News Archive

Game Over! Bonus Round Shuts Down

Like a sticky Centipede track-ball, this is a bummer.

Six years ago, some local folks combined a fantastic craft beer selection with the throwback fun of full-sized video games to start The Bonus Round. Things seemed to be going good as they even expanded to downtown, helping to turn a quiet strip of 10th off Phillips into a funky sidestreet worthy of your whole evening.

But Covid craziness has a way a blowing up the budget, and instead of pumping another roll of quarters into the business they’ve decided to call it quits.

Might there be another game in their future? From their social media posts, it seems like they’re hoping to Level Up…

“It’s been almost six years since we opened our doors. We have had an absolute blast for the majority of that time. We have learned a lot and loved a lot, and our time to turn the page has come. It is not the end as much as it is the beginning of a new chapter of a great, great story. This will be our last week open to the public. We love everybody and hope you help us clear our shelves and empty our kegs and cry like babies this week. Cheers, folks.”

So a “1-UP” might still be in the works? If you hear anything, let us know! We’ll be sure to do the same for you.

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.)