Burgers, fries and a big surprise!

Okay, not really a surprise as any trip back home means at least one visit (and usually more) to our iconic Big Boy drive-thru! It may be surprising to others that you eat your fries with their fantastic gravy and a pizza burger flying style. Big Boy has many other items on their menu, but for most people in our family (and anyone who marries into it) those are the only items ever ordered. There might be one more item - a Hot N' Tot (Coke with cinnamon syrup).

It's not just the food that makes the Big Boy experience so memorable, it's the shared event of eating your food in your car in the parking lot next to the restaurant as there is no eat-in option. Some folks choose to take their food out to one of the picnic tables under the trees but then you're a much easier target for the squirrels begging for your lunch. On our second visit to Big Boy on our trip home, we were treated to a show of a half dozen turkeys chasing one of their own around the trees trying to establish their pecking order.

Big Boy is also part of most Bismarck and Mandan high school students experience. Dragging Main in Bismarck included the Big Boy as one of the turn-around spots is the Big Boy parking lot!

A more elegant part of our culinary experience on this trip was a little visit to the Patisserie on Fourth. They hosted a Night at the Opera event which featured cakes all inspired by and named for elements or characters of the Phantom of the Opera. We sampled the Phantom and Opera cakes which were both beyond wonderful! We bought a box of truffles to take home with us for good measure and bought mom and dad a dessert as they didn't join us. Roses graced each table and art from area artists decorated the walls. I was particularly enamored with the artwork of Julie Neidlinger. I was also very tempted by the gorgeous silent auction cakes that were created for the event!

I only wish there had been more in attendance to support this fantastic and unique event. It's frustrating to find that people are so reluctant to step out of their comfort zone and try something new and really frustrating to realize the lack of support for artists and their creations.