SEPTEMBER 8, 2010
FOREST RIVER, N.D.—Walk into Tom’s Lounge here on a Wednesday evening and you don’t have to ask if this is where you find the action. You know it is because the slightly dark, slightly musty bar is alive with people from all over the area.
This is Mexican Food Night, and it’s served by a crew called Jeanette’s Kitchen, who also serve fish fries Friday evenings.
Jeanette Irwin is a local woman who is a whiz at cooking Mexican and other food. Lately, she has been drawing a full house. She’s been in the cooking mode since 1985.
I went to Forest River on a Wednesday evening in August with a friend, Bernie Goodman (BG), to meet another friend, Rhonda Tibert (RT), who lives in the area, and her sister, Robin Feltman (RF) of Warsaw, N.D. The tables were so crowded that it didn’t matter who you were meeting. You were just one in the crowd. Everyone was talking to everyone else, eating the Mexican fare and having a good time.
Some Wednesdays, Jeanette draws 150 to 160 from 5:30 to 9:30 P.M. But her repertoire goes far beyond Mexican food. She cooks lunch every weekday at Cliff’s Lounge in nearby Gilby, N.D., with the help of Linda Paschke. And she caters parties and weddings. This time of the year, she cooks for the Forest River Bean Plant, and she bakes cookies and bars for Forest River Elevator.
Jeanette is a middle-aged woman who wears diamond earrings and a cap to hold her hair back. She was born in Ardoch, N.D., and has a son, Chris Irwin, who lives near Gilby. She also has three grandchildren.
We also met Jill Nelson, who helps out on Mexican night at Forest River, and her sister, Sara Nelson, who was in training. On their advice, before RT and RF arrived, I decided to order the combination plate, which is $7.50 for a small one and $9 for the large. I got a deluxe burrito, a side of beans and rice and a homemade corn taco.
My order was enough to hold a person for a couple of days. It was good. I brought some of it home, though. BG was more restrained in her order. She had a deluxe tostada without the beans.
We talked about summer food and harvest food with Jeanette. She makes a salsa and cheese sauce that is pleasantly hot. Her helpers said that Jeanette’s sauce is what attracts people. It is nice, warm and mild—not hot. And it is velvety smooth.
Jeanette has a way with salads and beans. She uses eggs, celery, pickles, relish and a little sugar along with mustard in her potato salad. She uses a bit of whipping cream in the dressing.
Her Mexican Food Menu is complete with chicken, salads, nachos, tostadas, burritos, tacos and more. And then, just to top things off, the reverse side of the menu says in part: “Hello and welcome to our kitchen. Sit down, shut up, and quit your bitchin. What’s on the menu is all we’ve got. Stop with the questions so you get it while it’s hot. We serve chicken, beef, and seafood. A few bucks in the jar puts us in a good mood. Snowcats, farmers, bikers—we serve ’em all. Once the dishes are done we have a ball. Just place your order and take a seat. Cause you know our tacos can’t be beat.”
Jeanette’s Kitchen continues to serve Mexican food on Wednesdays at Tom’s Lounge.