SEPTEMBER 16, 2009
VIKING, Minn.—My project on the first Friday in September was to find my way here and eat the potato dumplings recommended recently by an Eatbeat reader. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and I had no trouble following state Highway 220 north out of East Grand Forks to Alvarado, Minn., where I turned east on state Highway 1 and made it to Warren, Minn.
And then, I couldn’t figure out the little squiggles on the map. So I stopped in a gas station and learned that you go about 10 miles east of Warren on Marshall County Road 10, and then you see a green sign that points to Viking. You take this winding stretch of road a couple of miles and find yourself in a village of maybe 100 people.
Welcome to Viking!
Viking Diner and Antiques was ringed with cars by 11 A.M. on a Friday morning. I knew I was in the right place. There were people at a dozen tables, serious about eating dumplings. I found a place at a long table where four people were sitting. I nodded. They nodded. Then, Ray and Joyce Olson (RO and JO) from Thief River Falls came and sat across from me.
The Olsons know their dumplings. They come here every other week or so, JO said. “It’s something to do.” She suggested the dumpling tastes better if you use butter that comes in a 1-inch cube in a little cup. She also uses salt and pepper.
That made a difference. The dumplings were good. I guess they are sort of like soul food for those who have roots in this Norwegian community. Some order side pork with it, others bacon. The dumplings are good-sized—bigger than a tennis ball but smaller than a softball.
A dumpling costs $2. Side pork, ham or bacon is $2. Eat one with meat, and you should be set for the day. But I ended up trying one of three desserts, just for good measure. I decided on a piece of raspberry cheesecake. I was just going to taste it, but it was so good, I ate the whole thing.
The dumplings have a nice, earthy potato taste and a pleasing texture. I visited with Marge Olson (no relation to RO and JO) about them. She has developed her own recipe and said she is amazed at the number of people who come for dumplings on Fridays. They serve about 100. She uses 20 pounds of flour and 150 pounds of red potatoes. She and her husband, Mike, start peeling Tuesday. She perfected her recipe by trial and error and gathered tips from area cookbooks. She said the key is to have the water boiling before you put in the dumplings.
Waitresses Cindy Ellingson and Ardell Anderson, former mayor of Viking, say the diner is the gathering place for people all around. The place closes in the early afternoon, and about 10 A.M. Saturdays because—as one of them said—“Everybody goes to town.”
The diner serves a full breakfast until 11 A.M., and has sandwiches and burgers with fries for lunch. It serves Schwan’s ice-cream sundaes for $1.50 or $2 and waffle cones for $1.25 and $1.50.
Viking Diner also serves area groups. It is unique because it is in a spacious new building and is an antique store as well as a cafe. The antiques are the business of Jerome and Cheryl Peters. And the walls are lined with showcases with vases, china, crystal and rows of plates that have become collector’s items. The curios extend around the walls of the two rooms of the diner. Whether a visitor is just eating, the chance to browse makes a trip to Viking Diner an interesting adventure.
Viking Diner and Antiques still operates in Viking, Minnesota, and still serves dumplings on Fridays.