Category: Beer & Food

Remember the dark ages of beer drinking, back around 2005 or so? During those benighted times, nary could a thirsty reveler find but a mass-produced pilsner to slake his weary thirst upon visiting Sioux Falls.

And then Monk’s House of Ale Repute came along, and the clouds parted. Belgian Ales and IPAs flourished. Porters and Stouts were poured. And the people rejoiced!

After a hiatus, Monk’s is now back, saved by the folks behind Rapid City’s Independent Ale House. (Blessings to you!) They’ve left most things alone, just doing some light remodeling and expanding the food and drink selection. Now they’ve got 50 beers on tap, up from 39, with specials and seasonal offering coming in all the time.

We’ll be making our first pilgrimage soon! See you there, brothers!

File this one under “If You Don’t Know You Don’t Go!”

Lucky’s is sneaking in some upscale offerings downstairs in their new speakeasy. You’ll need a code to open the door. But they say the real trick is just finding the right door to open!

Featuring some slightly upscale liquors, a chiller space, board games, and a stage for intimate performances, Lucky’s Speakeasy might be just the place to get away from the crush of the bar crowd when you’re out-n-about downtown on a weekend night.

‘Cause let’s face it: Much fun as it is to get out and get your party on, sometimes it’s nice not to have to yell at your friends all night just to be heard. KNOW WHAT WE MEAN!?!?

Head on down and “speakeasy,” in more ways than one!

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…!

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!

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.)