Panera coming to West Acres Mall

Just a quick note because I’m quite busy today:

West Acres Mall announced Wednesday that a Panera Bread location will be opening there in the fall of this year.

See the menu here.

Your thoughts?

Fryn’ Pan Family Restaurant

Having grown up in Grand Forks, I was never introduced to Fryn’ Pan, a regional chain of restaurants that seems to have quite the following here in Fargo-Moorhead with the, let’s politely say, older folks. 

There is a location in both Moorhead and Fargo, along with three in Sioux Falls, one in Wahpeton and one in Yankton.

Wanting to try out the tiny Altony’s Italian Cafe but finding it absolutely packed, we headed to the nearby Fryn’ Pan and were seated quickly.

I passed the salad bar and instantly knew what I was in for: Processed, institutional-grade food slop. And unfortunately I was right.

D’Amico and Sons in St. Paul

I’m spending a few days in St. Paul, visiting my brand-new nephew Jack.

Whenever I travel, I’ve gotta try a new place, so this Saturday we headed out for a light lunch at D’Amico and Sons on Grand Avenue in St. Paul.

Green Market Kitchen closing up shop

In some sad restaurant news, Green Market Kitchen will be closing its doors.

“We will be closing the restaurant as of the end of March. The restaurant has been a consuming passion for the past six years and we are looking forward to new passions in our lives,” said a statement on the restaurant’s website.

Just having moved to the area, I haven’t been to Green Market yet. But mark my words, I will before it closes.

Chef  Andrea Baumgardner regularly features local and organic ingredients on the menu, something most other places in the area really don’t do. It’s a depressing loss for Fargo food-lovers.

The last day of operation will be March 30.

 

Sonic Drive-In coming to Fargo

It looks like “more than one” Sonic Drive-In will be gracing the great city of Fargo in the coming years. We could see our first in as little as 18 months, according to a Forum Communications article.

(Not your) Mom’s Diner

What does mom’s cooking mean to you?

To me, the quintessential smell of home is a juicy beef roast that’s been slowly cooking all day, filling the house with that unmistakable aroma. Or what we called Norwegian meatballs. Plump, flavorful meatballs would sit in a cream sauce for hours. We’d eat them with potatoes.

When I was looking for some home cooking recently, and actually bringing my mom along, we headed to Mom’s Diner in Fargo.