Embracing my Swedish/ Norwegian side checking out the lovely town ofLindström today. Well known as…read morethe town with the teapot water tower just north of Forest Lake. Along with a tasty lunch in Chisago. @thenorthernlaketavern wrapped up our visit with a tasty lunch. We enjoyed the chicken and garlic flatbread, and a mushroom Swiss burger with tots. Uffdah what a fun day! Hoping everyone can find some Hygge in your days.

Sis and I took a last-minute Thursday late afternoon roadtrip up Hwy 8 due to a FB Marketplace…read morepickup. It was dinnertime and I asked the Seller a restaurant they recommend in the area. She told us The Northern and to make sure to order the cheese curds. Looking at the menu before hitting the road again, sis and I knew the place was for us: burgers, sandwiches and wraps. Pulling into the parking lot was easy. Even though looked full, we were still able to find a spot. I want to note the gorgeous view of the red barn/farm across from the pond when pulling in. I noticed a patio on the North side of the building, which would put this farm in your view. We did have about a 20 minute wait for a table for 2. The restaurant looked busy from what I could see. Once we were brought to out table, I then noticed that the bar seating was pretty much open. Had I known, we might have elected to just sit at the bar. However, I asked for menus right away so that we could at least ponder it during that 20 minutes. We were sat at a high top right near the kitchen door. Being able to see all the food come out, I changed my mind on what I was going to order almost 10 times. We asked for the cheese curds as soon as we were greeted by our waitress. OMGosh! They were in the shape of cubes, deep fried to golden perfection. The outside had perfect firmness from the fryer. The inside was gooey, salty white cheese. Perfect just by itself. It did come with a ranch dipping sauce that was just so yummy. It reminded me a seasoned sour cream. The waitress didn't know the brand of the cheese curds (ie. Ellsworth) but did say the ranch was homemade Sis ordered the Great Northern Burger with French fries. She's a fan of BBQ sauce, bacon and onion rings on a burger. Fries were nicely seasoned, long, soft and semi-skin-on (not crinkle or steak fries). Burger was huge and worth the $15.99 price tag. I settled on the BOTM, the Nacho Burger, with tator tots. Toppings included nacho cheese, Fritos chips, bacon, diced/sliced jalapenos. The tator tots were one of the best I've ever had. Again, seasoned nicely. And the perfect ratio of hard outside crunch to soft inside potato. The Nacho burger was huge too....and messy with the nacho cheese. The Fritos did get a little soggy at the end. The bacon was under the melted cheese. And there were plenty of jalapenos hidden under the meat patty. Those were easy to discard so I could control how many fiery peppers were in my mouth at one time. Was service slower than normal? Yes. Was the service friendly? Yes. Was it worth the wait? Also YES! I would definitely recommend (I already have to my coworkers.) for anyone who loves gourmet burgers. They also have a nice variety to the sandwich, wraps, tacos and flatbread menu. I will just have to take the 40 minute drive again to try something else.

Stopped in for a beverage... was greeted warmly and offered a table in the dining room or bar-side…read more I enjoy hijacking the TouchTunes so opted for the bar. Nice ambiance and good beer selection. Beer was cold and tasted as it should. Added steak bites and was pleasantly surprised. Tender, cooked perfectly -garnished with two sauces and onion strings. Will definitely return- menu selections are fantastic.

Reuben was overcooked. Corned beef was shredded and more resembled crispified leftovers more fit…read morefor hash than a sandwich. Fries were fine for what they are. Kid ordered the Cajun pasta. It's not a large portion for 24 bucks. And while the server didn't think it was overly spicy, it was more like hot Cheetos. Hot for the sake of hot and definitely not good for some tastes. One more chicken pasta, a side salad, and soup....add four drinks and the total came to $120 after the requisite credit card fee. After all this.....it's taken me 5 years of living in the are to try this place. It's gonna be another 5 years to try it again.

New ownership now, and it makes me nervous but excited for the next chapter. Please PLEASE PLEASE…read moredon't change the ribs! And keep the almost famous appetizer sampler!! I'm begging you! Every Wednesday for Survivor night or Thursday I order the sampler and have leftovers for lunch at work. It the best!

Norman Quacks Chophouse has closed. There is a new business in the building, called Champions…read moreSports Bar and Grill.

To stay competitive baccarat players request either Five Treasures Bacc or Golden Frog bacc. For…read moremonths players have been told Five Treasures is coming but we've seen no execution. Dealers here are great, food has improved, but could be given some more love.

I went to meet up with some friends and was surprised they wanted to go to Running Aces. I haven't…read morebeen there for over 10 years, it used to be a casino with table games, bar, and horse race. Now they have added a hotel. Located right off of the highway, they have a huge parking lot. There were lots of people there in the evening. They will check for your ID at the entrance, once inside you'll see the huge bar with lots of TV playing sports. Onto the right are all the table games. You can order food and drinks at the bar area and dine at the tables. The horse race is open during the warmer season and mostly towards the back. To get to the hotel is the hallway on the left of the casino entrance.

This is your average Perkins. I came in for breakfast. I ordered the Big Country Skillet. This is…read morepork sausage, applewood smoked bacon, smoked ham, American cheese, and cream gravy with two eggs* served over crispy smashed tots. I ordered the eggs scrambled. This is one of my favorite breakfasts at Perkins, and this store does it well. The tots were crispy, the gravy plentiful, and the eggs perfect. The prices are reasonable. Perkins will always be one of my go-to breakfast joints.

Food A+ Service A+…read more Bathrooms F - clean the restrooms. Flies and gnats all over it was disgusting

We stopped by for lunch when we were in the area. It has kind of a touristy lake vibe. There are…read morelots of different activities for people to do who want to be entertained. We ordered Duck wontons which were good and crispy. I had a salad and my husband got a burger. They were also good. Service was attentive. There is plenty of seating and it wasn't to busy while we were there.

Very casual and low key local bar in Forest Lake. Plenty of seating around the place and a few…read moreactivities like shuffle bar and an arcade to do for a fun night out! We went for food and drinks and it was very decently priced. I ordered the cheese curd burger and it was great! Hit the spot. The server also checked in on us plenty. Overall, it met our needs for a casual dinner restaurant!

Tried this place out last week, and we were really pleased with everything. Very casual dining…read morespace, incredibly fast and friendly service, and really good food. The menu was huge, so it was a little challenging to decide what we were going to order. My husband and I split two different chicken sandwiches--one hot honey, and the other a grilled chicken sandwich. The kiddos got chicken nuggets and a cheeseburger, and the portions were great for kids' meals. My mother-in-law got a mushroom Swiss burger, and although all of our food was good, she was definitely the winner! Giant burger with tons of mushrooms and cheese, caramelized onions and steak sauce.

Came here with a bunch of hungry hockey players and I have to say the service was prompt, fast, and…read morevery polite. Especially since it was a rather larger group. No mistakes were made and everyone had a great time. Food was average bar food it was good, but nothing o have not had before at like establishments. Friendly place with great service and decent prices.

So good, every time. Get the club, the turkey wild rice salad, the chicken salad, or the guy across…read morefrom us had a hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and stuffing that looked amazing. Stop here if you're in the area.

Ordered a salad to go and added chicken. The chicken was boring and too much money for what I got…read more The tomato soup was flavorful and fulfilling.

Less Uffda, More Lefse: that's what this place is about! We…read morethought the service was lacking, especially for a Saturday morning (a relatively popular time for them). Since this was our first time, we had no idea that it was a 'seat yourself' type of place and there were no signs indicating so. We stood at the door being stared at by the patrons and the employees. It took several minutes for someone to tell us we could sit wherever. Finally, our waitress stopped over, took our drink order, but because we weren't ready, she left. She didn't come back for more than 15 minutes. She did apologize, but it was far too long. Prices were reasonable and two specials were offered - our kinda place! My husband took part in one of those specials and ordered the country fried steak and eggs. I ordered the regular steak and eggs. We did substitute an order of toast for the Swedish pancakes (gotta!) It took a really long time for our food to come, which was disappointing. Food did come out hot and my husband was a big fan of the country fried steak. I didn't think the Swedish pancakes were anything I would HAVE to order a second time, but I'm glad we tried them. The hashbrowns were probably the highlight of breakfast. A waitress did stop by with a dum dum for kids, which was a cute added touch!

Stopped in with a friend, after going for a walk. Our usual place was closed, so we found this one…read moreand decided to give it a try. It has a small town, local hang out feel to it. There are plenty of tables that aren't crowded too close together. Staff was extremely friendly. Everyone around us appeared to be eating breakfast, and it all looked good. However, since it is a Swedish restaurant we decided to order the meatballs and lefse. Both had average flavor, but wasn't anything special. The gravy on the meatballs were under whelming. I don't think I would order them again but I definitely want to go back and try their breakfast.

So this is my 2nd attempt at stopping in at this joint and giving them a chance to redeem…read morethemselves from the burnt burrito I received last summer on a trip thru Forrest Lake. My first visit was alright, the burrito was large. The chicken had decent flavor, the burrito wasn't bad with the exception of the tortilla being charred. I also got the mr.Large Gyro and I couldn't complain about that bad boy.... Fat Boy Heaven w 7 virgins in a to go box was what that muhfugga was I stopped down last month to get that burrito a redemption and y'all was closed...... I was passing thru Forrest lake on my way to the mopars in the park show and figgered id stop n grab me a fat boy burrito n a gyro plate being it was a Saturday afternoon all of 1pm n lunch time and low and behold Mr.Large was closed during posted business hours for the 2nd time. No clue what's going on, but I definitely won't waste my time hawgin n Dawgin to this jernt again

Today my bucket list got 1 item shorter. Coke and Pepsi in the same building.!!! See the pic of my…read moreDiet Cocepsi. Burrito or Burger ... That is the question. Today the answer was burger. Spicy Amigo for me. A Siracha cali burger with jalapenos. Blue Sicilian for the Mrs. Baked onions and two cheeses - blue and ??? Fries are big Kringles and we're fresh. My pic shows less than a half order - we shared fries. When I am feeling braver I think I will have the burrito.