Review: Prairie Winds Cafe, Grand Forks

[Sal Atticum]

From Grand Cities Dining.  Wouldn't this be good to know for all those med students out there?

Prairie Winds Cafe: Grand Forks

Tuesday, 10 April, 2007

In the ongoing quest for decent food at a decent price, this week brings us decent food at an awesome price, though the location can be a bit daunting. The Prairie Winds Cafe, you see, is buried deep in the bowels of the Altru Hospital. For the extra effort, though, the frugal diner with an open palate will find a bargain meal with high school cafeteria elegance.

I had intended to meet Justin here for lunch yesterday, but forgot to check my email and didn't realize it until he called me after I'd already eaten. Fortunately, well, unfortunately for him, he needed to be back at the clinic today, so I whistled over at 11AM and met up with him, Melissa and Jordan.

The cafe is located in the basement of the hospital, so if you're in another building, you need to get to the hospital through the tunnels. From the main clinic, at least, you can go to the basement by Orthopedics and then walk right over through the lower tunnel. There are a variety of signs, so it shouldn't be too hard to locate. If you're coming specifically to eat, though, finding a parking spot is a bit of a trial. Expect to hoof it a bit.

Once you're inside, pick up a tray, just like high school, but without all the acne and social problems. You're free to wander around and pick up whatever you'd like. There's a salad bar, of sorts, hot food, sandwiches, soup and desserts, along with unusual picks like cold cereal and make your own toast. For some odd reason, the desserts are the one of the first things you'll encounter. Fountain drinks, milk, coffee and some prepackaged liquids are available in the main area, and there's a vending machine with more options near the dining area.

The hot food offerings differ with the day, but I've seen chicken, pork chop and ham dinners, as well as a variety of casseroles. Justin gets a kick out of one of the women that dishes up the hot food, as she'll often pimp up something that they have (ala: "Oh, this potato bake is really delicious today.") Of course, he's bought on her suggestion more than once.

One thing that I'm not a fan of on this station is their habit of pre-plating some food and leaving it sit on the counter. If I see something up there, I'm more likely to ask for something else in order to avoid it.

For today, I had a scoop of ham with scalloped potatoes, a bowl of cheeseburger soup and a monster cookie. With the employee discount (I have no idea why I get that, but I always do,) it was $3.80 Let me repeat that, three dollars and eighty cents. A better deal than "Taco Tuesday" at Taco Johns. Justin, Melissa and Jordan's lunches came to $10.00 total (with, strangely enough, a senior discount -- both Justin and Melissa still get carded at the bar.)

The high school / college dorm cafeteria motif continues into the dining area, which has loads of tables scattered around the room, with some nice looking murals on the wall. Being the interior of a basement, there are no windows, but they do a good job of keeping it from looking too gloomy.

For entertainment, you can check out what your doctor is wolfing down, and remind him of it the next time he questions your diet. Or when you're done eating, you can have a friend buzz your pager, get a concerned look on your face and run out, muttering "Not again!" That seems to be a popular one.

The food isn't haute cuisine, but it's good for what it is. The ham and potatoes, today, for example, was a little on the greasy side, but it was well flavoured and filling. I've always enjoyed the soups, though, those seem to be very consistent. And the monster cookies are uniformly good (wouldn't surprise me if they bake them in house.)

Because you serve yourself (except for the hot foods,) you can pick the best looking item, make your soup thick or thin, and you have no one to blame but yourself if there aren't enough napkins or you get a bent fork. On that last one, I pulled four, count 'em, four, flattened forks today. It must be someone's job in the back room to stomp those things down.

Verdict: A hidden gem for the budget conscious diner. Quick access to gastroenterologists a plus!

Prairie Winds Cafe
1200 South Columbia Road
Grand Forks, ND 58201
(701) 780-5000
Hours: 6:30AM - 7:00PM