Peoples Organic is a new addition to the many restaurants Fargo has to offer, and the food that is served is a refreshing option for environmentally and socially-conscious consumers. Contrasted by the Famous Dave’s BBQ and Taco John’s to its left, Peoples Organic serves local, organic and fair trade meals, desserts, coffee, beer, and wine.
My taste-testing partner and I entered and an employee informed us that they would start serving table-side at four. It was 3:50, so we walked up to the cash register to order our food.
Staring at the wide menu behind the cash register was completely overwhelming. They offer dishes as normal as a grilled cheese and as obscure as a broiled pink grapefruit. Something that’s going on my list for next time is the bison burger. The amount of choices that Peoples Organic offers is astounding, and it took a long time to first read the menu that was printed in such a small font to accommodate every option, and then narrow down what I actually wanted to try—which was everything. Peoples offers everything from breakfast to salads to sandwiches and burgers. They also have a giant case of desserts, a coffee menu, and a beer and wine bar. I settled on an espresso macchiato and two desserts—a raspberry bar and caramel bar. Honestly, that was all my wallet would allow. Organic is good, but organic is expensive.
Eight dollars later, I took my first bite of the ooey-gooey caramel bar. It was sweet, salty, and so delicious. I decided to branch out a little with the espresso macchiato. It was, surprisingly, my first espresso drink that hadn’t come in a 16 oz. paper Solo cup and I felt like I should have been sipping it out on the patio of a café in Paris. It was strong. It was good. It went down nicely and contrasted with the super sweetness of the caramel bar, and then got the weird taste out of my mouth when I tried the raspberry bar next to it. The raspberry in the middle of my second dessert had the consistency of fruit leather, and the flavorless crumbly crust on either side of it did nothing to mask the texture.
Weird dessert aside, I think Peoples Organic will be a great facet in our community not only to provide an outlet for earth-friendly eating, but as a relaxed place to visit, either to have a meal, talk over coffee, or relax at the bar with the wide selection of beer and wine. The restaurant has high ceilings and vibrant colors that give it a modern and inviting vibe. It is spacious and lit with a lot of natural sunlight. If its three other Minnesota locations are any indicator, I think the recent addition of Peoples Organic will do just fine in North Dakota.
