Review of the 209 Bar - Bemidji, MN

Originally posted July 14, 2009

209 Bar

209 Minnesota Ave NW

Bemidji, MN 56601

I was up visiting an event run by the Bemidji Jaycees at the local Legion. Normally I am pretty good at staying on top of eating within a reasonable dinner time. This evening in particular was an exception. At 8pm as the DJ spins music for the dueling karaoke challenge, I get the empty pit feeling. We are not talking about that snicketty snack feeling but the full-on empty stomach chasm feeling. To this I turned to my friend Will Fischer and asked him if there was a local restaurant that was very close. He pointed me in the direction of the 209 Bar. A mere half block walk found me at the doorsteps of the 209 and my stomachs salvation.

Food: 8                     Type: Bar Food

The menu was by no means extensive but as I sat down at the bar I saw what I needed, a good burger. Among the 20 items on the menu was an interesting burger called The Tony. It was a 1/2 pound cajun seasoned hunk of meat with pepper jack cheese and bacon on it. The best part? It was slathered with a thick robust BBQ sauce that was exceptionally mess but put a ribbon on what was a well prepared burger. The flavor of fresh ground beef was unmistakable and the well balanced myriad of seasonings and other toppings played a delightful tug of war on my taste buds. This varied flavor quality lends itself to less boredom and more exhilaration for the eating experience.

Under normal circumstances, I would have had an app or at the very least some fries to judge, but I had a limited time frame to get back to the music and then on my way back to the cabin in Crosslake so I had to be satisfied with the burger and chips it came with.

Had I been there with someone else or had four stomachs like a cow I would have tried out The 209, a burger of monstrous proportions.(2 pounds, 9 ounces….as if 2 pounds alone was not enough) They of course want a days notice to prepare the beast before you are able to slay it and at $24.50, it costs more than three times anything else on the menu. With that exception, everything is very reasonably priced.

Service: 5

A good bartender will talk you up when you are waiting and know when to leave you alone when you are intently watching the Twins game on the bar TV. This one was a bit of a talker, but he did a good enough job. He poured me a cold Finnigan’s Irish Amber which was smooth and a balance to the burgers sweet tingle. He did what was needed to feed me, but not outstandingly so. The food was prepared in a reasonable amount of time. Not much more to say about it I guess.

Atmosphere:4

It was a bar, with bar gear, bar decorations, and bar posters. Not much to go on here because it was not unlike a lot of bars I have darken the doors of in the last 15 years. The bathroom was clean and that is a big statement when at a bar.

Overall: 6

If you are a traveller and need to stop in Bemidji for a bite to eat then let me suggest the 209. I came there looking for exactly what I got, a tasty burger and a glass of beer. I left having filled the chasm in my stomach and still got back in time to listen to a little music before hitting the road.

Would I go there again? Absolutely!

Sherburne County Backroads is proud to call The Tony one of the unofficial top 20 burgers in the state.

This entry was posted on October 12, 2009 at 13:54 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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