Toasted Frog, a different kind of bar

The Toasted Frog, offering the finest in cocktails and cuisine. Photo by Nicholas Nelson/The Dakota Student.

The Toasted Frog lounge and restaurant — for those 21 and up — was packed with Grand Forks community members last week.

Toasted Frog has been around since May 2006 and is a slightly more upscale restaurant than what you would typically find in Grand Forks.

It is located near the Minnesota border, adjacent to Joe Black’s.

Normally at the Toasted Frog, customers would have to wait around 45 minutes to be seated, but my party of six made reservations ahead of time and got seated right away.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was inviting. Right away, our server greeted us  and introduced us to the different selection of available wines and what they should be paired with.

Its menu is limited in items but still has something for everyone — soups and salads to seafood and steak.

I first ordered an appetizer of fried pickles for the table. They consisted of egg roll wraps filled with dill pickle spears, havarti, a mild semi-soft cheese and topped with a sriracha ranch sauce.

They were delicious and enjoyed by the entire table.

For my entree, I ordered the walleye picatta, a filet of walleye, dusted in flour with capers, shallots, garlic, lemon juice, butter and grilled vegetables.

I chose the wasabi garlic mashed potato as my side, as recommended by our server.

They were good, but a little too spicy.

I was a bit skeptical about the capers, which is the flowering bud of the caper bush, usually paired with Mediterranean dishes.  However, having a slightly salty and citrus taste, it went well with the walleye.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal, and it was even better that I didn’t have to wait to be seated.

I would rate the Toasted Frog a five out of five stars, because every dish was perfection and the environment and service was superb.

For anyone who has not tried the Toasted Frog before but who enjoys delicious and well thought dishes, I highly recommend eating here.

Colin Johnson is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].