THE EATBEAT: Be sure to go hungry to the Wild Hog

• Marilyn Hagerty

Marilyn Hagerty

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Regular customers at the Wild Hog bar and Grill on South Washington Sstreet know what they want to eat.

The menu is long on imagination, and we were glad to have a knowledgeable and helpful waitress when Laura Jane Paulson (LJ) and I had supper there on the last Friday night in June.

With help from our server, we were able to figure out the many combinations we could choose from on the menu. There are, for instance, fried pickles and piglet sandwiches. In the long run, our server, Stephanie Leslie, guided us in our choice.

An 8-ounce salmon fillet was the choice of LJ, and she found it grilled just right. With it, she had sweet potato fries that paired perfectly with a spicy salad and the salmon.

My pulled pork was served on an exceptionally good, dense Telera bun. It was an ample serving, and I spiced up the pork with a honey barbecue sauce on the table. With it, I chose green beans and a coleslaw side. The beans were good enough but rather bland in comparison with the other lively choices on the menu.

My advice is to go hungry to the Wild Hog because the servings and combinations are ample. The food presentation is inviting with items served on large, white squared-off plates with divisions for the side dishes.

The restaurant has a large smoker in the kitchen and uses hickory wood to turn out menu items.

People who eat at the Wild Hog regularly seem to know the specials. Many of them are enjoying the outdoor patio in the evenings.

One of the managers said business is better on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays during the summer.

The menu makes you sit up and notice with some specialty items, such as:

• Pterodactyl Wings (marinated smoked whole jumbo wings served with a favorite sauce).

• Senske dills in a blanket (dill pickles wrapped in smoked bacon, Swiss cheese and egg roll wrapper lightly fried and served with a side of Cajun dill ranch.)

The menu also features lavosh, Mexican fare and wraps.

Along with the pluses, there are always minuses when you eat out. Management couldn’t help it, but one fly was pesky. The menu was complex and a bit beat up. And cushions would make the seats in the booths more, well, “cushy.”

Wild Hog Smokehouse Bar and Grill

4401 S. Washington St., Grand Forks

Management: Paul Sproule and group of area investors, owners; Wayne Klumm, general manager.

Hours: Opens daily at 11 a.m.; closes midnight Sunday through Thursday and 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

Seating capacity: 260.

Telephone: (701) 757-4263.

Report card: Imagination runs wild on menu with Wild Hog Sandwich and smaller Piglet Sandwich featured as signature items. Service is excellent. Spacious facility with 64 screens for sports viewing. Price range is upper-medium range.

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