Local “Eatertainery” is On Cue! By: Erin Hemme Froslie It’s Thursday night at Fargo Billiards and Gastropub, and John Flores watches his opponent start the game by breaking the eightball rack. One ball slips into a pocket, and Flores settles back to wait for the other player to miss a shot, which isn’t likely. Thursdays are master league night at the south Fargo pool hall and Flores is playing against Rory Hendrickson, a national-level player.
This tale of friendly competition plays out several times a week at the pool parlor tucked behind 32nd Avenue South in Fargo. Understated from the outside, Fargo Billiards and Gastropub is the largest pool hall in North America. It hosts tournaments that draw players from throughout the U.S. and Canada and supports two nights of league play.
It also boasts its share of homegrown talent. Hendrickson, the house pro and general manager, placed second in the 2016 U.S. Open Championship to Indeed, Hendrickson makes a Shane Van Boening, the top ranked quick run of his balls, tapping them player in the U.S. Hendrickson efficiently into side pockets. And and Van Boening, who lives in then, Flores gets a break. A tiedSouth Dakota, are close friends up 8-ball stymies Hendrickson’s who play pool and fish together. progress. Flores gets a chance to Hendrickson insists he is the better control the table. fisherman. “The only chance I have against a guy like him is if he makes a mistake,” Flores says.
4 Highline Notes May 2019
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Gastropub has built its reputation on pool and good food, but the business has much more to offer in the “eatertainery” field. This spring, Gastropub hosted its first ping-pong tournament where 32 players battled for honors. Around the same time, the business hosted its first foosball tournament, which drew 28 competitors. A weekly dart league recently was formed. And when the snow piles melt, players flock to the Gastropub’s patio, which features sand volleyball courts, cornhole and bocce ball courts. “We pride ourselves on being a place where people of all ages and all skill levels can come and have fun,” says Amanda Kaloustian, associate general manager.
