eatshub
Drive north out of Duluth on Scenic Highway 61 and Lake Superior stays right there on your right. Gray water, low trees, the road getting quieter as the city falls away. A few miles up, a small building sits back from the highway behind a garden of herbs, flowers, and whatever vegetables the season has left to offer. From the road, it still looks like the roadside stop it used to be.
That’s New Scenic Café.
Scott Graden and his aunt Rita Bergstedt took over the place in 1999. Before that, it was a seasonal stop serving malts, ice cream, and sandwiches to people heading up the shore. They added the word “New” to the name and began cooking food that was a little different from what Duluth was used to at the time. Graden bought out Rita’s interest in 2005 and stayed on, building a restaurant around seasonal cooking, local ingredients, and a willingness to look beyond the familiar.
The cooking is seasonal and straightforward. Local ingredients when they make sense, the garden when it’s producing, and flavors from farther away when they belong on the plate. Nothing needs a speech to explain itself.
The curried blue mussels are a good place to start. Red curry, apple cider, cream, cilantro, and toasted ciabatta on the side. The broth sounds like the sort of thing you’ll want that bread for. It’s a combination that brings a little warmth and spice to the North Shore without trying to reinvent the wheel.
The duck confit takes a different route. Apricot curry, strawberry, Turkish pistachio, creamed leek tartlet, and blue cheese bring together rich, sweet, and savory elements. It’s an unusual combination on paper, but it gives you a sense of the kitchen’s approach: familiar ingredients, a few unexpected turns, and no need to make a fuss about it.
There’s a Nordic thread running through the place, too. Lefse, pickled herring, smoked salmon, and the occasional smörgåsbord connect the menu to the region’s Scandinavian roots. It feels right here, alongside the lake and the changing seasons.
New Scenic Café has been part of the North Shore dining scene for decades. The setting is still a big part of the appeal, with the garden out front and Lake Superior just across the road. But the restaurant’s staying power comes from more than the view. Graden built a kitchen with its own point of view, one that draws from the place it calls home without being confined by it.
That’s a pretty good reason to pull off the highway.
Menu Highlights
- Curried Blue Mussels: Red curry, apple cider, cream, cilantro, toasted ciabatta. A longtime favorite.
- Duck Confit: Apricot curry, strawberry, Turkish pistachio, creamed leek tartlet, blue cheese.
- Fruit Pie of the Day: Seasonal fruit, served with whipped cream or ice cream.