A review of Molly Yeh’s East Grand Forks, MN restaurant “Bernie’s”
Check out their website for information on hours, location and menu – CLICK HERE
On a beautiful fall afternoon, My wife and mother-in-law excitedly joined me on a trip to East Grand Forks with one intention – try Bernie’s (in the space formerly occupied by Whitey’s). This particular afternoon was chosen because UND was in Las Vegas and we knew the crowds would be a bit slower.
The menu is small, but incredibly well planned. A little something for everyone. Upon entering, head up to the counter (they cleverly have you walk by the baked goods) and order at the end of the bar. There are menus to grab near the door and a large board that gives you a chance to decide before you get to the front. Do yourself and your fellow line goers a favor – decide what you want before you get to the front!
We each chose an entree, my wife and mother-in-law added a cup of knoephla soup, I added the cheese toast and the three of us all tried something from the bakery selection (two pieces of vanilla cake with house made chocolate frosting and a frosted almond bar).
There are a few booths, some tables and you will notice that there is not much on the walls. A very clean feeling where you can concentrate on conversation and the food. How refreshing to be somewhere without a TV blaring in my face or a tablet on the table offering me appetizers and games. There is a child height chalkboard that can amuse you for a few moments reading about the guest experiences!
The food is brought out to your table – but you grab your own utensils, napkins and water – and you can instantly note the quality of the items you are about to munch down. A wonderful touch is the collection of plates. All three of our plates were retro and different patterns. Clearly some thrifting took place and the 50s/60s/70s style bring you back to sandwiches at grandma’s house or heading to the farm for Sunday supper.
I had enjoyed the “Smorgasbord” with smoked salmon, a soft boiled egg, rugbrod bread, jam, cheese slices, pickled onions, mini cornichons and a sizable tab of butter. I have a large appetite and I was worried I wouldn’t be full. I was wrong. There was more than enough to fill my belly and share with the table. I added the cheese toast – wonderful folds of cheese across heavily buttered, thick sliced bread. Amazing. No guilt, just a few extra minutes on the treadmill to make up for the calories!
My wife and mother-in-law both had The Bernie. The standout part of these sandwiches are the HUGE slices of brie and the crunchy outside, soft inside of the toasted baguette. The sandwiches were accompanied by a dollop of mayonnaise. Large enough that they could each take half home for another meal. Each of them also got a bowl of the knoephla soup. This is not your average diner knoephla. This had fresh herbs, hearty vegetables and a thick stock. The flavor was out of this world. We also took home leftover soup.
To finish off the meal we had baked goods. Two of us had the vanilla layer cake with house made chocolate frosting. The slices are massive and wonderfully moist. Great cake. No, strike that. AMAZING cake. So much so that I have already made plans to buy a whole cake for the next family birthday. The other treat was a frosted almond bar that was sweet, dense and delicious.
There was not a single part of the meal that disappointed. You can taste the quality, the freshness and the creativity. Clearly the menu that Molly Yeh put together was based around comfort food and a blast from the past. Mission accomplished. The price is on the higher side if you intend to do meals, sides and desert – but not so much that it breaks the bank.
I follow Molly Yeh and Bernie’s on social media. Their “Linner” – late lunch/early dinner menus look amazing and I will be making the trek to East Grand Forks again soon.
Oh, I should also mention that there is a great market with ice cream, canned preserves, signature Molly Yeh bowls/cookbooks and more right inside. My two lunch companions love a good gift shop and left with some items for friends and family members.
This could easily be a corner stop in a larger city. The neighborhood vibes remind me of Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Philadelphia. We are incredibly lucky that Molly Yeh chose East Grand Forks to put Bernie’s to the test.
My stop was on Sunday, October 30th, 2022.
