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…
March 16th, 2022
By Rick Gion
rickgion@gmail.com
They’re slinging skillets at just about every diner around here these days. Let’s take a mosey around town and taste how a few of the local breakfast big guns match up.
First, visit Fargo's Main Avenue Fryn’ Pan. Their new location is very close to the old location. However, the new space doesn’t quite have the feel of the old space. If you’re looking for the classic Fryn’ Pan ambience, you’ll want to head to the Moorhead location off of…
February 23rd, 2022
By Rick Gion
rickgion@gmail.com
It’s the Packers vs. Spartans breakfast battle of two locally established heavyweights. You guessed it: I’m talking about West Fargo’s Deaner’s Diner and North Fargo’s The Shack on Broadway. This is a serious competition so let’s get ready to rumble.
In this debut column, I’ll be comparing just breakfast items: meaty omelets, hashbrowns and pancakes. In a different bout, I’ll maybe do a review of hot beef sandwiches at the two…
December 30th, 2021
By Sarah Wassberg Johnson
sarah@thefoodhistorian.com
It was 1998. I was in the basement of Elim Lutheran Church in Fargo, putting on a white robe and a tinsel crown. The Swedish Cultural Heritage Society of the Red River Valley (which we all just called the Swedish Society) was celebrating another Sankta Lucia Dag. At age 13, I was still one of the attendants to Lucia. There were usually a lot of us girls,…
December 15th, 2021
By Loey Schaefer
loeyanns@outlook.com
Beginning in WWII, Tootsie Rolls were added to field rations because the Candy would hold up in a variety of weather conditions. Thus, this story begins…
In November 1950, during the Korean War, the First Marine Division (10,000 Marines) with elements of two Regimental Combat Teams of the U.S. Army, a Detachment of British Commandos, and some South Korean policemen – for a total of about 15,000 men – faced the Chinese Communist Army’s ten…
October 16th, 2021
By Sabrina Hornung
“If you had talked to me five years ago or even a year ago and told me I was gonna be a chef in Fargo I probably would have looked at you pretty funny. It's wild where food is taking me in life,” said Austin Covert, executive chef of the Rosewild restaurant and the Jasper Hotel's dining services. Chef Covert got his culinary start in Detroit Michigan, but he’s worked at fine dining restaurants in New York, Chicago and now Fargo.
He developed a…
July 14th, 2021
Sabrina Hornung
15 July 2021
With Grand Forks being a hop skip and a cruise away from Fargo-Moorhead, our neighbors to the north have some great dining options. Whether you’re planning on spending a weekend or planning a day trip there are a couple of spots that are worth the drive.
Ely’s Ivy
Ely’s Ivy in Grand Forks boasts “Chef-inspired food and fresh local ingredients,” and it may or may not have one of the best patios I’ve come across in a long time. In fact…
July 13th, 2021
By Jon Wayne
15 July 2021
I first met TJ Edra in 2001 at cooking school in Moorhead. We hit it off immediately and became fast friends, then later roommates at a cool apartment in South Fargo. Most of those summers were spent doing BMX and skateboarding in our neighborhood near Island Park, drinking Old English 40 ounce malt beers and listening to Sublime. Those were some great days I think for both of us.
I was cooking at Hodo, and later at Cajun Cafe. TJ was…
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