The True Crime Kitchen

December 17th 2020, Iowa

Moorhead, Iowa is a small place. It’s tiny actually. Just 200 people. In a town that size, you know there isn’t shit to do most days. It’s a little farm town, like most of them in that area, full of fields and silos. There’s a coffee shop, a bar, a gas station, and a feed store. You can imagine getting off work, say, from a day of tinkering with cars as a mechanic, thirsty and hungry. A cold beer and a juicy burger are calling your name. That’s how a few friends found themselves at the only place to find either in Moorhead- a joint called Bud’s Bar & Grill. It’s popular with church ladies and bikers alike. I mean, it kind of has to be when you don’t want to drive 15 mins to the next farm town with the same selection, right? The evening was a chance to chug beer, eat grub, and unwind. Maybe the friends hoped to share some laughs. One friend in particular thought he was pretty funny. But when a joke leads to murder, who’s laughing then?

Our tale this evening focuses on four alleged friends. When it comes to the nuances of their friendship and the details about the food they were eating, well, nobody in the press cared to ask. The only people who would know are grieving friends and family, or the killer himself. But *spoiler alert* I will be bothering exactly ZERO people with questions for this publication. I am no Lois Lane, so I’m not about to send them a Facebook message or mail a letter asking about their dead loved one’s favorite foods or personal issues between the killers and victims. I’m a creepy bitch, but I’m not a monster. But I digress. Let’s head back to Bud’s and the friends eating grub.

Caleb Solberg, Kristofer Erlbacher, and a third friend named Shaun were at Bud’s; a favorite haunt. I assume it was, since on the menu there’s a dish named after a Solberg, possibly even Caleb himself: The Solberg Special. More on that later! I don’t know if that’s what Caleb was eating that night, but what I do know is that Kris spread mayo on Caleb’s food. Without asking. I can’t imagine there’s a mayo bottle at the bar. Did he just paint Caleb’s food with a discarded mayo laden lettuce leaf??? The journalism was seriously lacking here. Maybe the mayo ruined the harmony of flavors; the delicate notes of salt and more salt artfully put together by this divey restaurant’s chef on a dirty flat top, utterly obliterated by a mayo bomb. Or perhaps Caleb just really freaking hated mayo. We’ll just have to live with that mystery haunting us.

There are a variety of reactions when it comes to food desecration: Laughter. Tears of frustration. Unintelligible hangry owl screeching. All of which I have done myself at various times. Caleb’s reaction involved his fists. Giving Kris what I’m sure wasn’t much more than a few hard shoves and a couple punches to the mug, Caleb won the fight. Now, Kris could have taken the L, accepting that his mayo prank was a bust. But one has to imagine it’s pretty embarrassing to get your ass whooped in public, especially at ye old (and only) neighborhood pub. Kris, not the type to let a bruised eye and busted lip ruin what could still prove to be a magical evening, left Bud’s with Shaun in search of a different watering hole.

Kris and Shaun ended up at a joint called Dave’s Café in the nearby town of Pisgah. Their population is 250, since I’m sure you’re wondering. And not that you’re wondering this also, but I need to share: the café is actually called “Dave’s Old Home Filler Up N’ Keep On Truckin’ Café & Bar” which is a mouthful. Dave’s Café it is! On the drive, Kris called Caleb’s half brother Craig and told him about the fight. Kris then aimed a death threat at Caleb; said he’d light his house on fire and shoot him when he came outside. You can see why I’m questioning the press calling these men friends. Beer or not, do they sound like friends to you? Brothers Craig and Caleb, perhaps hoping to just talk it out like rational adults do, headed to Dave’s Café in their separate vehicles. Once there, Caleb got into a fight with Shaun for running his mouth about the mayo incident. I’m starting to think these guys just engage in fisticuffs as a substitute for actual entertainment. That tussle didn’t last long, with all three remaining outside. Kris told the few people inside Dave’s Café that he’d “take care of this” before he walked outside and got into his pickup. Craig got back into his car as well, probably thinking the drama was over. “Just another bar fight in Harrison County”, he’d say later. Kris then used his truck to hit Craig’s car. Craig hopped out to check the damages, and Kris rammed his car again, harder this time, with such force the car hit Craig. Kris drove away and Craig pulled his car into the alley to provide some cover. In the alley Craig could hear Kris’s truck as he sped around the small town, using his vehicle to hit whatever he fancied (details not reported beyond “personal property” because nobody cares about mailboxes or cars when murder is afoot) before he drove by the alley again, the front of his truck heavily damaged. Craig decided he’d had enough of this mess and left for home. He saw Caleb and Shaun, still standing outside Dave’s Café, like there wasn’t a mad drunk gunning his engine and smashing up the town.

It was just after 10 pm when Kris, having had his fill of metal on metal, decided to loop back to Dave’s Café. Kris pressed on the accelerator, his target still standing outside, and horrified witnesses watched the truck strike Caleb. Caleb, injured and lying on the ground, began screaming for his brother to come help him. Kris drove off, giving everyone a bit of false hope he was leaving. Caleb was still alone on the ground when Kris, having doubled back, ran him over a second time as he laid beneath an SUV. Hurting him wasn’t enough. Kris wanted to kill. He stopped anybody trying to help Caleb by driving around his body. To be positive Caleb was really dead, Kris drove over him once more. He drove around for a bit longer, looking for Craig’s car but didn’t see him. As he headed out of town Kris offered Shaun a ride home, in his smashed up murder truck, but Shaun declined, telling him “you just killed someone.” Kris didn’t get very far before a transmission fluid leak ended his property/car/body-smashing rampage. Kris made two phone calls. The first call was to Craig. When Craig, having already been called by a witness, asked Kris if he had really killed Caleb he replied, “Yeah, we won’t have to worry about his mouth anymore. I would have got you too, but I kind of like your kids.” The second call was to his dad asking for a ride home. His father saw the truck and realized taking Kris home was not an option. Instead, he drove to Dave’s Café, where Kris was interviewed by police. He denied he hit Caleb with the car. Unsurprisingly, with the severely damaged truck and numerous witnesses, Kris was arrested for Caleb’s murder.

Come trial time Kris opts for a bench trial, one without a jury, where you just present your case to the judge. Kris pleads not guilty. He said he was so drunk he was too intoxicated to be held responsible for murder, only recklessness and it was justified after the fighting. The judge disagreed and found him guilty of first degree murder. In the state of Iowa if you’re found guilty of first degree murder the sentence is automatically life without parole. He was also ordered to pay Caleb’s estate a total of $150k. None of the articles on this case include quotes from Kris saying he’s remorseful or apologizing to the family. Maybe he’s not. Upon realizing his mayo smear was not the joke he thought it was, perhaps he could have apologized. Paying the 9 bucks for a new plate of food would have been a hell of a lot cheaper than Life + a 150k debt, and of course, the cost of Caleb’s life, all over a smear of mayo and what could possibly have been a lot of pent up resentment. You can’t blame that choice on too much booze, that’s just a lack of brain. But perhaps Kris will be smart enough to not try the same mayo prank in prison.

The Eats:

It’s unfortunate that Caleb didn’t stay at Bud’s Bar & Grill that night. His friends from the bar (along with his other loved ones) kept the memory of him alive with an annual Caleb Solberg Memorial Run and the Solberg Special that was still on the menu at Bud’s until it closed in late 2024. If you’re feeling like you want a taste of the bar without the danger of a drunken night out, well this “Philly served over tots. No bun” might be just the thing for you!

The Solberg Special
serves 2

1 Ribeye Steak, partially frozen as directed below*

Marinade:

2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 Tbsp. Vinegar

2 tsp. Sugar

2 tsp. Garlic Powder

2 tsp. Onion Powder

1 ½ tsp. Black Pepper

2 tsp. Kosher Salt, plus more for additional seasoning

1 C. Water

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 (16 oz.) bag of Tater Tots

1 Bell Pepper

1 Small Onion

4 slices of Provolone Cheese, use more if desired

Mayo, optional

*Fresh Steak: Freeze 60-75 minutes until pretty firm

*Frozen steak: Thaw for 60-90 minutes until firm but not solid, the edges are a little soft

1. Using a very sharp chef’s knife or a mandoline- slice the steak into very thin pieces.
2. In a large bowl combine the marinade ingredients.
3. Add the steak slices to the marinade, stir, and allow the meat to soak for 30-60 minutes.
4. This is where you choose your fighter: Tots in the oven or deep fried. You’re going to follow the bag instructions for that so you can time this right.
5.  Heat a cast iron skillet to hot hot. Meanwhile:
6. Chop the onion and bell pepper.
7. Drain the meat well, patting dry with towels if you want to ensure more brown crispy bits.
8. Add a little oil to the skillet and sauté the onions and pepper for a 1-2 minutes. You want them not so crisp, but not too soft, but with a bit of browning for flavor. Remove from the skillet and set to the side in a bowl.
9. Cook the meat in two batches: add 2 Tbsp. of oil to the skillet, add half the meat, sprinkle with a bit more salt, and cook for 3 minutes. (Hopefully there isn’t a lot of foaming/water in the pan, but if so just use paper towels to dab it dry so the meat sears better.) Use a big spatula (or small tongs if you want to be right up in there) to flip the meat and cook for another 3 minutes. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you just want to get some color on most of the meat. If it looks nice, it’s done, if not stir it around and give it another couple. Repeat.
10. When both batches of meat are done: On the heat, add the first batch of meat back into the pan. Add the onion and pepper to your liking. Taste for seasoning again! Arrange the provolone on top, adding extra slices if you’re a slut for cheese, and cover the pan. Turn the heat off and allow the residual heat to melt the cheese.
11. Pull the tots out! You want to pile those suckers up in a bar style basket or a couple plates if you’re a civilized person.
12. Top the tots with this mess of cheesesteak and serve hot. Optionally serve with additional condiments like mayo, but I think ketchup or hot sauce would be safer options.