Legion Fish Fry "Put A Smile On Everyone's Face!"

On Friday, May 14, my co-worker's Father called her and asked her if she would like to meet him for a fish fry "at that place by Highway 210." Co-worker said, "You mean the American Legion?" The answer was "Yes" and the agreed upon time to meet at the American Legion Post 39 in North St. Paul was 5:30 p.m. that afternoon.

I went with Co-worker in her car to the American Legion where we were pleased to see many cars in the large parking lot (more cars means more people having fun), but we were also pleased to see a parking place available at the end of the middle row of parked cars. We parked the car and walked to the door of the American Legion, enjoying the beautiful spring weather.

We walked into the bar and looked for Co-worker's Father but didn't see him, so we walked through the bar area looking for him. Then a patron sitting at one of the tables in the bar area asked us if we were looking for someone. We said that we were and the patron suggested that we look in the dining area of the Banquet Hall room. The patron said, "Many of the people who come to the Legion go to the Banquet Hall area so you might find who you're looking for in there."

Co-worker and I walked around the stage in the dance floor area of the bar, down the hall to the rows of tables with chairs in the large Banquet Hall dining area. Co-worker was surprised to see and hear a band playing made up of a duo. There were couples dancing a waltz on the dance floor in front of the band. There in the Banquet Hall, sitting at one of the tables near the other entrance door than the door we came through, we found Co-worker's Father enjoying the music while waiting for us to arrive. He said that the people in the Banquet Hall looked like they were really enjoying themselves dancing the waltz and the two-step.

We all walked back into the bar area and sat at one of the dining tables in front of a long row of large windows along the front wall of the Legion building facing the parking lot. It was comfortable sitting. After a couple minutes, one of the Legion workers opened one of the windows near where we were sitting, and a nice cool fresh air came into the room. This was the middle of May on a nice day, and the air felt really nice.

A waitress came over to our table and welcomed us in a friendly way. She explained that she was the drink waitress, and so Co-worker and I ordered one of the $1.00 tap beers; I had the Budweiser flavor and she ordered the Miller Lite. Co-worker's Father commented that he didn't know that she drank beer, and she replied that for only $1.00 it was such a good deal that that is why she ordered the beer.

The beer arrived in glass glasses and was cold and fresh tasting. I like the way the beer at the American Legion in North St. Paul tastes. It has that taste to it that tastes like they keep the tap lines clean. The beer always seems to have the right amount of bubbles and head to give it a refreshing taste.

The fish can be ordered in two styles; either as baked or as fried. Good news for those of you who like your fish baked is that now the baked fish is also all-you-can-eat. Earlier in the year, only the fried fish was all-you-can-eat.

Something to remember if you can't decide if you want the baked or fried variety is that you can't mix and match. In other words, if you order the fried, and then want seconds, your seconds have to be fried; you can't order the fried for the first basket serving and then get the baked for seconds. Of course, the way to get a taste of both varieties is to go to the Legion with more people than just yourself, like I did, and my companion was nice enough to give me a taste of her baked fish.

The really good news is that everyone who I was there with, including myself, said that their fish, as well as the accompanying fries and coleslaw, were excellent tasting. So good in fact that we all ordered seconds.

Another thing happened that day in the Legion besides the great tasting good and excellent service that put a smile on my face, as well as on the faces of everyone in the Legion bar area. A man sitting at the bar bought everyone in the bar a free drink, and bought every woman in the place a free rose from someone that happened to be in the bar selling roses. When my companion walked up to him and thanked him for what he had done, he said that he had done it "just to put a smile on everyone's face." I thanked him too.

The Rose From Legion At Companion's House

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