While today isn’t exactly a great day to hit up the drive-in, the Kegs in Grand Forks is finally open for the summer.
So hop into your car and head down for some delicious onion rings, sloppy joes and root beer!
Phoenix Wok & Grill, at 2100 S. Columbia Road in Grand Forks, will close its doors this Friday, May 24.
The owners of the Chinese restaurant posted on their Facebook page that their five-year lease is up and this Friday will be their last day in operation.
You can see my review of Phoenix here.
Longtime fans of the place posted their thoughts to the page as well:
“Love you guys!!! Thanks for the amazing 4 and a half years of work!” Danika said.
“I’m going to miss the food, but I’ll never forget the memories made working for you guys!” Kirsten wrote.
“I will miss the times we all shared and the AMAZING food thank you all!” Daniel added.
Phoenix was named last year in the Grand Forks Herald’s People’s Choice contest as the best Asian/Chinese restaurant.
We gather here today to mourn the loss of a great friend.
A friend to some of us more than others. A friend to those of us who, with stomachs rumbling and aching at 1:55 a.m., were sustained by its cheesy gordita crunches or endless hard-shell tacos. Or the chicken burritos, the nachos, the crunchwraps supreme or the Mexican pizzas.
The Taco Bell on 32nd Ave. was laid to rest, at least in our hearts, where it will forever stand tall, even though its Earthly body is no more. All that remains on that hollowed piece of soil north of the Wal-Mart now are tiny remnants: A capped gas line, a weathered parking spot or maybe a long-discarded hot sauce packet.
But nay! Ye shall not mourn long. For soon a newcomer will shine its fluorescent lights bright again! A Panera will come and fill the void that the Bell has left. We all may miss those late night binges of yore, but our sorrows will be placated by bread bowls and healthy salads.
The winter of our discontent has started. But friends, summer and its doughy joys is near.
Intrepid traveler, writer and cook Anthony Bourdain was in Minneapolis this past weekend for a stop on his Guts & Glory tour, along with Minnesota transplant and fellow adventurer Andrew ZImmern.
Zimmern started the wide-ranging discussion Saturday night at the State Theater with a slideshow, asking Bourdain about each image. And one of those images was none other than Grand Forks’ own Marilyn Hagerty.
Bourdain is publishing a compendium of Hagerty’s restaurant reviews, Grand Forks, on August 27.
Bourdain piped up with graciousness about our fair lady and defended her against the “snarkologists” that had a field day after Hagerty’s review of the new Grand Forks Olive Garden went viral.
“I think to see somebody speak in a straightforward, non-ironic way about what they are seeing before them is refreshing. I felt I needed to do something,” Bourdain said on Saturday. Doing something meant publishing her book and sending her to New York to eat in some of the best restaurants in the world (and the Times Square Olive Garden).
“She’s invited me and Anderson (Cooper) to join her bridge club to learn how to play bridge and I would love to take her up on it,” Bourdain said, to which Zimmern replied, “You’re getting older and you should.”
The conversation on Saturday night was often hilarious and wide-ranging, from drug addiction to the woes of network television and to some weird things the two men have eaten. I was glad to have gotten the chance to see them.
But also in attendance was Matt Winjum, co-owner of the Grand Forks and now Fargo pizza empire Rhombus Guys. Winjum had a VIP pass, meaning he got to meet Bourdain and Zimmern after the talk. According to his Twitter account, he floated the idea to at least Bourdain that he should come to Grand Forks. He tweeted this picture:
Winjum with Bourdain and Zimmern
So might we see a Bourdain and Hagerty in Grand Forks, walking arm and arm down 3rd Street on their way to a delicious dinner at Sanders? And pizza at Rhombus Guys around the corner? Well, we can only hope.
Ah… the sunshine has started to warm up our, until now, tundra-like environment. The birds are back and the flowers not far. Oh, and the Rhombus rooftop is now open.
Pizza on the Rooftop
After a longer than normal winter, you can now scarf some delicious pies and down a few Leinenkugels (or other beverages) atop Rhombus Guys in downtown Grand Forks.
The Fargo location should have its roof open soon.
But if you’re sensitive to bee stings, avoid the GF rooftop, as they seem to like to congregate there when it warms up a bit more.
UPDATE from Rhombus co-owner Matt Winjum: “It was a great first night. Lots of Rhombus Nation showed up to enjoy the first nice weather. And believe me, we are doing everything we can to keep those darn bees away. They typically don’t show up until August.”
Word came today that the vacant Taco Bell location in front of Wal-Mart on 32nd Ave. S. in Grand Forks will soon be a new Panera Bread.
Panera Bread
Another location is coming soon to the West Acres Mall in Fargo.
What are your thoughts on the news?
Caffeine cravers rejoice!
It seems local Caribou Coffee locations in Grand Forks, Fargo and Bemidji are not included in the group of 80 other stores that will close this month, according to a manager at the GF location.
Caribou is shutting down those stores and rebranding 88 others to Peet’s Coffee & Tea. It’s not known yet if any regional stores will take on the Peet’s name, though.
A new bar and grill will soon be open in Grand Forks, taking the place of Big Daddy’s at 1405 Demers Ave.
Renovations at Wild Bill’s
Wild Bill’s Sports Saloon is projected to be open on Monday, April 22, according to the business’ Facebook page. Up until now, Wild Bill’s was a Minnesota-only property, with locations in Blaine, Woodbury, Rochester, Maple Grove and Apple Valley.
When finished, the place will have a fully stocked bar, numerous flat screen TVs and apparently some fog machines to give it that high-class ambiance…
But seriously, let’s get to the food.
It’s standard bar food, with wings, sandwiches and wraps, sliders, flatbread pizzas, ribs and more.
Along with a free peanut bar, there are quite a few specials like 45-cent wings on Tuesdays from 3-9 p.m., a “meat raffle” on Fridays from 6-7 p.m. and $5 burgers on Monday.
What do you think about Wild Bill’s so far? WIll it be a place you frequent?
It was a sunny and unseasonably warm March evening, the sun at that particular, late-spring slant that makes everything look a little more interesting.
We walked from a few blocks away to the restaurant, situated in the middle of old warehouses and car repair places.
At 5 p.m., it was already booked solid and we were early. Asked if we could maybe, possibly have a table now instead of waiting another hour for our reserved time, one of managers complied, seating us immediately.
Cochon, or French for pig, is a relatively new restaurant in New Orleans that has been getting a lot of attention lately. In a town known for seafood, the specialty here is pork. Named by Bon Apetit last month as one of the most important restaurants in America, Cochon has quickly gained that importance with dishes like pork tongue with charred radishes and fava beans. Or the smoked pork ribs, smoked ham hock with herb spatzle, Brussels sprouts and mustard cream, or fried livers with pepper jelly and toast.
Cochon interior
The Taco Bell on 32nd Avenue South has been closed for quite a while, for about 10 months actually, and it’s been vacant ever since, leaving some prime real estate on a busy road unfilled.
So I wanted to ask ya’ll what you’d like to see in the place of the old TBell.
In Moorhead, a vacant Taco Bell was renovated into a local Italian place. Altony’s Italian Cafe does a good business in the cramped quarters. To me, this is the best outcome. Losing a chain, fast-food restaurant and gaining a locally-owned place.
But what do you think would be the ideal business to set up shop there?
UPDATE: “Johnny” says in a comment that the building will be demolished soon…
