Restaurant Roundup: Food court pop-up, Falls Overlook Cafe reopening, new desserts
April 15, 2021
The food truck Windy City Bites is doing a pop-up restaurant for five days in the food court at The Empire Mall. From April 21-25, Chicago natives DaShawn and Samantha Lewis will serve their full menu of Windy City and Caribbean favorites, along with the new Beef Combo, a sandwich with Italian beef and an Italian sausage. They’re also adding a vegan version of their Taffy Grapes, a dessert they describe as a snackable version of a caramel apple. Windy City Bites will be in the former Boss’ Pizza & Chicken spot next to Taco John’s. Hours will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. The Lewises are warning fans of their Soul Food Sunday menu that they won’t find it that week at the mall.
Falls Overlook Cafe by Stensland has reopened for the season at Falls Park. The menu has undergone a few changes, but diners will still find sandwiches, hot dogs, salads, nachos, pretzels, other snacks and, of course, ice cream and shakes. Grab-and-go items are available too. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. The space is available for private events.
The featured sundae for the east-side location of Stensland Family Farms is a cheerful creation. Dips of strawberry sorbet and cotton candy-flavored ice cream are topped with white chocolate drizzle, marshmallow bits, sour rainbow strips, hot-pink sprinkles and whipped cream.
Desserts from The Vanilla Bean are the newest addition to the bakery case at The Clean Bean coffee shop in Clean Ride Auto Spa on 85th Street west of Minnesota Avenue. Baker DeAnna Anema of Harrisburg has a passion for making cheesecakes, so customers will find one or two options, along with bars and Dutch pastries. Some of the offerings are gluten-free.
Look’s Beer Co. has introduced its first limited-edition Fifteen Minutes brew. The Hazy IPA features Ann Nachtigal, who won a contest at Look’s Marketplace to pick a style of beer and have her image on the can. “Chock-full of Amarillo, Samba, Enigma, Citra and HPA-016 hops, this beer is a juice bomb of tropical flavors,” Look’s said.
If you’re at Look’s buying the new beer, try this month’s feature out of the pizza kitchen. The Philly cheesesteak calzone has smoked beef, beer cheese sauce, peppers, onion and jalapeno.
The latest featured pizza at Monks Ale House takes the ingredients for ramen and drops them on a pizza. Toppings include miso sauce, cheese, baby bok choy, local mushrooms, local hard-boiled eggs, carrots, chashu pork belly, honey sriracha sauce and scallions.
Overtime Sports Grill & Bar is back to a full menu, but the kitchen is still closing at 9 p.m. for now. The restaurant at 26th and Sycamore had to scale back its offerings for a few weeks because it was short-staffed, general manager Jon Abbott said. Daily food specials also have returned. New menu items include a wedge salad and a smash burger with American cheese, garlic aioli and hot sauce on a toasted ciabatta roll. There’s also a new topping for boneless wings or tots: Loaded Mac has mac and cheese, bacon, green onions, a fried egg and OT mild sauce.
Chef Lance’s on Phillips is moving its family meal preparation and pickup back to its original kitchen at Signature Flight Support, north of the terminal at Sioux Falls Regional Airport. The business outgrew the airport location and opened the downtown restaurant at 431 N. Phillips Ave. in September 2020. Now, the popularity of both the restaurant and family meals are overloading the kitchen, so Chef Lance’s took advantage of an opening at Signature. Family meals can be ordered by midnight for pickup or delivery the following day from Tuesday through Friday. The menu changes every Friday. Once Signature loosens COVID-19 restrictions on access to the building, Chef Lance’s likely will reopen the cafe there as an additional location.
Forget about a boring grilled cheese sandwich. The new special at Woody’s Pub & Grill features jalapeno poppers inside. The house-made poppers are stuffed with bacon and cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. The sandwich features four poppers with two slices of pepper jack cheese and two slices of American cheese on toasted sourdough bread. It’s expected to be on the menu until mid-May.
With plenty of chilly spring days ahead, the beef stroganoff on the featured menu for April at Tinner’s Public House will help keep you warm. Slow-roasted sirloin tips and mushrooms in a red wine and brown sauce are served with a dollop of sour cream and egg noodles. Other items on the menu include pulled pork potato skins, a peanut butter patty melt, a chimichanga and the Stobe Jones Pizza, the creation of kitchen leader Stephon “Stobe” Jones. It features a cauliflower crust, garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil, spinach, tomato, a four-cheese blend and balsamic glaze. The drink features this month have a fruit-flavored theme: Sour Grapes, Raspberry Lemon Sour Smash, Strawberry Tequila Fizz, lime-flavored Red Rum Mojito and the Dagg Nabbit with Grey Goose vodka, Midori, Malibu, pineapple juice and cream.
On the Hook Fish & Chips alert: The traveling food truck will be in Sioux Falls on Friday. Find it in the parking lot at Tractor Supply Co. on North Cliff Avenue from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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New downtown wine shop owner brings Twin Cities, San Francisco experience
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