February 14th, 2018
“It takes people to step forward. There’s about 25 members in the Robinson Lions Club and we put these events on to keep the town alive,” said Clyde Trautmann as he sipped his drink at Hanson’s Bar.
Trautmann is a Robinson native, Lions Club member, and organizer of their annual fishing derby. He went on to say that the older he got the more community-minded he had become. His father was a Lions charter member in 1975. “We’re just trying to keep a little life in this town…
February 7th, 2018
By Nathan Roy
bardsdream@gmail.com
The sun sticking around longer during the day sure is nice. Brrr is it ever cold though, as we approach midwinter (Spring’s around the corner, y’all). Meanwhile, what better way is there to stave off cold than with a hot meal?
I once saw a film called "The Ramen Girl," starring the late Brittany Murphy and couldn’t stop watching. It portrayed ramen as a metaphor of life. After seeing the film I thought damn it would be cool to have a ramen joint…
January 31st, 2018
When asked what brought the former truck driver and Driscoll native Wendel “Flash” Krous into the bar business he said, “Friends, if you can call ‘em that, they talked me into doin’ it. I bought an old gas station. They used to come down and drink in the shop, where I had my truck. They said you should open a bar and now they all bitch, ‘cause I charge ‘em. Right, Norm?”
Norm -- the unofficial “mayor” grinned as he sipped his beer and said, “Too much!” and the…
January 26th, 2018
Consistently kicking it in all the local polls for “best dessert” and “best bakery” in town, year after year, Nichole’s Fine Pastry is now also becoming a go-to place for delicious and innovative evening meals, with its new Bistro Menu and the mastermind behind the non-dessert menu, Mason Lewis.
In this first in a series highlighting local chefs and cooks, HPR caught up with Fargo native Lewis and chatted about his passion for creating food and particularly his work at…
January 17th, 2018
Do you eat enough vegetables? Almost no one does. The current USDA nutrition guidelines for adults recommend 2.5 to 3 cups of vegetables to be eaten daily. Other nutrition sources indicate this number can be upwards of 6 cups of vegetables daily for optimal health.
This means, at any given meal, half of your plate needs to be vegetables. And vegetables are not to be confused with starches, such as corn and potatoes. Broccoli, cauliflower, celery, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and zucchini…
January 17th, 2018
The night I visited Ashtabula Crossing was the same night as the Winter Solstice. A stark contrast to the blue skies and lush green grass I remembered from summers past. As North Dakotans we can switch from barefootin’ to snowbootin’ in a matter of seasons with little fuss--as long as the fishing is decent.
Despite the layer of snow cover and inches of ice covering the lake, the restaurant is a year-round destination for locals and fishermen alike. “Evenings like this we get a lot…
December 13th, 2017
On the Corner of University and Northern Pacific sits a building that has just been revitalized. Once a horse barn, this large picturesque structure now houses Wild Terra Cider and Brewing. When the new owners Breezee and Ethan found the structure in Downtown Fargo, the inside was “rustic.” The long rehabilitation process has now paid off.
The once dilapidated interior is now a splendor of architectural feats. When people said they were crazy for proposing the remodeling, Breezee and…
November 29th, 2017

GRHC and Prairie Public release documentary and cookbook
The kitchen is often said to be the heart of the home -- in fact, some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned in life were in a kitchen and from a German grandmother. Growing up she taught me a thing or two in the kitchen, never measuring and never missing a beat.
“Gutes Essen” is German for “good eating.” “Gutes Essen-Good eating in German-Russian country” is also the name of Prairie Public’s latest documentary…
November 29th, 2017

There’s a common misconception that all wine gets better with age. And there are lots of cliches and dumb birthday internet memes with Leonardo DiCaprio toasting you with a glass of Champagne saying something along the lines of, “Like a good wine, you’re only getting better with age.”
Um, not true. A good wine? How about a great wine. A freaking amazing one. In fact, would you believe that only 1% of all wines in the world are meant to be aged? Well, believe it, baby.
So, what…
November 24th, 2017

The Stri-King Cafe and Lanes offers coffee, community, and bowling
Photo credit: Sabrina Hornung
Upon entering Stri-King Lanes and Cafe, one is greeted with an air of nostalgia with its midcentury era red vinyl-topped stools lining the breakfast counter, wood paneled walls and no-nonsense decor.
It’s reminiscent of the now rapidly disappearing small town cafes of my youth. The warmth of the AM radio emits classic country songs while three generations of hunters sit in their camouflage…