wood floors have been replaced by light wood. There is a certain charm about this old building with its high ceilings and an old brick wall.

  The owners of the Toasted Frog seem pleased with initial response to their business. Both Jon Holth and Shawn Clapp had worked at Sanders 1907 and were involved in operation of the dining room in the restored Hotel Donaldson in downtown Fargo.

  The two have created an inviting, very appealing spot that begins with unusual appetizers and winds up with desserts including a pear pie that is served on a pizza crust and includes caramel sauce over cinnamon ice cream.

  Customers at Toasted Frog must be 21 and older. Smoking is allowed in the restaurant after 9 P.M.

  Dinner at Capone’s: A Rare Seven-Course Production

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  SEPTEMBER 13, 2006

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  These days, restaurants are doing more microwaving and less cooking. So it is good once in a while to find a place where you can have a complete meal served in several courses. And this is what we found on a recent Saturday evening at Capone’s. I was with my daughter Gail (DG), and we enjoyed a leisurely meal served in unhurried courses. I ordered one of the specials for the evening—a combination of grilled shrimp on skewers and a 6-ounce tenderloin. DG ordered Canadian walleye.

  We started with a choice of soups. DG had chicken wild rice soup, which she rated excellent. My sweet potato was some of the best ever. For salads, we had our choice of dressing, with an Italian spring mix salad that was a cut above those usually served. The greens and tomato wedges were fresh. It was not one of those package mixes. And then there was a small loaf of warm rosemary garlic bread served with three dipping sauces. The bread was extra good.

  Next came a lemon sorbet served with a mint leaf . . . to cleanse the palate.

  We were into the meal and enjoying a chance to visit in an unhurried atmosphere. There were several tables of diners. There were lit candles in Chianti wine bottles on each table. The music was soft, and the lights were low. We had our choice of a glass of house wine or other beverage.

  Our main course arrived. DG’s walleye was well-seasoned and had a nice golden crust even though it was broiled. My steak arrived on a bed of wild rice and with two skewers of four grilled shrimp on each. With it was a special mango sauce. We shared the shrimp, which were the highlight of the meal. The steak was good.

  We were fairly well-sated before the dessert arrived, but it was one you could not shove aside. It was a small and wonderful wedge of layered chocolate cake, presented with a small chocolate machine gun and Port wine. I learned later the guns are made from a specially designed mold. And the Port is made by the local Vintner’s Cellar. Our check for the two dinners was $69.53.

  Capone’s opened Jan. 17—Al Capone’s birthday. The gangster theme is carried out in the decor as well as by the style of service and the wording of the menu. Our server used “gangster speak” when she took our order. She said “youse guys” and things such as that. She was wearing clothing from the Capone era, which servers find in a big wardrobe in a back room. They are dressed in characters such as Dora the Doll, singer Vicki Pipes and Jenny Gams, the dancer. Customers are greeted by roaming gangsters shouldering guns, who also help clear tables.

  There was a big bathtub of gurgling “hootch” coming out of a brass still in the entryway. The unusual theme is carried out well and makes Capone’s a fun place. It’s there. You can enjoy it, but it doesn’t overwhelm you.

  Capone’s also serves lunch with excellent soups and unusual sandwiches. The high noon menu features lunches at $5.95 and less. Dinner begins at 5 P.M. and ends at 8:30 or whenever the last customer arrives. It’s closed Sunday and Monday.

  Liz Stempinski, owner and executive chef, says business was superslow this summer. She says it’s picking up with the opening of schools and UND. While the dinner menu is pricey, she points out the several courses and wine included. The menu also features an air-dried and cured beef bresaola and beer or other beverages for two at $29.99. And for $9.99 during dinner hours, Capone’s serves soup, salad and bread with a dipping sauce.

  Along with the pluses, there were a few minuses. The wild rice with the main course seemed overcooked and somewhat soft and mushy. However, the carrots with the entree more than made up for that. The service mostly was good, but we were without forks for our dessert for quite a while. The pluses include the extra care in presentation of each course and the sauces that flow from the kitchen, and an adequate and clean restroom.

  Capone’s closed in 2007 and became the new location of Al’s Grill, still currently in business.

  Golden Corral Buffet and Grill Offers Endless Selections

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  MARCH 28, 2007

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  A man from Red Lake Falls, Minn., sat down at the table next to me in the new Golden Corral Buffet and Grill. He had his plate piled high, and he grinned as he said to his wife, “Too bad I couldn’t find anything I liked.”

  Since the tables are so close together, we struck up a conversation about the seemingly unending array of food in one of the newest and largest eating establishments in Grand Forks. Like the new Texas Roadhouse across 32nd Avenue South, the Golden Corral has been drawing crowds of people wanting to give any new place a try. One day since it opened in February, there were close to 3,000 people in and out.

  The parking lot was almost full when I went in for a late lunch on a Friday. Once inside, I noticed a sign that said, “No checks.” Another sign said, “Please, no sharing.” As you enter the Golden Corral, you are asked what you want to drink. Then you move along and when you pay, your beverage is added to the cost of the buffet.

  After paying, I was seated in one of the four large dining areas and given a card saying Jessica would be serving me. She brought me silverware of decent quality, wrapped in a substantial paper napkin, and a serviceable plastic plate, then turned me loose to visit the huge buffet, which is set up as a market.

  There are separate areas of picnics and salads, soup, Pagoda Far East, fresh-carved meat, a steak dinner buffet, a Brass Bell bakery and dessert cafe.

  The salad bar was the most extensive I have seen for a long time. The food was fresh and inviting, although at the end of a
very busy lunch hour, some of it was a tad messy. I was especially impressed by the freshly cut cantaloupe and the pine nuts among the salad offerings. The cottage cheese was exceptional. And the noodles in the chicken soup were thick and homemade.

  After a salad course, which should have been enough, I went back and tried some very tasty pulled pork with a couple of Brussels sprouts, done just right. Since I saw so many children enjoying soft-serve, I went back for a taste of that. And then I couldn’t resist tasting some blueberry pie. I think I gained 2 pounds.

  It was my good fortune to meet Erin Nagle (EN) in the buffet line. She’s a senior at Red River High School and told me it was her third trip to Golden Corral. She likes the variety and the fact that everything is so fresh. EN goes for the barbecued chicken and the mashed potatoes, which are peeled and cooked and mashed on the premises. She says they taste like the ones her grandmother makes. But “breakfast is the best,” she said.

  Breakfast is $7.39, lunch is $6.99 and dinner is $9.79. You can get buffet to go by the bag for $3.99 a pound. There is a 50-cent lunch and $1 dinner discount for seniors. Kids buffet is $3.97 and $4.99. Seniors who show up for the early bird hours of 1:30 to 3:30 P.M. get a free beverage.

  Golden Corral no longer operates in Grand Forks.

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