I was in Brainerd for a Farm to Kids Roadshow - with my Renewing the Countryside hat on connecting…read morefarmers to schools for local food sourcing. So I thought I'd check in on one of my favorite chefs Matt Annand (featured in the MN Homegrown cookbook) and sadly Prairie Bay is closed. But he's now running the show at Notch*8. He's still bringing the good stuff - elevated but recognizable supper-club style wedge salad, tender brisket on focaccia with an onion soup jus that was so satisfying. (Literally- I could make a post about the jus) The show stopper? This off menu (but I'm told it could become a regular) desert has no name as of yet - but I'll give you my take... Zabaione takes a trip to the lakes region and cosplays as a roasted marshmallow - falls in love with the local berries and settles down in a house with a view. Make sense? The zabaione had a perfect balance/consistency- but the brûlée at the end was brilliant. I was here "out of season" for local fruit but I know Matt is committed to local sourcing - so an excellent dish will only get better with "in season" fruit. (I'd love to have seen a kernza flour + hazelnut cookie on top - but that may be gilding the lily) great job crew!

We stopped at Notch 8 to check it out. We sat at the bar and Ryan waited on us. We ordered the…read moreDumplings, which were fabulous. Also we ordered the Ahi Tuna Asian Bowl, another delicious meal. I do have to say that Ryan made our experience perfect, he was very helpful with the specials and service! He is a gem!

I just had my daughter's wedding here this past week end. What a FANTASTIC venue!…read moreThis was a perfect place to have her DYI celebration. We were able to create an event that was totally personal. THANK YOU BACK SHED!

From the owner: Introducing... The BackShed!…read more We wanted to bring something bigger & better to Royalton for all of your events, and we are doing just that! We purchased the old Smieja Implement in Royalton and are in the process of transforming the "BackShed" (a 40' x 105' pole shed) into a beautiful venue for all your party needs! We are planning to be open in April, 2023! Contact us by email (thebackshed@yahoo.com) or telephone (320-247-5109) with questions and bookings!

Great What…read moreI was here for 2 nights for work and this spot was great. There was a gym though small, it had the basics. The breakfast also was good for what it was. Environment Off a major road. There are only a couple of floors. The breakfast area was fairly big Niceness of the staff No complains. I was able to get what I needed. Dollar Decently priced Yes I would stay here again yes

Had a great time staying at this hotel. When I checked in, the front desk was pleasant and…read moreefficient. My room was spacious and clean. It had a decent size mini refrigerator and a microwave. The bathroom was clean but the tub didn't drain the water fast so it built up when I was taking a shower. The water park was very cool, and came with staying the night. The water park area wasn't on, but the lazy River, activity pool, and 2 hot tubs were able to be used. In the morning I tried the gym and it was very small. But it had dumbbells and a bench so I was able to make it work. Plus a treadmill, bike, and elliptical machine. The breakfast in the morning was one of the best I've had at a chain. They had cinnamon rolls, a pancake machine, eggs, chicken sausage, biscuits & gravy, ripe apples and bananas, and many more. They also had little goody bags so you could take some things to go with you. When I checked out the front desk was pleasant. Overall a great stay!

We had our wedding ceremony and reception here (Sept 2014) and it was AMAZING. We got married on…read morethe lawn between the barn and the lake, afterwards our guests headed inside for drinks and dinner. We ended our night playing yard games outside and making s'mores around a fire. It was a great time! Larson's Barn has a beautiful dance floor that we used for our first dance. Kathy is very easy to work with, even when we got there late to set-up the day before. There was a frost warning the day before the wedding and Kathy was sure to cover all of the flower beds. The next day although jack frost had come through all of the plants and flowers looked great. Since our entire group was from out of the area we also rented the small cabin and the under the barn apartment for the weekend. It was great for all of the bridesmaids and groomsman to be onsite, less stressful for everyone. We even had a hairstylist come out to the barn to do the girls hair. Everything was very convenient for being in the country of MN.

So many frustrations for my sister's wedding..breakers blowing causing us to have to plug some food…read morein on the stage and other places, no clear place for guests to pay for camping, no handicapped access ( so make sure all your guests can climb sever steep stairs), among other things. This biggest frustration was my sister paid a pretty hefty price for this place for the weekend and we couldn't get in until noon the day the wedding...why you ask, because they were showing it to another couple after we spent the entire day before decorating it for my sister's big day...I would not recommend this place to anyone

Relaxing space for unwinding and enjoying company. The wines are a unique offering not found in big…read moreplaces or most stores. They checked in often and ensured we were enjoying our wine and food. The food on the large board was amazing! There were delightful flavors and textures for all!

The wine, most importantly, had a good collection and clean glasses. The service was polite and the…read moredecor is comfortable. Unfortunately the charcuterie options are fairly limited, and the cocktails can come without listed garnishes and ingredients without warning. Would come again for wine, would seek out elsewhere for cocktails and charcuterie.

Breakfast menu and food was great! Service was terrible. Rude, not service focused waitresses. Went…read moreto breakfast on two different Saturdays, both times bad service. Unfortunately won't be going back. Gave 3 stars for the food and prices.

The food was average at best. Looked homemade but wasn't. Service again was not great…read more Unfortunately it was a lot of young people that were more interested in hanging out then serving customers or checking in. It is decorated fairly cute.

Visiting from Montana. House red wine was great! The atmosphere had a nice cozy and friendly vibe,…read moreespecially since the owner came to our table and offered us a tour. Very impressed with the customer service, owner who is very personable and of course the wine. Definitely recommend!

Great wine and atmosphere inside. However, we were told we couldn't sit outside because it's too…read morewindy. yikes. My family has no desire to sit inside on a beautiful Minnesota summer day. Once they get the outdoor seating situation figured out, we'll be back!

I stayed at Pine Peaks Lodge and Suites while I was in town for a business trip and had a really…read moregood stay. The room was clean, the bed and pillows were comfortable, and I appreciated having a mini fridge and microwave in the room. The only issue I had was that the lock on the room door didn't work, and there wasn't a secondary lock on the inside. Other than that, everything was great, and I'd definitely stay here again.

This was our third stay at Pine Peaks Lodge within the past year. When we stayed in 2025, we had a…read moregreat experience. Unfortunately, during our 2026 visit, we noticed a significant decline. Compared to other lodging options in the area, this property is now falling behind in several ways. Some areas that could be improved include: * The walls are very thin, so noise from neighboring rooms carries easily. * There is no longer a complimentary breakfast, which was disappointing. * The toilet seat slams shut and could use soft-close bumpers. * The bathroom door swing makes the space feel cramped. * The room could use another trash or recycling bin. * The lighting is very dim, making the room feel dark. * The bedding feels outdated and wasn't very comfortable for the summer. * The microwave's turntable didn't rotate. * We found a fly between the sheets, which was concerning. * The TV remote only worked when standing directly in front of the TV, making it difficult to use. * The pool is small and very shallow. The property also has an on-site restaurant, but we found the prices to be considerably higher than other nearby dining options. There is only one picnic table available for guests, and it's located between the designated smoking area and the dumpster, making it an unpleasant place to enjoy a meal or relax outside. We noticed other reviews mention concerns about management, but our goal isn't to criticize--it's to provide honest, constructive feedback. We've stayed here multiple times because we know what this property is capable of. We hope management views these suggestions as opportunities to improve the guest experience, because with better maintenance, updated amenities, and more attention to guest comfort, Pine Peaks Lodge could once again be a top choice in the area.

We'd heard really great things about the food here, so we were really looking forward to trying it…read moreout, but unfortunately the experience was all-around bad. Service was pretty rough from the start. Our server was friendly, but they spilled our drinks at the table and then had to take them back because they'd been made with bad milk. It took forever to get the first round and even longer to get the second. You'd think they'd move faster getting us the second round given the first was spilled and made with bad milk! Definitely a missed opportunity to make up for the poor overall service. The bread was the highlight of the night, which is very telling given it was standard crostini bread. That said, it was warm, fresh, and served with delicious butter. Unfortunately, the rest of the meal didn't live up to that start. The food took far, far, far too long to come out and when it finally did, it didn't all arrive together. Half the table started eating while the other half just sat and watched and continued to wait for their food to come. I thought they brought it out separately to serve things hot, but the food that was first brought out was only lukewarm. I got the steak sandwich, which was fine but pretty bland. Even the sauce couldn't save it... The fries were well-seasoned but soft and floppy, which just made them feel sad and unappealing. I had an espresso martini with dinner and it was basically a chocolate drink with no real espresso flavor. Overall, the setting was fine, but slow service, uneven timing, and subpar food made this a disappointing experience.

We'd heard so much about this place we tried it for our Anniversary dinner. Made a reservation…read moreearly and we were the only ones in the dining room. We ordered the swordfish special and the short rib dinner plus a crab cake app. The short rib was very good. The rest meh. The service was really slow. Just glad it wasn't busy. Probably won't be back.