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| - I'm a fan of De Forest (long time former resident), I'm a fan of Norske-ism in general (I am one), and who doesn't like pie?
De Forest is a town without a downtown, or town square, of any kind. There's just a Main St. running from end to end. Norske Nook has positioned itself in the closest thing to it, near the library, the big Lutheran church, and the bowling alley. It sits high on a ridge, majestically overlooking all its neighbors.
It's a nicely constructed building, but not particularly Norse looking. Nicely landscaped and ample parking. Spacious inside, but not quaint. The big electronic screen menu behind the hostess stand is oddly out of place here. The waitresses wear ill-fitting vaguely Norse-esque outfits, and it gives the overall impression of a Denny's trying to be Norwegian for a day.
The food will appeal to the Denny's crowd. It isn't particularly Norwegian except for throwing some lingonberries in here and there, some Scandinavian-ish meatballs, etc. It's basic unremarkable filling food in generous quantity. The waitstaff and hostesses aren't particularly skilled or attentive in their jobs. The much-touted pie comes in many varieties but was not outstanding in any way (we tried three varieties).
Why four stars? Because you can't beat the friendliness or the vibe of De Forest. It almost doesn't matter about the rest of it. A cold rainy spring Sunday and recovery from minor surgery called for comfort food, and that's exactly what we got. I'd definitely go again for the basic, bland heaping plate of open face meat of choice with mashed potatoes and gravy on a day like that.
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