Finding Faith ... in a hearty meal

The Hungry Duck Restaurant in Blackduck, Minn., is a labor of love for Mary and David Hower and family.

The Hungry Duck Restaurant is kind of a misnomer for a place that you will absolutely, in no way, ever leave hungry.

The Hungry Duck has become a new tradition for Shelley and I as we make our pilgrimages to the cabin now. We stumbled across it during one of our missions into neighboring Blackduck, Minn., and now can't imagine a trip to the cabin being complete without a visit to see the labor of love for David and Mary Hower, the husband and wife team that opened the mom-and-pop café on Main Street in July 2019.

Located in a nondescript, aluminum-sided building in what goes for Blackduck's "downtown," you might even miss the restaurant if you aren't on the lookout for their small, painted plywood sign screwed to the building's exterior. And the restaurant's cozy interior, that sits about six tables comfortably is anything but pretentious, so if it's ambience that matters most to you, you might want to skip this stop.

Blackduck is 25 miles north of Bemidji via Highway 71.

However, if you don't mind a heaping dose of downhome hospitality with serving sizes that you'll likely never be able to finish, then you best get down U.S. Highway 71 to make a pitstop at the Hungry Duck.

Mary said in a story in the Blackduck American when they opened that opening her own restaurant is a dream come true, and to be able to do it on Main Street, where she hung out as teen, made it even more special.

“Main Street was a hangout for me when I was in high school and it’s nice to be in that spot, bringing life to downtown,” Mary was quoted in the newspaper story. “It has been sad to see the empty buildings downtown and I thought that if I can help to bring it back to what it was like when I was a kid, I’d love to do that.”

Mary, and her husband David, own the restaurant together with his sister and brother-in-law, so it truly is a family affair. On any given visit, you'll see Mary and other family members busy flitting about the tables, taking care of the front-of-house, as David man's the cooking in the kitchen. And on our most recent visit, you could hear a bit of "friendly" discussion taking place as the swinging kitchen door would go back and forth on its hinges.

"Sorry about that commotion earlier," the down-to-earth Mary said to me as I paid for our meal later. "But, you know, when you work with family ..." she trailed off.

Oh, I know, Mary. ... We all know.

The Hungry Duck menu isn't large, but it doesn't have to be. They have right amount of selection that gives you a little something for whatever mood your belly is in. There's a variety of sandwiches, salads, soups, desserts and there's the obligatory children's menu as well. There's also a health-sized breakfast menu, from which you can order all day! ... Which, to me, is a must when it comes to a small town café. But, I have to warn you, you have to plan your visits accordingly, because the Hungry Duck is only open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. ... I imagine this helps keep the overhead down in a town where I can't imagine there is a steady stream of regulars.

So, I am a fan of big, ol' weekend breakfasts, especially the kind cooked on open griddles in small town restaurants. It's part nostalgia for me, as my mom worked in small town restaurants all of her life, for about 45 years before her body gave out and she retired. But, for me, it's also the luxury of taking your time on a lazy weekend morning, and laboring over a big ol' plate of eggs and meat and vegetables and potatoes. ... I think breakfasts are why weekends were made.

So both times we visited this summer, I've ordered an omelet, and Mary has graciously allowed me to customize it. On the menu, they have both a "Denver" and a "Meat Lovers" omelet. Well, I love a lot of vegetables with my lot of meat in my omelets, and Mary's allowed me to order the "Meat Lovers" with the green peppers, onions and mushrooms added in. ... Out. Of. This. World.

First, no normal person should eat a meal this big. The omelet must contain three eggs, and the fills up almost half of one of those oval, white porcelain plates that are so ubiquitous in mom-and-pop cafes. Then they add a sizable portion of hashbrowns and two, diagonally cut slices of thick, whole-wheat toast, perfectly done and slathered in butter. No listen, I am a big feller, but this meal will fill the hungriest of the hungry. And you will not be leaving the Hungry Duck hungry.

The first time we ate at the Duck back in June, Shelley also had an omelet that at the time she reported was just as delicious, and it was just as big. And, as a normal person should, she took half of it home to eat later that night.

But this time around, it was a little later in the day, and so she went straight to the lunch menu. Her eyes settled on the Italian beef sandwich, and that was it. The sandwich came on an artisan chunk of bread, which was topped with seeds and crusted cheese, and she reports tasting a hint of rosemary in the bread. We talked briefly about asking where they purchase their bread, but forgot by the time we left. The sandwich was piled high with succulent sliced beef, gooey cheese, fried onions and delicious mushrooms, and it was accompanied by its own sizable portion of home cut French fries. The plate was completed with a white, porcelain cup-size bowl of dipping juice.

Now, while I am a fan of food in general, and love trying everything from fair food to high end chefs, Shelley is a cook and a food connoisseur. And so when she raves about a sandwich like she did this one, you know you better put it on your bucket list. As she became full, she eventually shared a forkful of the beef, cheese, onions and mushrooms as she was trying to clean up what was left of the half of the sandwich she did eat. (She took the rest home for later.) And it was mouthwatering. ... She maybe even convinced me that on the next trip I'll order lunch!

Finally, we also shared an appetizer of onion rings, which is my second favorite thing to order at small town cafes because generally they come handmade. And these were no different. Thickly sliced onions were coated in a delicious homemade batter, and they were fried to perfection, crispy but not burnt. ... Hmm, so maybe next time it'll be a sandwich and onion rings for me, now that I think about it!

Now, listen, I understand that Blackduck isn't on the way to many places. (NOTE: Hilariously, the town's slogan plastered on car stickers and sweatshirts is: : "Where the hell is Blackduck?") But, if you find yourself in the neighborhood of north-central Minnesota, put the Hungry Duck on your itinerary. ... You will not regret. I promise!