Nokomis Restaurant on the North Shore to close
October 2, 2012 at 7:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
Owners of a chef-driven, contemporary American restaurant on the North Shore announced Tuesday they are closing at the end of the month. Continue Reading

Nokomis is a very nice restaurant, but it’s prices are very high. In this horrible economy, families just can’t afford to do upscale dining! Good luck to all of them, on their new adventure!
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Actually, Nokomis’ price range wasn’t any different than the Scenic or Blackwoods.
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I just compared one item on the menu, the chicken dinner, it is $14.99 at the Blackwoods, and $22.00 at the Nokomis. Also my boys prefer the Blackwood, because they do offer sandwiches, burgers, nachos, etc. Not trying to start an argument. Nokomis is very nice as I said, but fine dining is very expensive.
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Blackwoods is not in the same league as Nokomis. Nokomis is similar to 301, New Scenic and Lake Ave. Cafe, and JJ Astor, and it’s prices were comparable. And in my opinion Nokomis was the best of the lot.
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Well, when you compare one item to a similar item, then there are going to be differences, of course. Prices on the Blackwoods menu range up to $29, and their planked salmon, for example, is overpriced for what you get, in my opinion.
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You all have excellent points! You get what you pay for, most of the time!
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My unqualified opinion is that Nokomis offerred something in short supply in this area – skillfully and creatively prepared “honest” food in an uncluttered ambience at a fair price. Losing Nokomis leaves a void that I’m afraid won’t easily be filled by a true restaurateur. Bob Bennett and the chef at Nokomis are in a league of their own in a restaurant desert such as the likes of the Twin Ports and the Arrowhead. This is the land of the smothered in excesses “gourmet” burger.
The proprietors had a good run and they are owed a thanks by the “chambers of commerce” types for offerring locals and visitors alike, something other than the mediocre or portion-controlled, factory-farmed rubbish that you get in most joints around here.
I wish them a long, healthy and relaxing retirement.
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They also took risks on the menu, tried new things. That is very hard to find around here.
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I feel the food was fine, and interesting. The drive to get there was a killer though. You could get to places like the Timberlodge, Pickwick and Red Lobster, even the Hammond, eat and get home in the length of time it took to just drive to Nokomis. In my humble opinion I think this restaurant would have had more business, and subsequently people standing in line to purchase the business when this day came, had it been located in or much nearer to Duluth. Best of luck to the retiring owners.
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It’s a good thing Wild Rice in Bayfield is still open. All the foodies can come out here to get their gourmet dining fix.
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An old broadcast of Venture North featured a Bayfield restaurant run by two ladies who sourced a good deal of their fruit and veg from an established farmer with a large market garden operation. The restaurateurs planned menus around seasonal produce available on the day – literally whatever was delivered in the basket. Whether it’s a chicken or the egg first metaphor – the result was ingenuity and innovation in recipes, food preparation and a creative offer to the public.
That is the true spirit of cooking, the competence of a master chef(s) and LOCAL as local is meant to be!
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I had 2 experiences there, unfortunately neither was positive. A shame, as I had high expectations based upon “reviews”.
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