Rustic Flag: Good food, great prices
Published April 20, 2018
The Rustic Flag is a student-run restaurant here at Aitkin High School located in the FACS room. It has a wide variety of food such as sandwiches, burgers, wraps, salads and much more. The theme is a patriotic one meant to honor our military.
“We have a couple of students going into the military, and they said, ‘We want to do that. We want to do something that promotes patriotism and honors our veterans and police officers.’ In the past, the restaurant has been themed ‘camo’ or ‘Up North.’ This year, they decided to split away from tradition and try something new,” Bast said.
Our whole class was very excited to try the food served at the restaurant, and when the day came around we were all ready to try and review the dishes we had picked. In the following reviews, you will read all about what people liked, disliked, and wish to improve about the Rustic Flag student restaurant.
The Rustic Flag is open Tuesday-Friday on days school is in session. It is open from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in room 143. Take-out orders may be placed by calling ahead at 218-927-7177.
The complete menu can be found on the school Web site here.
The Rustic Flag is a student-run restaurant here at Aitkin High School located in the FACS room. It has a wide variety of food such as sandwiches, burgers, wraps, salads and much more. The theme is a patriotic one meant to honor our military.
“We have a couple of students going into the military, and they said, ‘We want to do that. We want to do something that promotes patriotism and honors our veterans and police officers.’ In the past, the restaurant has been themed ‘camo’ or ‘Up North.’ This year, they decided to split away from tradition and try something new,” Bast said.
Our whole class was very excited to try the food served at the restaurant, and when the day came around we were all ready to try and review the dishes we had picked. In the following reviews, you will read all about what people liked, disliked, and wish to improve about the Rustic Flag student restaurant.
The Rustic Flag is open Tuesday-Friday on days school is in session. It is open from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in room 143. Take-out orders may be placed by calling ahead at 218-927-7177.
The complete menu can be found on the school Web site here.
Pulled Pork Lettuce Wrap
I have recently eaten at the local restaurant located inside the school “The Rustic Flag” and thought I would do a service to the community in the form of a formal review. The restaurant lives up to its name with the decor, clothing, and menu selection giving it that all-American style that so many people enjoy.
When looking at the menu and attempting to decide on my food of choice, I noticed that the menu is rather extensive for being a school restaurant. That being said, I eventually made my pick in the form of the pulled pork lettuce wrap. I must warn you the menu is a little misleading, it actually comes with three lettuce wraps instead of two like the menu said. Which for me, being an 18-year old boy, was a pleasant surprise. I mean, I am not one to complain about receiving too much food. If, however, you aren’t in the mood to devour three wraps worth of pulled pork, maybe go for something else.
Onto the actual taste of the food. The lettuce was perfect. Green, crisp, and definitely big enough to hold all the contents of the wrap. The fruit slaw, which is actually just pineapple, was a fantastic touch to mix up your taste buds and keep them guessing by adding the perfect amount of sweet to the savory pulled pork. My one gripe about the dish is the pulled pork component, which was a little underwhelming. The pork wasn’t bad, I ate it with satisfaction, but I’ll say this; the pork could have been better. It wasn’t, from what I could tell, seasoned at all. So it ended up just tasting like cooked meat. I would suggest possibly a bit of seasoning or something to liven up the pork and give it that little extra just to get it over the hump from satisfactory to excellent.
Now, one doesn’t eat a full meal of a barbeque favorite without eating a side or two. So as I was eating my meal I just so happened to be sitting next to my friend who had, coincidentally, ordered some curly fries. So, naturally, I pulled the old “look over there” maneuver and jacked some fries from my friend. They were great. Such good curly fries in fact that it brought a little bit of Arby’s nostalgia to my mind and nearly made me cry.
All in all I give the meal one star short of a perfect solely because the pork does lack flavor. I do actually highly recommend the restaurant because the “bang for your buck” potential is sky high and not found anywhere else.
4 out of 5 stars
—DJ Haasken
When looking at the menu and attempting to decide on my food of choice, I noticed that the menu is rather extensive for being a school restaurant. That being said, I eventually made my pick in the form of the pulled pork lettuce wrap. I must warn you the menu is a little misleading, it actually comes with three lettuce wraps instead of two like the menu said. Which for me, being an 18-year old boy, was a pleasant surprise. I mean, I am not one to complain about receiving too much food. If, however, you aren’t in the mood to devour three wraps worth of pulled pork, maybe go for something else.
Onto the actual taste of the food. The lettuce was perfect. Green, crisp, and definitely big enough to hold all the contents of the wrap. The fruit slaw, which is actually just pineapple, was a fantastic touch to mix up your taste buds and keep them guessing by adding the perfect amount of sweet to the savory pulled pork. My one gripe about the dish is the pulled pork component, which was a little underwhelming. The pork wasn’t bad, I ate it with satisfaction, but I’ll say this; the pork could have been better. It wasn’t, from what I could tell, seasoned at all. So it ended up just tasting like cooked meat. I would suggest possibly a bit of seasoning or something to liven up the pork and give it that little extra just to get it over the hump from satisfactory to excellent.
Now, one doesn’t eat a full meal of a barbeque favorite without eating a side or two. So as I was eating my meal I just so happened to be sitting next to my friend who had, coincidentally, ordered some curly fries. So, naturally, I pulled the old “look over there” maneuver and jacked some fries from my friend. They were great. Such good curly fries in fact that it brought a little bit of Arby’s nostalgia to my mind and nearly made me cry.
All in all I give the meal one star short of a perfect solely because the pork does lack flavor. I do actually highly recommend the restaurant because the “bang for your buck” potential is sky high and not found anywhere else.
4 out of 5 stars
—DJ Haasken
Pretzel Bun Bacon Cheeseburger with Curly Fries
Going to the restaurant for lunch was something I was looking forward to for awhile. When the day finally arrived, I had a good time and some great food. Walking into the restaurant I already knew what to expect because I have had classes there before. The atmosphere of the restaurant was pretty nice, it was clean cut and well set up. I noticed when we walked into the restaurant that it was a very busy day, so it would be a challenge for the restaurant workers. When all of us sat down, I noticed it took awhile for them to get to us. I felt like they could have been a little faster at getting our drinks and menus to us. Another thing I noticed was the workers weren’t as friendly as I wanted them to be. I was hoping for a smile or something like “How are you guys doing today?” Yes I know this is a student-run restaurant, but that doesn’t mean they can’t smile and be friendly and professional.
One thing I noticed that I loved were the prices and the menu. The prices were very low and they had a healthy amount of things to choose from. I ordered the pretzel bun bacon cheeseburger with curly fries. When the food arrived, we had a little issue. They set a bacon cheeseburger on a plain bun with no fries on the table and nobody claimed it, so I assumed it was mine and that they messed up on my order. So I started to chow down on this burger when about 10 minutes gone by and my actual order showed up in front of me with everything I asked for. So eating the first burger I have to say I was not so optimistic because I was a little ticked because I had thought that they messed my order up. That burger was alright. The bun was a little dry and it wasn’t the best burger I’ve ever had, but when my actual meal arrived I was very surprised with the taste of the second burger. It was five times better than the second one. I’m thinking because it had a pretzel bun on it. When it came to the burgers, I wish they would have handmade the patties with fresh beef like you do at home. These patties I noticed were all the same size and I’m sure were frozen in advance.
All in all my actual meal was pretty decent, and I was satisfied at the end. When it comes to presentation I would have loved to see the burgers in a basket instead of a white plate. The presentation wasn’t bad, I just like a basket. Even though we had some issues, they were all solved in the end and I got what I wanted and more. I think the students in restaurant handled us and their busy day pretty well.
3.5 out of 5 stars
— Jaren Johnson
One thing I noticed that I loved were the prices and the menu. The prices were very low and they had a healthy amount of things to choose from. I ordered the pretzel bun bacon cheeseburger with curly fries. When the food arrived, we had a little issue. They set a bacon cheeseburger on a plain bun with no fries on the table and nobody claimed it, so I assumed it was mine and that they messed up on my order. So I started to chow down on this burger when about 10 minutes gone by and my actual order showed up in front of me with everything I asked for. So eating the first burger I have to say I was not so optimistic because I was a little ticked because I had thought that they messed my order up. That burger was alright. The bun was a little dry and it wasn’t the best burger I’ve ever had, but when my actual meal arrived I was very surprised with the taste of the second burger. It was five times better than the second one. I’m thinking because it had a pretzel bun on it. When it came to the burgers, I wish they would have handmade the patties with fresh beef like you do at home. These patties I noticed were all the same size and I’m sure were frozen in advance.
All in all my actual meal was pretty decent, and I was satisfied at the end. When it comes to presentation I would have loved to see the burgers in a basket instead of a white plate. The presentation wasn’t bad, I just like a basket. Even though we had some issues, they were all solved in the end and I got what I wanted and more. I think the students in restaurant handled us and their busy day pretty well.
3.5 out of 5 stars
— Jaren Johnson
Mandarin Chicken Salad
When we first got to the restaurant, we were greeted with friendly servers who were trying to adjust tables so we had enough seating room for our whole group. I sat with my mom and aunt, as they decided to dine there for lunch as well, and I was immediately given water and a menu. This service stayed consistent the whole time we were there. The servers who were mainly helping us (Jacob and Kenna) were on top of it and were very good about keeping track of what we wanted and needed. The one criticism I have on the service would be that they got frazzled by the amount of people that came in because in addition to our huge group, the rest of the restaurant was full. It is understandable because they are not chefs or servers that have years of experience under their belt, but in a restaurant you never truly know what’s going to hit you and you kind of have to prepare for the worst instead of expecting the best.
I decided to order the Mandarin Chicken Salad and a side of fries. The salad was described as “a large salad of mixed greens, grilled chicken breast, bleu cheese crumbles, and grape tomatoes, with Asian toasted sesame dressing.” The description definitely matched what I received; the salad was huge! Everything lived up to expectation, my only criticism would be that there was not enough chicken. It was sliced into strips which looked great, but they could have gotten more bang for their buck by cutting it into pieces. I felt like they either needed to put less lettuce or slightly more chicken. The sesame dressing had great flavor and the bleu cheese crumbles accented it perfectly. The fries I had were delicious and even came with a little chip surprise in the serving. The serving was a bit small, but the fries were cooked to perfection and exactly how I like them. My salad was $6.50 and my side of fries was $1.50 I believe, which you can’t find a meal for that price anywhere else. For the cheap price of the meal, I got a lot of food and enjoyed it very much.
All in all, the restaurant was a delightful treat. I especially enjoyed talking to Sebastion Packer, our host, as he was friendly and had the “service with a smile” quality. All the servers did a great job, and I think that having a rush like that they learned a lot and did really well under pressure and a time crunch. The food was great and I would definitely go back again to try something new on their menu!
3.5 out of 5 stars
— Kassidy Pietz
I decided to order the Mandarin Chicken Salad and a side of fries. The salad was described as “a large salad of mixed greens, grilled chicken breast, bleu cheese crumbles, and grape tomatoes, with Asian toasted sesame dressing.” The description definitely matched what I received; the salad was huge! Everything lived up to expectation, my only criticism would be that there was not enough chicken. It was sliced into strips which looked great, but they could have gotten more bang for their buck by cutting it into pieces. I felt like they either needed to put less lettuce or slightly more chicken. The sesame dressing had great flavor and the bleu cheese crumbles accented it perfectly. The fries I had were delicious and even came with a little chip surprise in the serving. The serving was a bit small, but the fries were cooked to perfection and exactly how I like them. My salad was $6.50 and my side of fries was $1.50 I believe, which you can’t find a meal for that price anywhere else. For the cheap price of the meal, I got a lot of food and enjoyed it very much.
All in all, the restaurant was a delightful treat. I especially enjoyed talking to Sebastion Packer, our host, as he was friendly and had the “service with a smile” quality. All the servers did a great job, and I think that having a rush like that they learned a lot and did really well under pressure and a time crunch. The food was great and I would definitely go back again to try something new on their menu!
3.5 out of 5 stars
— Kassidy Pietz
Santa Fe Wrap
Walking into The Rustic Flag felt like as close to a real restaurant experience as you can get in a high school classroom. They had the tables set up and welcomed you in a professional manner. They offered menus with the reasonably priced meals clearly listed with what the name of the dish is and what it includes. They also offered glasses of water to everyone along with a drink if you so choose as well as a variety of sides.
I decided to get the Santa Fe Wrap that had grilled chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and feta. I also ordered a side of chips with a water to drink. I enjoyed the wrap very much. I had actually never tried feta before and I very much enjoyed it on the wrap. The chicken was cooked well and the bacon was crispy. As for the chips, I don’t like my chips with quite so much seasoning but besides that they were crispy and good. I got the meal for a total of $5 and thought this price was more than reasonable.
4.5 out of 5 stars
— Kayla Thompson
I decided to get the Santa Fe Wrap that had grilled chicken, bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and feta. I also ordered a side of chips with a water to drink. I enjoyed the wrap very much. I had actually never tried feta before and I very much enjoyed it on the wrap. The chicken was cooked well and the bacon was crispy. As for the chips, I don’t like my chips with quite so much seasoning but besides that they were crispy and good. I got the meal for a total of $5 and thought this price was more than reasonable.
4.5 out of 5 stars
— Kayla Thompson
Chicken Tender Melt
Prompt service, decent cooking, and superb hospitality. The quality of the chicken tender melt was top notch and had a smooth consistency across the meat. I combined the melt with the pepperjack cheese (the other choice of swiss cheese), a choice that could possibly affect the taste in general. The melt on a sourdough bun was a nice finish, and with sauce such as barbeque or ketchup it all got tied together quite well.
4 out of 5 stars
— Logan Speed
4 out of 5 stars
— Logan Speed
Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwich with Fries
Our school has a restaurant called The Rustic Flag down in the FACS room. Mrs. Kelly Bast runs it, and her workers are a group of seniors. When we went there, I had a pretty good experience. When you first walked in, the atmosphere was great. It seemed like a restaurant that you would take your family to. So, we sat down and the waiter got to our table pretty fast. He wasn’t rude by any means, but he kind of seemed like he was in a hurry. Granted, they were pretty busy that day.
Although they were busy, we got our food relatively quickly. I got the grilled ham and cheese sandwich and when it came to me, my first thought was that it looked delicious. I couldn’t wait to eat it. It tasted good, but it was nothing too special. It was something that I could easily make at home. It didn’t come to me hot either. It was barely lukewarm. Not only was the sandwich on the cooler side, but the fries were completely cold. Everything tasted good, but none of it was warm. It was good, but not great.
3 out of 5 stars
— Saige Arnold
Although they were busy, we got our food relatively quickly. I got the grilled ham and cheese sandwich and when it came to me, my first thought was that it looked delicious. I couldn’t wait to eat it. It tasted good, but it was nothing too special. It was something that I could easily make at home. It didn’t come to me hot either. It was barely lukewarm. Not only was the sandwich on the cooler side, but the fries were completely cold. Everything tasted good, but none of it was warm. It was good, but not great.
3 out of 5 stars
— Saige Arnold
Three Piece Chicken Tenders with Marlboro Onions
The chicken tender meal at The Rustic Flag comes in two options: A two piece meal for 2.50 and a three piece meal for 3.75, each tender costing 1.25. Each tender is fairly large, I would assume roughly four ounces per tender, which means four tenders in one pound. Therefore, if you have a heavy appetite, I recommend a three piece meal with a side dish. If you have a light appetite, I recommend having a three piece with no side or a two piece with a side. It is largely up to the individual’s appetite. The chicken’s breading was very flaky. Not overbearing, but too much for my taste. I think the dish could use some spices and/or pepper. I feel if they offered a cajun variety, it could help the dish greatly. The meat itself wasn’t juicy, but it wasn’t dry either. The price I thought was exactly where it should be for the business, not too expensive, but not too cheap. Overall, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the dish, but I wouldn’t say to avoid it. I say that there are better dishes that your money can be spent on, but if you’re craving chicken, give it a try, you might have a different opinion than I have. In total summary, the dish is average, but the price is fair with what you receive. Give it a try when you have extra money in the coffers.
The restaurant itself was very swift. All of the tables were full and I managed to get my food in roughly 10-15 minutes time. For our party of people, I believe there were about three mistakes, but it was very understandable with how busy the restaurant was at the time. The atmosphere was the best it can be considering its location is in a classroom setting. It was clean and I believe that’s key to a restaurant’s atmosphere. I appreciate the water brought out before the meal as I like a lot of liquids during a meal and not many restaurants do this. The service could’ve been better, but it wasn’t absent. The prices on everything was wonderful and did not break the bank. It’s wonderful to have a business run by students be so successful. Most drinks if not all were under a dollar. Most of them also had free refills. Overall, I would definitely come back in the future for a cheap, but quality meal.
3.75 out of 5 stars
— Trevon Pietz
The restaurant itself was very swift. All of the tables were full and I managed to get my food in roughly 10-15 minutes time. For our party of people, I believe there were about three mistakes, but it was very understandable with how busy the restaurant was at the time. The atmosphere was the best it can be considering its location is in a classroom setting. It was clean and I believe that’s key to a restaurant’s atmosphere. I appreciate the water brought out before the meal as I like a lot of liquids during a meal and not many restaurants do this. The service could’ve been better, but it wasn’t absent. The prices on everything was wonderful and did not break the bank. It’s wonderful to have a business run by students be so successful. Most drinks if not all were under a dollar. Most of them also had free refills. Overall, I would definitely come back in the future for a cheap, but quality meal.
3.75 out of 5 stars
— Trevon Pietz
Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Homemade Chips
My dish was to be expected. I mean, it would have been nice to get like, a five star grilled cheese, with some five star cheese and some five star bread. But, it being a restaurant run by high school students, I really couldn't expect that out of them. It was a classic grilled cheese, just like mom makes ‘em.
The chips were classic, homemade chips. Others around me said that their chips had a lot of seasoning on them, but I felt like mine were under-seasoned. The chips were a little cold, and there wasn’t a lot of them. But for only one dollar, can you really complain?
The service was really good. The head chef, Ms. Bast, came out and asked how our meal was, and apologized because it was very busy and things in the kitchen got hectic. It was a very laid back environment, and everyone was very respectful and patient.
For the price that I paid, which was a whopping $4, it was very well worth it.
4.75 out of 5 stars
— Madilyn Amundson
The chips were classic, homemade chips. Others around me said that their chips had a lot of seasoning on them, but I felt like mine were under-seasoned. The chips were a little cold, and there wasn’t a lot of them. But for only one dollar, can you really complain?
The service was really good. The head chef, Ms. Bast, came out and asked how our meal was, and apologized because it was very busy and things in the kitchen got hectic. It was a very laid back environment, and everyone was very respectful and patient.
For the price that I paid, which was a whopping $4, it was very well worth it.
4.75 out of 5 stars
— Madilyn Amundson
Rustic Burger with Curly Fries
The Rustic Flag is an Aitkin High School restaurant run by students in the school and is open to the public to enjoy. The service was just above average, although we were a big group. The service that I have had in the area has been awful, but the Rustic Flag was good.
The burger I had was pretty enjoyable, but part of my burger was not totally cooked. I would like to have had it cooked a little longer. The Rustic Sauce that was on the burger was a great combination of sweet and salty. The sauce was my favorite part. The curly fries that I got with the burger complimented burger. The fries were crispy and had seasoning on them. The restaurant itself was well kept and very bright. The atmosphere was good considering what they have to work with. The tables were all full when I was in the restaurant. The people inside all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Overall the price I paid was reasonable and the food was good. 3.5 out of 5 stars — Quin Miller |
Plain cheeseburger with iced tea
When we went to The Rustic Flag with the journalism class everything was organized and prepared to receive us. Once we had our minds set and ready to order they took our commands effectively and started preparing our meal right away.
During the waiting time I analyzed the atmosphere of the restaurant and it is a really nice and quiet place to go. The only drawback was the lack of comfort of the seat and the restricted room of the restaurant.
I ordered an iced tea and a cheeseburger. I waited around two minutes to get my Iced tea, which had a lack of taste in my opinion. They definitely needs to add more flavor on this drink.
Otherwise my cheeseburger came five minutes after my iced tea and i was really surprised by this burger. It was simple but really rich in flavor. I really enjoyed it.
It was a busy day that day, only a few personnel were welcoming, the others were on a rush and made couple mistake by giving wrong orders to people.
I had a great time going in this restaurant and I have to say that it is nice to see that much organization from some senior students.
4 out of 5 stars
— Jacques Scharr
During the waiting time I analyzed the atmosphere of the restaurant and it is a really nice and quiet place to go. The only drawback was the lack of comfort of the seat and the restricted room of the restaurant.
I ordered an iced tea and a cheeseburger. I waited around two minutes to get my Iced tea, which had a lack of taste in my opinion. They definitely needs to add more flavor on this drink.
Otherwise my cheeseburger came five minutes after my iced tea and i was really surprised by this burger. It was simple but really rich in flavor. I really enjoyed it.
It was a busy day that day, only a few personnel were welcoming, the others were on a rush and made couple mistake by giving wrong orders to people.
I had a great time going in this restaurant and I have to say that it is nice to see that much organization from some senior students.
4 out of 5 stars
— Jacques Scharr