A Dozen Excuses and Billings Park Eatery
Owner Melissa Kindgren’s casual bakery, A Dozen Excuses, has been a favorite community gathering spot since she first opened it 12 years ago, in the historic building at 1112 Tower Avenue in Superior.
In addition to her onsite bakery filled with delectable aromas for her walk-in customers, she also provides treats and baked goods for commercial accounts such as Black Bear and Fond-du-Luth Casinos and the DECC, and for catered events.
“I truly care about people and wanted my bakery always to be customer friendly, where people could get together, laughing and talking with family, friends and colleagues,” she said.
In addition to bakery goods, Kindgren also makes homemade buns and breads, including apple cinnamon and cranberry wild rice.
Looking to fill the void left by the closing of the Billings Park Café in February 2020, Kindgren also decided to create a cozy cafe called the Billings Park Eatery, opening her doors this past December at 1802 Iowa Avenue.
With a bit of a Scandinavian twist and a strong emphasis on down-home country-style breakfast and lunch, the Eatery is quickly catching on as a neighborhood favorite. Their Friday night fish fry is also becoming a popular weekly event for people in the neighborhood and throughout the area.
A Sweet Tooth’s Delight
Kindgren’s bakery goods are made fresh in the store. She invites people to come in to pick up a mix-n-match box of their favorites, from her vast selection of freshly made goodies. While the wide variety of doughnuts and pastries can make it difficult to choose, there is decidedly something for everyone.
For a basic choice, cake doughnuts, plain or chocolate, are a place to start. For those craving a combination candy bar/doughnut, customers can select Reese’s, Heath, Butterfinger, Salted Nut Roll and Turtle flavors. Girl Scout cookie fans can even enjoy Samoas.
For those who love their doughnuts frosted, the many options include chocolate vanilla, blueberry, orange, cherry or chocolate/cherry drizzle. Seasonal doughnuts include strawberry shortcake, rhubarb, custard and pumpkin.
Specialty pastries include banana split, coconut long johns, banana and cherry, honeymooners, maple bacon, and apple fritter. Fried cinnamon rolls come in maple, cream cheese, and German chocolate flavors.
Their chocolate and vanilla-filled Boston cream rolls and their blueberry, raspberry, lemon and key lime Bismarks are also popular, as are their twists and rings.
The bakery hours are Tuesday through Friday from 6 am to noon and Saturday from 7 am to noon (closed on Sundays and Mondays). They also offer outdoor seating in the summer.
For more information or to order online, call 218-409-2525 or visit adozenexcuses.com
Homemade Cooking in the Neighborhood
Kindgren divides her time between the bakery and the Eatery. “I go where I am needed,” she said. “I have a great staff at both places. I can’t give them enough credit for how hard they all work.”
Her menu is filled with traditional, comfort food dishes, some with what she describes as a “Scandinavian flair.” They also offer take-out.
“I wanted to serve up comfort food with a true homemade flavor,” she noted. Their Scandinavian-style items include Swedish meatballs, lingonberries and lefse. Kindgren also offers some of her bakery items from A Dozen Excuses at the Eatery as well.
The Eatery has a varied menu with options for breakfast and lunch for appetites large and small. For breakfast (or brunch), traditionalists can have eggs, toast, a variety of breakfast meats, potato and omelettes. Cream cheese crepes with lingonberries, and pancakes, including blueberry, potato and Northwoods wild rice with pecans and blueberries, are other menu favorites.
Other dishes include Eggs Benedict with a hollandaise sauce, a fried breaded beef steak and house-made gravy, and a 7 oz. steak breakfast meal with eggs, potatoes and toast.
A variety of hamburger options are served on homemade buns, with a choice of fries or chips. Their sandwich options also come with fries or chips and can be served on bread, lefse or buns. Sandwiches include BLT, Club, turkey bacon cranberry, steak, smothered Chicken with rice, chop steak and Wisconsin grilled cheese.
Weekly specials are rotating and include crepes, a cook’s choice, pigs in a blanket, ham dinner, steak and eggs, country-fried steak, Swedish meatballs and hot turkey.
Customers can “catch the Friday night fish fry” (from 4 pm to 7 pm), with a choice of the 4 oz. cod or the 8 oz walleye dinner, each coming with soup (clam chowder) or salad, and mashed or baked potato.
“The BP Eatery is a great place for people in the Park,” said Billings Park resident Jay Kennedy, who has become a regular at the restaurant. “The food is great, and the staff is wonderful. I’ve been coming here since day one.”
He added, “I usually get the breakfast, corned beef hash and eggs, and toast. The atmosphere is wonderful, just a great small-town diner. I usually go with friends and family. I would recommend the BP Eatery to everyone.”
Dana Langford is also a loyal customer at the Eatery. “I fell in love with the place right away,“ she said.”I enjoy all the food, but my favorite is the fish fry. I really like the panko breading on the fish.”
“The restaurant has a friendly small-town feeling. It is a great addition to Billings Park,” she said.
“The menu at the Eatery is always changing,” said team member Aimee Peterson. “Melissa makes great home-style dishes and has a great collection of recipes. She is very professional with everything she does, and it is a pleasure to work with her.”
Kindgren added, “I am proud of the sense of community unity in Billings Park and how the Eatery adds to that. It makes me happy to see my customers happy.”
Billings Park Eatery hours are:
Monday through Thursday from 7 am to 2 pm
Friday 7 am to 7 pm
Saturday and Sunday 7 am to 2 pm
For more information, call 715-718-0008
Sheryl Jensen is a freelance writer, editor and reviewer based in Duluth.
