Marilyn Hagerty, of Viral Olive Garden Restaurant Review Fame, Reviews the Broken Drum in North Dakota
This is part of our series that celebrates America’s Favorite Neighborhood Restaurants. We asked 80 of the most interesting people we know to reveal the local spots they love the most.
Three medium-size meatballs. A rounded serving of mashed potatoes with nice brown gravy in the middle. With this midday special, there was a soft white bun. The cost: $8.50. There was also a steak sandwich for the same price. The soup of the day was chicken wild rice.
Ever since the Broken Drum Bar and Grill in Grand Forks, North Dakota, added a full-scale kitchen and hired a full-time cook, the place has been buzzing at meal time. There are sloppy Joes on Wednesday and burritos on Thursday. When Friday rolls ’round, there’s steak and shrimp.
Thirteen years ago when Mike and Jamie Spicer bought this old bar on the northern outskirts of Grand Forks, it was basically just another drinking place. Then the Spicers decided to bring in chef Debbie Johnson.
They were so right. Longtime customers still straggle in for beer and alcoholic drinks, but now people come in droves from all over for good food. When I approached the Broken Drum at noon on a Friday in May, the muddy parking lot was overflowing with all kinds of trucks and a few cars. There was absolutely no place to park. Friendly merchants nearby allowed me to park in their lot. “Lots of people do,” said one.
Inside the Broken Drum, the tables all around were full. As I settled in at the bar, I noticed a Miller Lite case with ketchup and mustard in it. The silverware was wrapped in a white paper napkin. Jamie Spicer was working behind the bar, taking care of customers at the cash register, and nimbly tidying up as people left. At 1 p.m., he erased the meatballs from the sign behind the bar. They were all gone. But there was still the steak sandwich and more soup.
Over the years, I knew the Broken Drum was out there, along with a few other drinking places along Highway 2. I figured it wasn’t my cup of tea until my hairdresser began talking about it. Her dad frequented the Broken Drum. He always liked it. Now with food, he loves the Broken Drum, and his wife goes along with him for meals.
The staff at the Broken Drum works well with Johnson. And she loves her work. My nicely seasoned meatballs with mashed potatoes arrived on a sturdy paper plate along with a big bun. Her food reaches out beyond the Broken Drum with catering services. In the springtime there are graduation parties and extra calls for catering here and there.
The Broken Drum has long changed from a sort of shady place to go. Now it’s beyond an adventure. It’s becoming a trendy place to meet and eat—to see and be seen.
Marilyn Hagerty is a columnist for the Grand Forks Herald and had her 15 minutes of Internet fame several years ago after her restaurant review of The Olive Garden went viral.
