During our trip to West Central Minnesota earlier this year, our options for restaurants in the Spicer/New London area where we were staying were pretty limited. We had heard from a couple locals that the American Legion posts in both Spicer and New London had pretty good food. We had gone into the American Legion in Spicer one rainy afternoon to get a drink and an appetizer and it looked pretty nice in there. We were up at a small brew pub in New London one evening, but their kitchen was closed. A couple seated at the bar next to us was telling us about the American Legion Post 537 a couple blocks away. "I know it sounds strange," the lady told us. "But they have pretty good food over there." We decided to be like the locals that evening and we went over to the American Legion for dinner.
American Legion posts like the one in Spicer and New London are the backbone of small communities in the Upper Midwest. They're membership driven, but their restaurants (if they have one) and lounges are usually open to the public. Quite actually, we found the two American Legion posts in Spicer and New London to be clean, spacious and well kept. They were two of the nicer places we were in during our vacation.
We could have walked from the brew pub to the American Legion in New London as it was just a couple blocks away. (see map) We found parking on the street in front of the place which looked like it had been added onto over the years to expand their dining area.
Going inside, we found a nice lounge area with a spacious dining room off to the side. We realized that we came in the lounge door, but there was a entry way that took you into the dining room on the north side of the building. Nevertheless, we went into the dining room and were greeted by a woman by the name of Kathy who ended up seating us at a table and giving us a couple menus to look over. Kathy had a very pronounced Minnesota accent, but was cheery and welcoming. She asked if we wanted a drink and my wife got a cranberry juice and vodka. I wondered what they had for craft beers available and Kathy said they really just had the regular domestics. I got a Budweiser and called it good.
It turned out that it was Steak Night at the American Legion that evening - an 8 ounce sirloin with a baked potato for $5.95. How's that for a small town deal? Except Kathy informed us that they had already sold out of potatoes by 7:30 p.m. "We get a big crowd in early for the steak nights," she said almost apologetically.
The menu at the American Legion in New London featured a little bit of everything for the family - appetizers like egg rolls, chicken wings and mini tacos; sandwiches and "build-your-own" burgers, wraps, and a number of entrees including an herb and butter-stuffed chicken breast, a classic fettuccine alfredo, a 14-ounce ribeye, and a honey-glazed grilled ham steak. A kids menu is also available.
My wife did the steak special that evening. And since they were out of baked potatoes, my wife went with the staple of Minnesota side dishes - tater tots. My wife ordered her steak medium and a couple quick cuts into the meat saw that it had a hint of pink throughout. She said it was very tender and had a great flavor to it. For $5.95, it was one helluva deal.
I went with the broiled walleye that evening. Kathy said that for 75 cents more they could put Cajun seasonings on it. I took her up on that offer. The walleye was a little mushy - I figured that the walleye was probably frozen after it was caught and filleted. But it was still very good. It was still light and flaky with that great walleye taste. I also got tater tots to go along with the walleye. Adding some Tabasco to the potatoes gave them a little more of a zip in taste.
The American Legion posts in small towns across the Upper Midwest are the community gathering place and many of them have restaurants that are open to the public. And the American Legion Post in New London was typical of many of those places. It was a very nice place to dine and the service we had was very thorough and friendly. I thought my walleye was a bit expensive - $21.75 with the Cajun seasonings added. But you couldn't beat the $5.95 8-ounce sirloin steak special my wife had that evening. The meal we had at the American Legion post in New London was a pleasant surprise and I would have no problem recommending this place if you're in the area.
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