Pure entertainment!
I stopped into Crooked Creek while driving from Southern North Dakota to Rapid City, South Dakota. I wasn't exactly hungry, but I hadn't seen another bar or restaurant in hours and was curious what it'd be like, since the town it was in (Ludlow) only had a bar, a church and a school (which sounds like the beginning of a joke).
The lady behind the bar could only be described as a cool grandma. Or a sassy senior biker. She swore like a sailor, but in a very humorous way. While talking me into buying a steak salad, she was training another seasoned gal how to operate the Ipad cash register. When her trainee would ask a question, that she thought was dumb, she'd calling her an idiot...in the most loving way. It was like watching Lucy and Ethel banter on an episode of "I love Lucy"
Like I said, I wasn't very hungry, but was a tiny bit surprised when my salad arrived; consisting on nothing more than a bowl of iceberg lettuce and steak, sans the toppings listed on the menu (cheese, tomatoes, onions, olives etc). When I inquired as to where the other ingredients were, "Lucy" replied " Oh! People around here don't like that stuff. Gimme just a sec to get it all for you. You'll love my dressings. They're home made". She was right. I loved her 1000 island...and the salad; once all the other ingredients were added. Not the price though ($10.50); although I'm told everything in/near North Dakota is more expensive now that oil is booming and the states population is drastically growing in size.
The bar itself is very confusing for an A-type personality like myself. It is adorned with chotchkies and knickknacks that must not really have another place in that 3 horse (building) town. It was like a garage sale exploded. The front area had a tile floor and tables and a church piano (like maybe the Swearing Sailor gave lessons on the side). That large room led to another large room - which looked to be filled with kids' toys. Like maybe that side of the building was a daycare. Not that any of that mattered. I was just a bit distracted; wanting to tags most of the items before grabbing her Ipad and placing ad on Craigslist saying they'd be holding a rummage sale that weekend.
I have to say, the place is much larger on the inside that it appears and the company was more crass - albeit fun - than anywhere else I'd go on my road trip.
You have to stop by here, if time allows, for no other reason than to eat a salad (bowl of lettuce) like all the happy cows do (that you'll pass between the hours of grassy countryside). read more
