"She was everywhere and she loved it and it was a wonderful experience, although she had to ask my brother what does it mean if you go viral. She didn't know that," Gail Hagerty said. "She used to say that if you were going to have 15 minutes of fame and if you were 86, you had to do it soon. You couldn't wait."
"But most of all, it was people feeling in defense and people praising me for the way I write the Eatbeat. And - I wrote that Eatbeat column so fast one day that I never expected it to be repeated all over the country, but that's what happened,"
"As I ate, I noticed the vases and planters with permanent flower displays on the ledges," she wrote. "There are several dining areas with arched doorways. And there is a fireplace that adds warmth to the decor."
Hagerty died at a Grand Forks hospital from complications related to a stroke. She was remembered as a journalist at heart who prioritized giving readers an honest, noncritical assessment of restaurants. Her 2012 Olive Garden piece, described as unique and authentic from a North Dakota grandmother, praised the chain's chicken Alfredo as warm and comforting on a cold day and noted vases, planters, arched doorways and a fireplace. The piece spread on social media and drew national attention. Anthony Bourdain defended her on Twitter, met her, and helped publish a book featuring her work, writing its foreword.
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