Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Pepper’s Sports Cafe: a surprise inside!

All About Food | April 12th, 2017

 The Reuben rolls

It was rumored that Pepper’s Sports Cafe had something new to offer, something smoky and delicious. A tasty delight that could only come from a prolonged cooking process and a diverse knowledge of meat.

The rumors were true, and when I visited on Thursday I experienced a beautiful thing. Well smoked, well prepared, and absolutely fantastic meat!

I arrived on Thursday at about 3:00pm. There were only three people in the restaurant. I quickly found a spot at the bar, and ordered a beer. It was extremely cold and delicious. The cup was frosty, and the bartender Tank was welcoming and sociable.

We began discussing their new smokehouse menu, and it became very apparent to me how much she cared about the food that they are producing. She is one of two people behind the new menu. The other is Stacey Lavelle.

Stacey learned to smoke meat from Dave Newman, an old meat sciences professor at NDSU, and he taught her well. The duo prepares multiple types of meat for multiple menu items, all of which are prepared from scratch, a rare occurrence in the busy restaurant business.

I love ribs, so when I saw a half rack on their menu for a reasonable price, I was inclined to order them. They came with a single side, but I also sprang for an extra side of coleslaw.

Cole slaw is a delicate thing, and it seems that every establishment does it a bit differently. Theirs was fantastic, and it was obvious at first bite that they cared about the side as much as they did the meat. It was creamy and mayonnaise-based. There wasn’t too much sugar or vinegar -- it had a balance that sang Americana, a perfect accent to the main event.

The ribs were fantastic. There is a tendency in smoking meat to overly salt and cure. Pepper’s ribs didn’t follow this trend. The meat was adequately seasoned without being overly sodium-rich. They were meaty, juicy, and had just the right amount of crust from the smoking process. They quite literally fell off the bone, but weren’t an overcooked pile of mush. The ribs were served with a house-made chipotle barbeque sauce that was on point, not too spicy, but with a sufficient kick. I devoured them.

The duo also let me try some of their other creations. The Reuben rolls off the appetizer menu were just as delectable. They are as they sound, a crunchy egg roll-like dish with cheese, sauerkraut, and corned beef inside. The unique part of this dish was that the corned beef was also made in-house with their new smoker, and they were incendiary. Served with their 2510 sauce, which is named after their address on University Drive. They are a definite must-eat when visiting.

Also shared was some of their pastrami. It was so tender and delicious I wanted to eat it until I couldn’t eat anymore. Once again it fought the tendency to be too sodium-rich, but was still ripe with flavor. The brisket used in their smoked French dip followed suit. The au jus sauce paired with it was drinkable.

I’ll be honest, when I entered Pepper’s I didn’t expect this experience to follow. I have been smoking meat myself for multiple years, and I was almost positive that I could do it better, but the knowledge and expertise of the staff proved me wrong.

The hospitality, and frank personalities of the staff were almost as much of a treat as the meat. I truly enjoyed myself and I was treated as if I were family.

The other good news is that you can bring this experience to your own friends and family, as Stacey also caters with their new subsidiary “Hippie Pig” catering. I was amazed as she showed me images of their new smoker, made specifically for the purpose. The thing was freaking huge, and can support an entire pig practically the size of an elephant.

As summer comes they are planning multiple events in the adjoining parking lot and patio. I’m personally excited to eat a smoked turkey leg and drink beer this summer while enjoying tunes outside -- especially because I won’t be the one cooking.

If you have tried Pepper’s in the past and are looking to try their new menu, or if you’ve never been there, check it out. They have beers the size of your head, and their meat will blow your mind.

YOU SHOULD KNOW 

Pepper’s Sports Cafe 2510 University Dr S, Fargo; 701-232-2366 

Mon-Sat, 11:15am-1am; Sun, 11:15am-12am 

Happy hours: 4-6pm, 9-11pm 

Recently in:

By Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.com The business of Indian Hating is a lucrative one. It’s historically been designed to dehumanize Native people so that it’s easier to take their land. ‘Kill the Indian, save the man,”…

By Michael M. Millermichael.miller@ndsu.eduI was pleased to visit with many colleagues and at the Germans from Russia Heritage Society Convention in Mandan in July, and at the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia…

October 4-20, Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.Theatre B, 210 10th St. N in MoorheadThis funny, earnest and hopeful play is a breath of fresh air heading into election season. Playwright Heidi Schreck paid for her…

Happy 30th Birthday HPRBy John Strandjas@hpr1.comThirty years ago some gutsy UND student journalists hanging at Whitey’s in East Grand Forks got enough liquid courage to create their own damn newspaper. Then with drinks raised,…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWhere will the homeless go when billionaires go to their bunkers?Icelanders are living almost on top of volcanos but are cooled by ice, snow, and placid attitudes while hiding a keen sense of…

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 In this land of hotdish and ham, the knoephla soup of German-Russian heritage seems to reign supreme. In my opinion though, the French have the superior soup. With a cheesy top layer, toasted baguette…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.com Like any metropolitan area, Fargo-Moorhead has a plethora of radio stations representing a variety of musical genres and other content. And like any other playing field in the world of…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com Writer-director Nicole Riegel’s sophomore feature “Dandelion” is now playing in theaters following a world premiere at South by Southwest in March. The movie stars KiKi Layne as the…

By HPR Contributorssubmit@hpr1.com They are the inventive, passionate, adaptable, resourceful, sometimes over-enthusiastic, wack-tacular people who create art in our community, and they’re opening their studio doors to you for…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…

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…

By John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…

JANUARY 19, 1967– MARCH 8, 2023 Brittney Leigh Goodman, 56, of Fargo, N.D., passed away unexpectedly at her home on March 8, 2023. Brittney was born January 19, 1967, to Ruth Wilson Pollock and Donald Ray Goodman, in Hardinsburg,…

By Jim Fugliejimfuglie920@gmail.com“The first thing we do is, let’s kill all the lawyers.”You might recall that memorable line, uttered by Dick the Butcher, from perhaps the least memorable of Shakespeare’s plays, “Henry…