Dehn's Country Manor — Restaurant in Dayton

Well I was out in Dayton with my three year old working on a project for youth Market gardening with Dehn'spumpkins and headed back home down Fernbrook it was 1 p.m. and time for us to get something to eat. Well you can pick worse places than Dehn's. In fact if you're a food nut and you're into the the antique, rare, remnant of an age gone by kind of places, then you need to know about this place. This is a low key modest Country Dinner Club. They have wine and beer at prices that will Boggle your mind as in inexpensive. They have high-end high quality plates. What do I mean by that? Oh wow like one of the better Porter houses in town, a pork chop dinner that cannot be ignored. Good country home cooking in portions that need to be shared unless you've been working on a field all day and you need to put back the 3,000 calories you just burned. Other than that it might be the last place within a thousand miles where you can bring your fine bottle of liquor, and they will sell you whatever soda pop or back beverage you wish to drink with it. I don't even know if there is a bottle of charge but maybe there is regardless if you got a $300 bottle of scotch and you want to drink it and have a nice dinner and not cooked at dinner well other than this place I don't know where else you can do that. The food is absolutely delicious and at a notch worthy of it's price tier, right down to a humble 12 dollars for a pork cutlet sandwich with soup or salad AND choice of potato for under 12 dollars. I went here on my bachelor party 2 years ago when I was about to get married, and brought a $150 bottle of Scotch I didn't say it was better than a $50 bottle but it felt pretty need to be able to have some sips of scotch standing out in a parking lot looking at the sunset over a cornfield smoking a cigar and then go back in and have dessert all relaxed Like. I hope only some of you find it but I hope some do because it wasn't very busy at lunch today and it should have been busier, I want this place to survive so that I can continue to come here and enjoy it myself, I just don't want it to get so bloody busy that is no longer the pleasant beautiful country place that it is right now, and one of the last of its kind anywhere that...

For some reason we went back to Dean's for breakfast (the story below). I had the same as the first visit, a ham and cheese omelet... it was the best one I've had in MN to date. Fluffy well cooked omelet, with hash browns, and thick, soft, perfectly toasted white toast! I've not had a bad breakfast here. Last time we’ll go to Dehn’s, just a string of poor quality food and poor service. But the staff is friendly! We’ve been to Dehn’s a total of four times, breakfast was good and then the next three times, two lunches and a dinner and it just kept going down hill. With the parking lot full during dinner time we just kept thinking it was a one-off or a bad night, but it just got worse. So I’m perplexed with how busy it is and its ratings. We’ve had dried out rolls to an over cooked steak ($26.20 and should have sent back) well-done (should have been medium to medium well) not even the slightest bit of pink at all and half rack of ribs ($24.95) that were tough like hard skin on the outside and a thin bad taste layer of fat underneath. I have never, had such a poor quality rib. Between the steak and ribs it was bad enough to call it quits from visiting this place again.

This is a location that needs to have one of the food network make overs, I’m sure it could become top quality steakhouse.

A stark contrast from my first visit….

First time in, and I'm so glad we got to try breakfast! I had a Denver omelet, hashbrowns, and marbled rye toast. The omelet was light and fluffy with ham and fresh veggies. My kind of coffee that's not too strong or bitter... just right. My wife had pancakes and sausage patty. There were two thin pancakes and a good sized (3.5"X1/4") great tasting sausage. We went on a Sunday around 10:30 and it wasn't too busy. It's a bit dark inside but a good feel with all tables. Can't wait to try...

We had a large group, pre booked the back room, ourselves Joan was awesome very attentive to everyone's needs. The food took excessively long to come out. I ordered the 1/2 chicken. Should equal 1 of each peice, thigh ,leg ,wing & a breast. I received 3 of the tiniest thighs and portion of a wing. I quietly pointed this out to our server. She apologized and offered to get it corrected. She went into the kitchen and told the chef the issue. We all heard the person yell " they got 4 peices"!! Being in good service my entire career it angered me to hear a chef not be proud of the food they care serving nor take pride in what they care sending out. The server then came back with 4 more peices this time 3 thighs and a teenie tiny breast that was smaller then the tiny thighs. This time it was do burnt. I told the server to tell the chef he should be embarassed. My parents have patrolled this establishment since it opened and were friends with the owners. We had our grooms dinner there as did my sisters. We've had birthday partys there My mother inlaw and cousin usually go every Friday night. Now Mike isn't there they quit going. So sad to see such a huge peice of maple grove history dieing due to poor attitude. Take care of your employess they'll take care of you. Not sure I can force myself to go back. So sad it was my favorite...