Restaurant Roundup: Chef Dom’s holiday pop-up shop, Christmas cocktails, free Starbucks
Dec. 3, 2020
Chef Dominique’s Catering & Banquet Facility is offering a pop-up shop of holiday treats and more every Friday and Saturday through Dec. 19. Look for Chef Dom’s festive truck parked outside its home in Shriver Square at 11th and Phillips at 4 p.m. Fridays and 1 p.m. Saturdays. For treats, the menu includes baklava, biscotti, candied pecans, caramelized almonds, caramel profiteroles, chocolate truffles, Death by Chocolate bars, lemon pistachio macaroons and pecan tassies. Savory options include a provolone pesto torte and Swiss ham balls. Choose from four Better Box meals: original salad, steak salad, wraps and a combo wrap and salad. “We just want to have some fun and share some holiday cheer,” co-owner Jess Fontenille said. They’ll be out there each day as long as the food lasts, she said.
Downtown Vernon Brown Ale from Look’s Beer Co. is back on tap at Look’s Marketplace, and it’s now in cans too with a caricature of its namesake as part of the design. Brown is a former City Council member who serves as VP of marketing and community relations at SDN Communications and he’s a neighbor of head brewer Chad McKinney. Brown said the beer got his name several years ago when McKinney was brewing at home. The initial public release was a year ago, and McKinney said he just hadn’t gotten around to making it again. It’s an American brown ale that’s a little more aggressive than English brown ale,” McKinney said. “It’s quite malty but still easy drinking at the same time.” The brewery made five barrels’ worth this time – 1,240 pints — so it will be around for a while. The 16-ounce cans come in four-packs.
Health care workers and first responders can pick up a free tall cup of Starbucks brewed iced or hot coffee as many times as they like through December, the coffee chain announced Tuesday. The perk is “in response to the recent rise in COVID-19 cases and to recognize the significant efforts of the front-line responder and health care community.”
Here’s a pandemic-friendly deal: Vinyl Taco has a new combination tray to go for $12. Get your choice of two tacos, rice or beans, and chips with queso, salsa or guacamole. The menu is online; call 271-2262 to order.
Pizza Ranch has new take-and-bake frozen breakfast pizzas. A medium-size thin crust is topped with sausage gravy, scrambled eggs and cheese and comes in three options: sausage and gravy, bacon and sausage or sausage, peppers and onions. Buy one for $8, and get a second one for free through December.
A neighborhood watering hole, The Garage Bar, is celebrating the holidays with the 24 Days of Christmas. Stop by the bar at 2400 W. Madison St. for a raffle drawing at 6:30 every night. The winner gets to pick a gift out of a 5-gallon bucket. “The gifts range from $10 to $20. It’s just a fun thing to do. It could be a blanket, tools, even toilet paper,” co-owner Chad Anderson said. “The best part is the pails are from dill pickles. It doesn’t matter how many times you clean them – everything still smells like a pickle!” Anderson said the focus isn’t on the gifts — it’s about celebrating Christmas and the regulars who are like a family.
Want to get into the Christmas spirit with some Christmas spirits? McNally’s Irish Pub at 69th and Western has a special Christmas cocktail menu. Try the Cocoa Candy Cane Tini, Gingerbread Man, Ginger Snap or Santa’s Little Helper.
Carpenter Bar on Phillips Avenue offers a Cocktail Countdown to Christmas with a different handcrafted cocktail every day. You’ve already missed out on the Spiced Pear Martini and Babylon Forester. Follow the bar on Facebook or Instagram to see the daily offering.
The last day to order cookies for December from Eileen’s Colossal Cookies is Dec. 5. “We hate to place this limitation on our customers, but due to COVID-19, it has become difficult for us to predict our available staff from day to day.” The cases will be stocked daily for walk-in customers.
Plum’s Cooking Co. is offering virtual Christmas treat and cocktail classes this month. The store will send participants a gift basket of several items needed for the classes, which will be held via Zoom. The Christmas treat class begins at 6 p.m. Dec. 22, and the cocktail class starts at 6 p.m. Dec. 23. Learn how to make a hot toddy, affogato speciale, hot buttered rum, mulled wine and Sweet Surrender. Tickets are $45 for each class. If you live outside of Sioux Falls, sign up by Dec. 16 to get your gift basket in time. Sioux Falls residents can sign up until Dec. 21.
Having trouble finding a morning seat in a coffee shop for some quiet work? JJ’s Wine, Spirits & Cigars on West 57th Street is inviting people to bring their coffee and bagel and use the 3.0 Bar. “The seating in our bar area is spaced out, and masks are required when not seated, but the Wi-Fi is free, and it’s quiet. You will not be waited on, and (we) would appreciate you clean up after yourself, but there is definitely plenty of unused space for conversation or to get some work done. The bar opens for lunch at noon. If you plan on staying past that time, consider buying something or at least leave a tip for the crew.”
Redders food truck is headed into winter with online ordering. Place an order, and wait in a warm car until the food is ready. The business, which specializes in a variety of fried grilled cheese sandwiches, planning to be out all next week. Find the schedule on Redders’ Facebook page.
Parker’s Bistro, which reopened just before Thanksgiving, has added a new section to its menu: dinner vegetables. The options work with a meal or as a small plate. Here’s the grilled aspargus with a citrus Montebello sauce, bread crumb, soft egg and ribbons of carrots. The restaurant at 210 S. Main Ave. opens at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Books n Brewz Pizzeria has temporarily closed the Speakeasy side of the business to help slow the spread of COVID-19. It can be reserved for private events. The restaurant at Eighth and Weber remains open with limited seating in the loft. No-contact delivery and curbside pickup also are offered.
The newest Flyboy Donut shops have started winter hours. The store at 57th and Sycamore will close at noon daily, and the one at 41st and Sertoma will close at 4 p.m. The original site at The Bridges at 57th is open until 2 p.m., and the 10th and Bahnson location is open until 4 p.m.
Stop in at Tinner’s Public House at 69th and Minnesota and get a free domestic pint when you donate a nonperishable food item to Feeding South Dakota. The offer is good through Christmas.
Stensland Family Farms has reopened the concessions stand in the Midco Aquatic Center. In addition to ice cream, Stensland serves pizza, hot dogs, nachos, snacks, coffee and hot chocolate. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays.
The Olive Destination will be closed through Dec. 7 with the death of Leo Reynolds. “As I am spending time with family, know that I remain thankful to my loyal customers,” said Sandra Reynolds, who founded the shop with her husband’s support in 2009. “I look forward to opening the store again soon and remain dedicated to once again providing you with the highest quality products and service.”
Here are the dining headlines from the past week.
Pizza shop from Breadico reopens with five times more pizza room
Returning menu favorites are waiting for you at these local restaurants
For all the news from the local dining scene, visit our Food & Drink section.
