Carpenter's is old Minnesota. Forget the restaurants trying to look old; this IS old. I started eating there about 35 years ago, and little has changed. You can imagine this as a stop on the railroad, or on old highway 61 when it was a gravel road in the 20's. According to my dad, back then Duluth was five or six hours and at least one flat tire away. Hwy 61 was a dusty, slow drive as it wove back and forth across the railroad tracks every time a swamp got in the way.
Pros: This is old Minnesota at its best
Cons: You can't turn this into a franchise!
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