Bernie's
Restaurant · East Grand Forks ·
Midwest flavors meet Scandinavian influences; brunch, pastries, market
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70936360/molly_yeh_girl_meets_farm.0.jpg "Bernie's by Food Network/Girl Meets Farm")
Midwest flavors meet Scandinavian influences; brunch, pastries, market
"Bernie’s is one of our favorite rooftops in the city, and they just expanded their awning. So they still take reservations even when it rains, and more importantly, your hair won’t get wet. Also important? They have one of our favorite burgers in Chicago." - adrian kane
"In East Grand Forks, I visited Bernie’s, opened last fall by Molly Yeh and her husband Nick Hagen in the rehabbed former Whitey’s Wonderbar; they kept the massive horseshoe bar and vintage exterior lettering, and the sun-washed interior with carved wooden booths and a chalkboard evokes a modern farmhouse. The menu reads like a tidy compendium of Yeh’s cooking — inklings of Jewishness (potato challah, mandel bread, coconut macaroons), Scandinavian touches (cardamom buns, a smorgasbord of smoked salmon and soft-boiled eggs), and unabashedly satisfying items like the salami/ham/Havarti-stuffed Wondersub, sugar cookies, and baloney sandwiches — plus a small market selling harissa, za’atar, and halva. There are distinctly Minnesotan dishes too (wild-rice–flecked burger patties, whitefish spread on toast, and cookie salad), and hotdish is central: Yeh’s tater-tot versions are reliably topped with golden tots, flavors rotate (a taco hotdish recently appeared), and her signature hotdish uses a homemade, béchamel-like soup made with heavy cream, a quarter-cup of pale ale, and a dusting of nutmeg. Her early experiments included a “Chinese hotdish” topped with fried chow mein noodles that swapped coconut milk for cream-of-chicken and used ground chicken or pork with fresh ginger and scallions, and she’s since riffed with corn-dog, harissa chickpea, and Passover brisket hotdishes (the latter served beneath smiley-face fries). Yeh emphasizes that she wanted Bernie’s to feel welcoming to all generations and families, a place people can go every single day." - Justine Jones
"Food Network personality Molly Yeh brings Midwestern flavors with Scandinavian influences and a touch of Jewish flair to a multi-concept space named after her daughter. The menu features smorgasbords, whitefish toast, halva walnut scones, and a rotating pastry display with playful desserts like sprinkle cake donuts and frosted almond cookie bars. The restaurant occupies a historic nearly-century-old location and will include distinct areas for carryout/counter service, table service, and a market selling Yeh’s favorite pantry items and branded merch." - ByKate Kassin
"In East Grand Forks I’m anticipating Molly Yeh’s new project, Bernie’s, which will include Bernie’s Farmhouse (a full-service restaurant), Bernie’s Cafe (an all-day cafe), and Bernie’s Market (a retail pantry and cookbook shop), with a menu rooted in Midwest and Scandinavian traditions—rotating hotdishes, roast chicken with potatoes and carrots, hand-rolled lefse for brunch, and grab-and-go cafe items like open-faced smoked whitefish, salmon, ham, and egg salad sandwiches and knoephla soup—housed in a historic art-deco building on the banks of the Red River with more than 160 indoor seats and about 60 on the patio." - Justine Jones
"I'm excited that Food Network star Molly Yeh is opening Bernie’s in East Grand Forks, Minnesota; named for her first daughter Bernadette, the restaurant will celebrate Midwest traditions (read: hotdish), Scandinavian flavors, local ingredients, and “REALLY GOOD BREAD.” Yeh, a cookbook author and host of Girl Meets Farm who moved from Brooklyn to live on her husband’s fifth-generation farm, has showcased Midwestern-influenced recipes in her cookbook Molly On The Range (including pimiento cheese babka, brunch brisket, and dumplings), and her Instagram posts and video for Bernie’s hint at menu tests like fried fish filets, egg sandwiches, and a salad of smoked salmon, greens, Parmesan, and soft-boiled eggs; specific menu details are still pending, and she and her team are renovating the space for a fall 2022 opening." - Justine Jones
