Speedway is joining the parade of Greater Grand Forks restaurants offering bus service to Ralph Engelstad Arena on nights when the UND hockey team plays at home. The restaurant long has promoted its ribs and steaks and hopes to draw in more fans before and after the games.
The ribs, along with pulled pork platters, are signature items on the menu of the steakhouse on North 42nd Street. Along with steaks, Speedway serves chicken dinners and has a fettuccini Alfredo dish with chicken or shrimp. The menu also includes shrimp, walleye, salmon and a new pollock fish fillet. Prices are moderate, with dinners including beverage averaging $13. The average lunch check including a beverage is $7.25.
I recently went the lunch route at Speedway. I wanted to try the pulled pork on a grilled bun ($7.99). With it, I had a side of coleslaw and water. The pork was great, tender and nicely flavored with barbecue sauce. The grilled bun was a little too soft. The coleslaw was good but had more mayonnaise-based dressing than I like.
Fountain drinks are $1.99, but you get free refills. Two percent or chocolate milk also is $1.99. But coffee and tea still are 99 cents, and Ann Thomas, one of the managers, says she notices more people are drinking tea.
This place offers convenient parking in front and draws a lot of working men for lunch, along with business people, families and groups of women.
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A wall has been extended to shield more of the bar and lounge as you enter the restaurant. There are three areas set off by dividers that have lattice tops and artificial ivy vines. The restaurant is decorated in a race-car theme. The chairs are comfortable, and the pack of condiments on each table is handy. There is a private party room free of charge for large groups. It is the weekly meeting place of the Grand Forks Seniors Men's Club.
On the plus side, Speedway is a place where things stay the same, and you can count on your favorite item being consistent in quality. Quite a few people order baskets of shrimp, sirloin, chicken or walleye fingers served with fries and Texas toast. There are burgers and sandwiches -- all served with fries. Another plus is Alice Ripplinger, who has been in the kitchen for 20 years, ever since Speedway opened. One of my favorite items on the menu is her homemade tomato soup ($2.99).
Speedway promotes roast chicken as a special on Wednesdays. Other specials include a barbecue feast on Mondays, a 16-ounce Porterhouse on Tuesdays. On Thursday, it's all-you-can-eat ribs, with King and Queen Prime Rib featured on Fridays. The 12-ounce ribeye dinner is a Saturday special, with a seafood platter on Sundays.
Speedway has some fresh interior paint, and the women's restroom was neat and clean. The condition of the restroom is an indication of the general regard for cleanliness in a restaurant.
Dessert includes a big brownie or cheesecake for $4.99. And then, there's the ultimate brownie at $5.99.
Reach Hagerty at mhagerty@gra.midco.net or call (701) 772-1055.
