The Route to the North Cape - Norway - page 396

colors, thick pine furniture, and turn-of-the-20th-century nostalgia, with repre-
sentations of trains woven into the carpets. Each of the rooms has a bathroom
with tiled surfaces and a tub/shower combination.
Thora Meyers Gate 2, N-8602 Mo i Rana. & 75-15-77-77. Fax [phone]. www.ole-tobias.no. 30 units.
Mid-Aug to May Mon-Thurs 870NOK-1,200NOK ($124-$170) double; year round daily 770NOK-870NOK
($109-$124) double. AE, DC, MC, V. Amenities: Bar; sauna; limited room service; nonsmoking rooms; rooms
for those w/limited mobility. In room: TV, iron/ironing board.
Rainbow Hotel Holmen Originally built in 1949, reconstructed in the late
1960s, and radically renovated in the late 1980s, this is a boxy-looking but com-
fortable hotel, attracting business travelers and enjoying a reputation as the most
stable and most central hotel in town. Rising three stories above a barren-look-
ing neighborhood of waterfront commercial and efficiently weather-tight build-
ings, it opens into a bland but soothing decor of contemporary furniture. One
of the best parts about this place is its staff, a well-informed group of English,
Norwegian, and Lappish-speaking locals who work hard to convey the most
interesting aspects of Mo i Rana. Each room has a pale-toned color scheme,
wood-grained paneling, and a tile-sheathed bathroom. About half of the rooms
have tub/shower combinations, the others have only showers. The in-house
restaurant serves Norwegian and international food.
Thomas Von Westensgt. 2, N-8624 Mo i Rana. & 75-15-14-44. Fax [phone]. www.rainbow-hotels.no.
44 units. Mon-Thurs 740NOK-1,290NOK ($105-$183) double; Fri-Sun 740NOK-790NOK ($105-$112) dou-
ble. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking. Amenities: Restaurant; pub; lobby bar; laundry service/dry cleaning; non-
smoking rooms; rooms for those w/limited mobility. In room: TV, minibar.
WHERE TO DINE
Babette's Gjestebud GREEK/TURKISH/MEDITERRANEAN Babette's
is a cozy, candlelit tavern, with lots of exposed wood, and warmth that's partic-
ularly welcome in this frigid climate. It was named after the Danish film Babette's
Feast, in which closed and bitter psyches were released and healed through good
food, good wine, and love. The chef focuses on grilled meats and fresh salads,
some of them garnished with feta cheese and Mediterranean herbs. Don't expect
a particular allegiance to the cuisines of either Greece or Turkey, since what is
served is a simplified blend of them both. Expect a medley of grilled meats, sal-
ads garnished with ham slices and/or shrimp, pastas that include a savory ver-
sion with curried chicken, and body-warming starters such as French onion
soup with your choice of either garlic-butter or herb-butter bread.
Ranheimgt. 2. & 75-15-44-33. Reservations recommended. Main courses 135NOK-200NOK ($19-$28). AE,
DC, MC, V. Daily 11am-midnight.
Caesar's ITALIAN/NORWEGIAN Caesar's serves the best Italian food, and
some of the best Norwegian food, in town. It's located on the street level of a
solid, modern-looking building near the railway station. The walls in the terra-
cotta and ocher-colored dining room are adorned with paintings of the Italian
landscape and copies of works by Michelangelo. Your meal might begin with a
platter of fried asparagus with garlic-flavored snails; deep-fried calamari or a
shrimp cocktail; and a pungent form of pasta flavored with scampi and bleu
cheese. Main courses include Norwegian catfish with a cream-enhanced tomato
sauce; medallions of veal with a bacon-flavored mushroom sauce; and--for
something genuinely Norwegian--fried reindeer with lingonberry sauce.
Jan Banegaten 12. & 75-13-04-00. Reservations recommended. Main courses 145NOK-315NOK
($21-$45). AE, DC, MC, V. Mon-Sat 11am-midnight; Sun 2-10pm.