MAY 13, 1998
The opening of the Blarney Mill in East Grand Forks is a cause for celebration on both sides of the Red River. The new Irish pub and grill on DeMers Avenue is receiving a royal welcome in the post-flood recovery era of Greater Grand Forks. The ambience is cheery and lively. The place has been jammed. And the future looks bright.
Usually, I wait for a new restaurant to settle into a groove before I go reviewing, but the idea of an Irish pub right here in the Forks is so appealing I couldn’t wait. I went there Saturday night and was joined by Liz Fedor (LF), Scott Hennen (SH), the Rev. William Sherman (FWS) and George and Betty Widman (GW) and (BW).
Since I arrived first, I had a chance to survey the surroundings. There’s a fireside room with original brick walls, decorative tin ceiling and a beautiful solid walnut bar handcrafted by Mike Nigl, a tanker pilot at Grand Forks Air Force Base.
You walk into a setting with lots of greenery and archways made of brick that came off the old Carnegie Library in Grand Forks. It had been on the home of Joan and Jerry Sayler. They operated the Olson Drug Store for years, before the flood, on the corner of DeMers and Third Street, where the Blarney Mill now has taken up residence.
Early in the evening, the interest seems to be on dining. As the night progresses, there’s more attention to the bar area, with singing from time to time and sports on television. Saturday evening, a wedding party dropped by for an Irish toast.
It is a happy place. Right now, the Blarney Mill is using a temporary menu with a more permanent menu of Irish entrees, appetizers, soups, salads and sandwiches in the making. Our waitress Saturday evening was Sarah, and she is perfect in an Irish pub. She’s friendly, but not too friendly. She’s quick on the uptake and equal to all of the bright remarks she hears.
As we gathered, we tried the crab and artichoke dip, made with Parmesan cheese and mayo, and served with fingers of freshly baked bread. This is rich and enticing. And after such a hearty appetizer, I decided to go with a blue cheese shrimp salad ($6.99) for an entree. FWS did likewise. SH ordered the spicy chicken marinara, a dish with fettuccine, sautéed chicken and squash in a spicy marinara sauce (8.99). SH pronounced it good, very good, except that it could have been hotter. LF shied away from the chicken marinara because it was billed as very spicy. She came up with an uninspired order of a Blarney Burger ($5.99). It distinguished itself, however, with caramelized onions and cheddar cheese served on a sourdough bun. And the fries that came with it were nicely done, with skin on.
The Widmans were a little behind us. GW ordered the turkey club sandwich on rye bread ($5.95). BW was pleased with her choice of a roasted vegetable salad ($5.50) made with mixed greens, red onion and feta cheese. It was tossed with raspberry vinaigrette and topped with roasted red and green peppers.
The feta cheese in the vegetable salad and the blue cheese in the shrimp salad are of good quality and in enough quantity to assert themselves. Usually, I don’t care for little shrimp, but the generous serving in the salad I ate were fresh-tasting.
We visited with Manager Jim Schable, who says prices will be competitive at The Blarney Mill. With people waiting up to 30 minutes for a table Saturday, he told us of plans to expand into the building formerly occupied by Frenchy’s Jewelry. Irish entrees will include Irish Shepherd’s pie, Irish stew, fish and chips, peppercorn salmon, grilled salmon and sausage stuffed pork loin.
While he was at it, he introduced us to Erika Olson, the chef at the Blarney Mill. She has attended cooking schools and has worked in the kitchen of Kincaid’s in Minneapolis and the Bistro in Bismarck. She was dressed in white with a blue baseball cap and had a big Norwegian smile. Where, but in East Grand Forks, I wondered, would you meet a friendly Scandinavian cooking Irish food?
Marilyn says, “The Blarney Mill is also part of the passing scene of restaurants that have closed.”