Review of Pete’s Place - St Cloud, MN

Originally posted August 21, 2007

Pete’s Place has been around in different incarnations for some
time. If you are looking for the epitome of the neighborhood greasy
spoon restaurant then Pete’s is the place for you. It brings in an
eclectic mix of young and old. Both college students and locals
gravitate towards Pete’s for its good food, friendly nature, and unique
atmosphere.

Food: 8 (limited but good)

Pete’s is only open for breakfast and lunch, but it is the type of
place that shines in certain ways. The burgers are fabulous. They are
fresh ground beef, juicy, and big. The breakfasts are…well, breakfast
like your mother makes.(if indeed you have a mother that cooks) My
favorite would have to be a toss up between the “Flavored Fruit
Pancakes” and the old standby “Diced Ham with Scrambled Eggs and
Toast”. Healthy portions at a decent price are always refreshing when
eating out and breakfast is the best meal of the day to really “fill
the tank”. Everything has a certain amount of grease so be cautioned
that the food is by no means exceptionally healthy. There’s a lot of
love put into it, and we all know that can be too good for us all the
time.

Service: 6

Pete’s tends not to be a place for a speedy in and out meal. This is
not so much a criticism as an observation. Its a sit down and enjoy the
setting type of place. Service is dependent on who you get and how
seriously you take dining. Pete is a great host. He’s warm and friendly
and usually engages in plenty of talk with you unless there’s a lot of
orders he needs to attend to. The people he has serving are serviceable
but not particularly outstanding.

One of his long standing employees is a woman named Tammy. She may
seem belligerent and rough edged, but she is part of the character of
Pete’s and for that I suggest forgiving her of her transgressions
against the norms of restaurant service. You know someone has to have
an indelible mark on a place when they have a sandwich named after them.

Atmosphere: 9

This is by far the most colorfully charactered restaurant I have
been to in a while. If you are an eccentric, you are probably a regular
at Pete’s. A local artist comes in with her digital camera and takes
pictures of patrons for Pete’s own Wall of Fame. These candid shots of
patrons makes it feel very close nit there. A local cribbage league
produces more smoke than the Becker power plant in the back room and
there is almost always a game of it going on. Regulars are almost
treated like family when they walk through the door and that really is
amazing.

This place is alive with the hustle and bustle of the neighborhood.
As cities expand and grow there seems to be a shrinking of our world.
Neighborhood places like Pete’s are more rare to find unless you go to
a town small enough. These are the places that deliver and survive and
there friendly nature and outstanding food options.

Overall: 8

Pete’s is a classic in its own right not only because of its humble
working man’s appearance and victuals, but also its unique offerings.
It is the example of the type of place that goes against the grain of
the modern chain restaurant taste and feel. Its because of that the
Pete’s occupies a special place in my heart. Hopefully it will occupy a
special place in my stomach and yours very soon.

This entry was posted on October 12, 2009 at 13:37 and is filed under Grub Reviews - OLD. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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