December 16th, 2022
By Rick Gion
rickgion@gmail.com
You can find all sorts of kitchen gadgets, gizmos and goodies at just about every big-box store these days. Heck, with Amazon, a home cook can become a collector in no time at all. However, it’s much more fun to take a local tour of some of the specialty stores around the area, in search of unique gifts.
Right down the road from my apartment building is the Asian & American Market. This place serves up some of the most unique food items available in the…
November 17th, 2022
By Rick Gion
rickgion@gmail.com
As someone who’s written a lot of feature stories and press releases, it’s tempting to write something cheesy as a lead for this month’s column. But, instead, this column will actually feature cheese and many of the dairy distributors you need to know about in the area.
If you’re interested in exploring the maturing dairy options here in Fargo-Moorhead, there are four locally owned mongers you definitely need to be familiar with.
Known as Fargo’s…
October 20th, 2022
By Rick Gion
rickgion@gmail.com
You’ve probably heard about some of the brewery and winery tours happening around here. But in this column, we’re going to take a tour of many of the locally owned butcher shops.
Let’s start in Dilworth at Butcher Block Meats. This market opened last summer and is located in Dilworth’s hip new area on the east side of town.
Butcher Block offers a variety of freshly cut items including many favorite cuts of beef and pork. They have a large meat case to…
September 14th, 2022
By Rick Gion
rickgion@gmail.com
In this land of hotdish and ham, it used to be a real pain to find something satisfyingly spicy in the Fargo-Moorhead area.
Thankfully, there’s a much different menu here these days. So give a muchas gracias to the following establishments for greatly improving the scene.
Let’s start with El Vaqueros, which is a restaurant that opened for business a short…
August 17th, 2022
By Rick Gion
rickgion@gmail.com
It’s Mick’s Office vs. Vic’s Lounge for best beef over in spud town. How will these fierce competitors stack up, and which will come out on top?
Because it’s legendary, let’s start with Mick’s. On weekends, this college bar is home to many Concordia and Minnesota State University Moorhead students. I’d guess that the amount of burgers…
July 20th, 2022
By Rick Gion
rickgion@gmail.com
While the Fargo-Moorhead area offers many great things to dine on these days, there are some hopeful establishments that would make for big improvements to the local food scene here.
The first restaurant on my wish list is a full-on Korean restaurant. You may have heard of some of the Korean barbeque places around town, and that’s all fine and dandy. I do love good bulgogi and kalbi. It’s delicious.
What I’m talking about is a restaurant where meals are…
June 16th, 2022
By Rick Gion
Photos by Rick Gion
Some people say that a pizza tastes better if you cut it in squares. And, the main event in this food battle features Fargo-Moorhead’s favorite thin-crust squared circles.
Judging a competition between Duane’s House of Pizza and Sammy’s Pizza and Restaurant is not easy. It’s a high-level affair. Did you know that both places are favorites of former U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan?
The good senator likes his thin-crust pies well done with…
May 18th, 2022
By Rick Gion
Photo by Rick Gion
As you may have read, the Hotel Donaldson and the Hodo Lounge are transitioning to the ownership group that runs the Blarney Stone Irish Pubs in North Dakota. Although feelings seem to be mixed about this move, it’ll be good to see the iconic Downtown Fargo building alive again.
I’m not going to share any overly strong opinions in this column regarding the sale. I’m just going to write about some history, reflect on personal…
April 21st, 2022
By Rick Gion
rickgion@gmail.com
Egg bake is about as North Dakota as knoephla soup. You betcha! Two local breakfast bests serve different versions of this dish. Let’s taste which restaurant’s bake is the most eggcellent.
Bernbaum’s
On the menu, it’s labeled as the “daily egg bake” here, and to regulars, it’s called “egg of the day.”
Bernbaum’s egg bake is similar to a crustless quiche. It has a custardy texture that’s achieved by adding cream to the eggs and cooked at…
March 16th, 2022
By Olivia Slyter
A movement is currently circulating around North Dakota to provide locally-raised beef in ND school lunches.
The movement was initiated by the Independent Beef Association of North Dakota (I-BAND) wondering how to go about donating and/or selling local beef to ND public schools. The main purpose of the movement is to create a sense of community pride. Deborah Egeland, Assistant Director of the Child Nutrition Programs in the North Dakota Department of…
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By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Fargo Park District will host the Kids Triathlon on Wednesday, July 9, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event will be held at Madison Park and Bicycle Playground, located at 3010 11th Avenue N.…
Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…
June 21, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.Fargo Theatre, 314 Broadway N., Fargo“We Watch Shudder,” Fargo’s favorite horror podcasters, bring on the darkness during the longest day of the year. The Darkest Day of Horror Film Festival features…
Fighting the good fightBy Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com Over two thousand rallies took place nationwide June 14 as part of the “No Kings" protest. Ten of those protests were held in North Dakota, with thousands in attendance.…
By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWhy doesn’t the world require politicians to leave office at 60?Most of the leaders of countries, whether gods, fascists, democrats or socialists, are not doing very well these days. David Van…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…
By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com The weather warmed up quickly here in the upper Midwest this spring, sparking prime eating season. This means burger battles, food trucks and lake-season food travel. The 2025 Downtown Fargo Burger…
By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…
By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Filmmaker Matt Wolf, whose lovely “Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell” suggests he would be the perfect director to construct the definitive biographical account of the wholly…
By Deb Wallworkdwallwork@icloud.comI first met Catherine Mulligan at a party at her house. It was a small gathering, spontaneous, just a few people over for dinner. Directed toward a stack of plates and bowls and a big pot warming…
North Dakota play about mental health launches Midwest tour in AugustBy Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.com A new one-act play inspired by patients buried in the Old Cemetery at the Jamestown State Hospital will tour festivals in…
By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…
By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…
The drug that keeps re-purposing itselfBy Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There is a drug that is getting a lot of attention nowadays all over the world. It has various commercial names (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus), but…
By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…
By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…
