THE EATBEAT: Friendly servers make dining at Boot most pleasurable

• Marilyn Hagerty

Marilyn Hagerty

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• THE EATBEAT: About Bronze Boot Steakhouse and Lounge

One of my favorite dinners is the 4-ounce tenderloins steak at the Bronze Boot on North Washington Street. I go there from time to time, and I enjoy the supper club setting, the basket of garlic toast and the soup or tomato juice that precedes the main course. I can count on the steak being just right and served with button mushrooms.

Dinner at the Boot with my daughter, Gail (DG), was a special celebration June 29, since I was just out of the hospital after surgery. We were in a festive mood. The Boot was a good choice because it is predictable, and the quality of the food is consistent. It has soft lights and a ring of booths around two sides. There are tables in the center. And you see the chefs presiding at the open-pit broiler. There are wood tones and dark green wall covering.

The Boot stays the same as the years go by. Along with Whitey’s in East Grand Forks, it has prevailed while other places have come and gone in Grand Forks. It was new in the 1950s and the first place we went for dinner out after moving here in 1957 from Minneapolis.

We ordered the 4-ounce cut tenderloins ($16.95) and asked for them medium well. They give you time to enjoy a cup of soup or sip tomato juice before the main course.

There are candles flickering from glass cubes. You look around and often see other people you know who have been coming to the Boot for years. On a quiet Tuesday evening, there were six to 10 tables of people coming and going while we were there.

DG said the beer cheese soup was better than good and that it had a real taste of the beer. We talked about the garlic bread basket. The spinach salads were excellent. And the steak was everything we had expected. Each bite was good. It was relatively tender and tasty. It seemed to be just the right amount. I don’t want to eat a whole cow. The button mushrooms served with it were sauteed in wine and butter.

We finished the meal with decaf coffee and mints that came on a tray with our bill.

Our server that evening was Roxy Ganyo Worden, who has been at the Boot for more than 31 years. Also on duty were Trudy Zespy and Linda Rowell, both of whom have been on the job for 22 years. Their confidence and knowledge of the menu along with the friendliness help make the Bronze Boot a very unique restaurant. These servers make everything right for the customers.

For many, the bar is a favorite place to have a burger or a quick steak dinner. Customers find a steak-and-bake dinner with coleslaw there until 10 p.m. Others have commented recently on the hearty buffet served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. A group of friends recently enjoyed a special barbecued pork sandwich with vegetable soup and a bowl of beans. The Boot also has a meeting room for groups.

While there is much to enjoy about the Bronze Boot, customers also have cause to wonder about a series of pails hanging from the ceiling. We speculated they are there to catch leaks in the roof. It is sort of like the elephant in the room — everyone knows they are there, but nobody says much.

Reach Hagerty at mhagerty@gra.midco.net or call (701) 772-1055.

Tags: marilyn hagerty, bronze boot, life, food, eatbeat, columns