August 2020 – Page 4 – F**k Yeah! It's Sioux Falls!

Smash Mouth Sturgis Blowback

It’s a tricky thing these days for live music, and no one really knows what to do. National touring acts have budgets to meet. Local artists have fans to greet. But for the most part, it’s all still on hold at moment.

Even this blog’s been in a weird state of limbo for the last six months. On the one hand, we do want to keep the balls rolling, doing our part to connect our amazing regional performers with potential fans. But on the other hand, we don’t want to be part of the plague-spreading problem.

So enter Smash Mouth. They played Sturgis this week, opting to live up to their lyrics…

“Hey now, you’re an all star
Get your game on, go play
Hey now, you’re a rock star
Get the show on, get paid”

… but all that glitters ain’t gold right about now. For all the fun they had rocking bike week, they’ve paid the price on social media, facing the ire of many a fan.

Yeah, it’s hard to argue for the necessity of Smash Mouth during these unprecedented times. That being said, live music meets a basic human need. And many a fan is willing to take a risk to get their fix. Seems you can’t make everyone happy. Here’s hoping we figure something out before the 2021 concert season kicks into gear.

Soon It’s Gonna Be Thai Time!

Once again SiouxFalls.Business has the scoop on the latest in Asian cuisine offerings in our little city…and this one looks like a winner!

The folks that brought us the super tasty Ramen Fuji a few years ago are opening up a Thai / Vietnamese shop on 41st, where the Taco Town Buffet used to (briefly) be.

Avoiding market confusion, they’re just going to call it “Pad Thai.” Cause you know, that’s the spicy noodle dish that been the gateway drug of choice for most of us midwesterners. No shame in that. You’ve got to start your fish-sauce flavored habit somewhere!

We are stoked! Thai food’s been a hard thing to reliably find in Sioux Falls. The old Coco Palace on Louise used to whip up some decent dishes, and Pho Thai downtown is always worth a stop, but there’s definitely room for a lot more Southeast Asian flavors in our town.

We’ll keep you posted on opening dates and first impressions once the kitchen is up and running.

More to come…!

Dim Sum! Yum! Yum!

Here’s some good news from the Siouxfalls.Business: Sioux Falls now has Dim Sum!

If you’re not familiar, dim sum is sort of the tapas of China: little plates of bite-sized treats to pass around and share. While typically a weekend brunch experience, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy these little tummy-pleasing treasures any time of the week.

Taking over the space of the former Kowloon Chinese Restaurant on Sycamore, the perfectly name Yummy House is already seeing a lot of traffic, with some dishes selling out daily.

What to expect on your first trip? Here’s two numbers to keep in mind: 48 & 82.

48 is the number of dishes they’ll have on rotation. This means you’ll be coming back for more. One belly can only hold so much!

82 is the age of the head-chef/owner. Get that! 82! Octogenarian Lisa Louie is no stranger to the business, operating a restaurant in Tennessee before relocating to Sioux Falls. But with the help of her daughter, Joyce Chan, she’s back doing what she loves to do, bringing some missing dishes to our snow-bound city.

We can’t wait to go, so check back soon for first-hand reports. Our staff’s got some experience with this particular topic, and they’ll be begging to do some research for you guys. Duty calls!

Free Beer? Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Us?

You win some, you lose some! Looks like free beer was to be a had only short 75-mile drive away in Scotland, SD.

Miller Brewing was celebrating the international appeal of their classic “Lite” beer by passing out a free cold one last Friday to residents of American towns named after other countries. And Scotland, SD made the list.

Was it worth the trip for a buck’s worth of beer? If you went, let us know! We’d love to hear some first hand reports!

(Maybe if it was Miller High Life. -ed.)

Update From the Sioux Empire Fair

Not gonna lie, things are a little quiet this year at our fairgrounds. We’re always wondering what things were like there back in the day, before light-industrial took over the near west side and the highways came through. Wide open spaces graced by glorious sunsets? Ah… those were days!

But our local fair still does a bang-up job most years, keeping the 4-H kids excited while dishing out a blend of country classics, nu-metal, and oldies for the meandering crowds.

So this year, as the say in the biz, the fair must go on! And they did their best, even without a top-tier schedule on the main stage to keep you around past bedtime.

So what did we find? The cheese curds were delicious. The rides were still fun. And the animals were still worth a gander. If crowds aren’t your thing, this could be the perfect year to pack the kids in the minivan and set them loose with a stack of tickets. There’s still time to head over this weekend and enjoy yourself. Go for it!