The menu ranges from chicken wing dinners to chef salads and mini corndog baskets at The Station restaurant on Towner Avenue, the main street in Larimore, N.D.
When I stopped there in April I was fascinated to find barbecued asparagus along with a patty melt burger served on tasty toasted white bread.
This is one of three places to eat in the town just off U.S. Highway 2 about 30 miles west of Grand Forks. There's also the Good Friends bar across the main street where people go for breakfast. And the well-known Larson Drive Inn is open during the summer time.
The Station, formerly operating as The Scoop and the Dean and Donna Dairy Bar, was reopened last October by Dustin Barber. He is a volunteer firefighter and uses a firefighting theme in the café.
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The Station promotes 100 percent Angus beef, huge malts and homemade pizza. On Tuesdays, the feature is pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy for $8.99. A half order is $6.99, and Jody Knoblauch, the waitress, says most people ask for that.
Jody, who presides at the ordering window, keeps everything going. She helps drop-in customers figure out what they would like to eat. She almost tells them. Haley Bruhn, who stopped by the restaurant, says Jody helped her decide she would like a patty melt.
"Hard to believe a patty melt can be outstanding," she said later. "But this one really is-if you like a little heat.''
This customer and others respond to the friendly way Jody presides at the window. And with her good humor, Jody also keeps an eye out for cleanliness in the restaurant and restrooms.
She has a knack for remembering names and usually knows customers once she has met them. This friendliness is a plus for the restaurant.
The Station has fliers posted at the entryway telling of events coming up in Larimore. There are mementos of the firefighters throughout the restaurant.
Coffee is free between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Wednesdays for people over 60.
The good humor extends to offerings of three alarm curly fries on the menu. And there's a note that says, "Tell the fireman not to burn them."
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The Station
Larimore, N.D.
Owner-chef: Dustin Barber
Server: Jody Knoblauch
Hours: Opens 11 a.m. daily; closes 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Open Sundays in summer
Seating for 30
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Telephone: (701) 343-2251
Reach Marilyn Hagerty at mhagerty@gra.midco.net or by telephone at (701) 772-1055.
