& Drinking DINING GROUP DINING IN DEER RIVER

from Best of the Best 2019

& Entertainment ARTS GROUP TALENTED TWO HARBORS QUARTET NAMED ‘BEST LOCAL BAND’ NORTHWOOD’S BAND

TWO GREAT RESTAURANTS; TWO DIFFERENT SPECIALTIES

By Andrea Busche

Deer River, Minn., is home to two of this year’s Duluth News Tribune Best of the Best winners. Blueberry Bowl, at 44919 Golf Course Road, is a 10-lane bowling center with darts and volleyball, in addition to a full lunch and dinner menu. They are most well-known for their mouth-watering pizzas, which are topped with freshly sliced meats, cheese and veggies.

And, Sportsman’s Cafe, at 109 Main Avenue East, is a sweet hometown cafe, featuring a delectable all-day breakfast smorgasbord. Some of the highlights include stuffed hash browns, chicken fried steak, and dinner plate-sized pancakes.

Planning a trip to Deer River?

Be sure to add these two delicious food destinations – winners of “Best Pizza” and runner-up for “Best Breakfast” – to your itinerary.

Blueberry Bowl

Blueberry Bowl has been open since 1986 and owned by Kim and Jeremy Magnuson since June 2017. Their comprehensive menu offers appetizers, burgers, pizza, steak, seafood and more.

Blueberry Bowl is the winner of this year’s “Best Pizza” category in the Best of the Best contest. Forty-three businesses were nominated, with over 3,900 votes cast for the top 20 nominees.

“We’re definitely best known for our variety of pizzas,” Kim Mag- nuson said. “We slice our own meats and cheeses, use fresh veggies, and the dough and sauce are homemade.”

Blueberry Bowl’s pizzas all have a thin crust, and are made with hand-rolled dough. They also offer take-and-bake pizzas.

“Since we bought the place, we’ve made 50,000 pizzas,” Magnuson said. “And Deer River only has a population of 800. It’s really a popular destination spot.”

Sportsman’s Cafe Sportsman’s Cafe, owned by

Heather Howsen, is a “cute little hometown cafe” which can seat about 70 people. The cafe has been around since 1950 and owned by Howsen for the last 21 years.

Sportsman’s opens its doors at 5 a.m., seven days a week, and people start coming in the doors at 4 a.m. for coffee. Sportsman’s is, above all, focused on home cooking, and everything here is made from scratch: real mashed potatoes, soups, sausage gravy, and much more. And their award-winning breakfast is served all day.

Sportsman’s Cafe took second place in this year’s “Best Break- fast” category in the Best of the Best contest. Sixty-nine restaurants were nominated, with over 3,300 votes cast for the top 20.

“Our most popular breakfast item is probably the stuffed hash browns,” Howsen said. “They’re packed with sausage, ham, tomatoes, onion, green peppers, black olives, cheese, mushrooms and bacon. And our ultimate stuffed hash browns include two eggs inside, with sausage gravy.”

Other breakfast favorites include dinner-plate sized pancakes, country-fried steak, and omelets.

Reflections on winning

In a tiny town like Deer River, being nominated for an award based in Duluth is a big deal. And winning is truly an honor.

“It’s a huge accomplishment for us,” Kim Magnuson said. “We’re extremely excited and appreciate that a lot of our customers put so much effort into voting.”

“It’s hard to wrap my head around it,” Howsen said. “I was so young when I bought this business. It means so much to me how many people have supported me. Our customers, and our employees, are so loyal.”

For more information, please visit blueberrybowl.com, or thesportsmanscafe.com. Both businesses are also on Facebook.