"Sometimes, when I'm rolling along the highway on a back road in the middle of the state or up near the Canada border, hunger pangs pull me into the closest eatery. These family restaurants with their homemade pies and real potatoes are jewels of the region. They also are measures of how well our local communities are doing.

I have found some excellent food served by the friendly people in out of the way places.

I do appreciate the friendly and nice. I just returned from the teeming city of Washington, D.C., where a waiter or waitress is more likely to greet you with, "What you want!?" or "Hurry and order." Then with a smile, he or she will hand you a bill for $50 for a dinner for one."

Get the Story:
DORREEN YELLOW BIRD COLUMN: N.D.'s family-run restaurants serve slabs, not slices, of pie (The Grand Forks Herald 8/24)

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