Paul Lundgren Posts

Poll: Best Restaurant for Vegetarians

There are no strictly vegetarian restaurants in the Duluth area, but there are a few that go out of their way to provide good vegetarian options on their menus. Which ones are the best? That’s for you to decide. So we ask …

What is the best Duluth-area restaurant for vegetarians?

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This poll is now closed. The restaurants advancing to the final round are At Sara’s Table / Chester Creek Café and Duluth Grill.

Facebook and Twitter Login on PDD

There were problems this week with the WordPress plugin that allows PDD users to log in via Facebook. In geek speak: “Facebook changed its API login procedures, which broke the plugin.”

We have a new plugin running now, so, if you are the sort to log in via Facebook instead of creating a PDD account the old fashioned way, please give it a try and let us know if you have problems. The new plugin also allows logins through Twitter. (If you are not logged in you can click either social icon below to launch. If you are logged in, you won’t see icons below.)

A few polls opened this week that those of you who log in with Facebook had been excluded from until now. They are still open, so there’s still time for that.

Note: Logging in will not allow you to purchase health insurance from Perfect Duluth Day.

A little early with his Halloween jokes

Duluth News Tribune cartoon by R. D. Handy from 100 years ago — Oct. 23, 1913.

Poll: Best Asian Food in the Duluth Area

The nominations are in; now it’s time to pick the finalists.

Which restaurant serves the best Asian food?

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This poll is now closed. The restaurants advancing to the final round are Hanabi Japanese Cuisine, Pak’s Green Corner, Taste of Saigon and Sala Thai.

Abraham Lincoln was here … bro

Poll: Best Burgers in the Duluth Area

Let the elimination round begin.

Which restaurant serves the best burgers?

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This poll is now closed. The restaurants advancing to the final round are the Anchor Bar and Fitger’s Brewhouse.

Poll: Best Pizza in the Duluth Area

The nominations are in, and it’s time to whittle down the options. So we ask …

Who makes the best pizza?

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This poll is now closed. The restaurants advancing to the final round are Pizza Lucé, Sammy’s Pizza, Thirsty Pagan Brewing and Vintage Italian Pizza.

Perfect Lunch Restaurant: Northern Waters Smokehaus

When it comes to lunch in Duluth, the sandwich is king. Not one pizza place, burger joint or Asian restaurant managed to crack the top four in Perfect Duluth Day’s poll to determine the best lunch restaurants. Furthermore, the place with the best sandwiches in town, Northern Waters Smokehaus, smoked the competition. A solid majority of 55.4 percent of voters agreed Northern Waters is the best mid-day meal around.

Clearly the deliciousness is no secret — there’s almost always a noon-hour line at Northern Waters.

NWS-lunch-line

Southwire picked to click

City Pages selected Duluth band Southwire as one of the groups “picked to click” in 2013. Minneapolis hip-hop artist Lizzo was picked #1. Southwire came in at #8.

PDD Awards: The Next Six

We’re going to accelerate the process of the PDD Awards IndexPDD Awards and conclude the Food & Drink category before the end of the month, then take a break so you can focus on political voting.

The next six categories to be voted on will be:

  • Best Pizza Restaurant
  • Best Burger Restaurant
  • Best Asian Restaurant
  • Best Italian Restaurant
  • Best Mexican Restaurant
  • Best Vegetarian Restaurant

So spout out your nominees for all six categories in the comments here, and we’ll start the voting when it seems like you’re about done.

Duluth Little Free Library Guide

It’s been more than a year since the first post on Perfect Duluth Day about Little Free Libraries, and the trend seems to be growing. So now it’s time to update the list and include some photos to show what’s out there.

Little Free Libraries, of course, are boxes full of books where anyone may stop by and pick some up or drop some off.

(As usual, click on these photos to see them larger.)


997 84th Ave. W. (Morgan Park neighborhood)
Steve & Janelle Schoenbauer, Stewards #2336

Seventh1 Seventh2 Seventh3
16 E. Seventh St. (Central Hillside neighborhood)
Colin Engstrom, Steward #8416


1612 E. Skyline Parkway (East Hillside neighborhood)
John Pastor, Steward #2278

Best Lunch in the Duluth Area

Our previous poll tells us the top four lunch restaurants in Duluth are: How Sweet it is Cakes Deli, Northern Waters Smokehaus, Red Mug Coffeehouse and Bake Shop and Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake. Now it’s time to pick a winner, so again we ask …

Which restaurant serves the best lunch?

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This poll is now closed. The results are:

Northern Waters Smokehaus — 55.4 percent
How Sweet it is Cakes Deli — 21.5 percent
Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake — 13.9 percent
Red Mug Coffeehouse and Bake Shop — 9.2 percent

Mitch’s & Grill

mitchs-and-grill

Is there a more slapped together billboard in Duluth?

R.I.P. Joe Gomer

Joe Gomer, Minnesota’s last surviving member of the Tuskegee Airmen, has died at 93.

Statement from Mayor Ness:

Duluth lost a national hero with the passing of Joe Gomer, one of the few remaining Tuskegee Airmen who served in WWII. Joe and his family moved to Duluth in 1963 and have been an integral part of our community ever since. While we mourn, we can also take comfort in knowing that he received the recognition he rightly deserved. Joe was able to witness the unveiling of a life-sized statue at the Duluth International Airport. The Joe Gomer Monument will forever serve as a reminder of Joe’s vast contributions to our community and country.

Duluth News Tribune: Legendary Tuskegee Airman Joe Gomer of Duluth dies

Best Duluth Lunch Poll

Earlier this week, PDD asked where the best lunch is in Duluth. We got 31 different answers. Now it’s time to see which of those answers hold weight. It’s time to roll out the fancy polling tool.

Which restaurant serves the best lunch?

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This poll is now closed. Four restaurants move on to the finals:

How Sweet it is Cakes
Northern Waters Smokehaus
Red Mug Coffeehouse and Bake Shop
Sir Benedict’s Tavern on the Lake

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