May 20, 2021

Monks Ale House has added weekend brunch. Monks’ main offering for dinner is pizza, so, of course, there’s a breakfast pizza with scrambled egg, bacon or sausage, veggies and cheese. Try the Toast & Jam Board or have the Gravlox, which is cured salmon on bread from Look’s Marketplace. Serving is from 11 a.m. until the supplies are gone. The craft beer bar on East Eighth Street also is opening now at 11 a.m. Fridays.

Here’s an update on the long-awaited B&G Milkyway in Harrisburg. From the outside, it looks ready to go, but inside is a different story. “We wanted to be open by now, but there’s just been delays,” co-owner Kasey Iverson said. “That’s the way it goes with building.” Construction has run into COVID-related supply issues, and when countertops finally arrived, they were the wrong size and damaged, Iverson said. “That’s another three weeks out. All of the equipment has arrived other than the ovens. Those are sitting waiting for delivery. We just have to finish the building before we move everything in. I’m hoping for the end of June and hope it doesn’t run into July.”

Ice cream pints are back for the season at The Boozy Bakery in JJ’s Wine, Spirits & Cigars. Flavors will change every week. This week’s options are “extra boozy” Bourbon Caramel Toasted Pecan, Baileys Caramel Brownie, Buttermint Brownie, Tiramisu-tini Brownie and nonboozy Buckeye Brownie.

Falls Overlook Cafe by Stensland usually serves ice cream shakes – the machine is broken right now – but they’ve also been added to the menu at one of the three Stensland Family Farms retail stores. The central store at 3101 W. 41st St. offers vanilla, strawberry and chocolate shakes. They’re made using soft-serve ice cream from the farm’s creamery.

DQ has released its summer Blizzard flavors: Girl Scouts Thin Mints, Brownie Batter, Drumstick With Peanuts, Frosted Animal Cookie, Raspberry Fudge Bliss and Cotton Candy.

Prix fixe dinners have returned to M.B. Haskett Delicatessen. The Phillips Avenue restaurant will be open Friday and Saturday nights, with reservations starting at 5:30 p.m. This weekend’s three-course meal features a Spanish salad with piquillo peppers and manchego cheese, pan-fried arctic char with chive beurre blanc, spring vegetables and fingerling potatoes, and creme brulee with fresh berries.

The food truck Windy City Bites has added a vegan version of its Chicago Dog, and it’s cooked to order. The best part of its introduction to the lineup might be the reaction of Nrdvana owner Patrick Wilson when he learned it was the vegan version.  See what he thought during the surprise taste testing here. Nrdvana will continue to host the food truck at its new location at 26th and Cliff, which opens June 1.

Bone Daddy’s Smokehouse is doing another pop-up restaurant at On the Rocks in Harrisburg. Randy and Vanessa Ragatz will be serving ribs, burnt ends, wings and pork tacos from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday in the parking lot.

Squealer’s Smoke Shack in Tea is celebrating its one-year anniversary Friday through May 27 with daily specials and the opening of its rooftop patio this weekend. Most of the daily specials are discounted drinks, but stop by Sunday for free cupcakes.

With the closing of Healthy M.E., Science Nutrition stores are now carrying prepared meals from Chef Ellen. Single-portion meals are available, and offerings will rotate. This week, customers can find choices like lemon herb chicken with “rainbow vegetables,” chicken enchilada or shrimp taco bowls and a cheeseburger spaghetti squash casserole. Drop-off days for new meals are Mondays and Fridays.

Olive Destination is returning to hosting events “as COVID draws closer to an end.” The shop at 5023 S. Louise Ave. is having a free wine tasting from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday. Enjoy hors d’oeurves from Bee Loved Kitchen and music by pianist Holly VandenBerg. The event will be in memory of owner Sandra Reynolds’ husband, Leo, who died in November 2020 following complications from an auto accident in August. “The wine tasting activities were one of his favorite events, and he very much enjoyed seeing and getting to know all of our customers,” the shop said in a post on social media.

Fernson Brewing Co. has two new brews this month that will help raise money for local nonprofit organizations. After several years of making a beer for the Great Plains Zoo, this year’s brew is a hard seltzer. Black Cherry Skip Day will support the zoo’s efforts to protect the black rhino population in Namibia. On Saturday, Gear List, a wheat ale, will be released at Great Outdoor Store’s Gear & Beer. The celebration will be from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the store, 201 E. 10th St. Proceeds from the event benefit Falls Area Single Track, or FAST, an organization committed to maintaining and growing or local trail systems.

Here are a few schedule changes for restaurants:

• Taphouse 41 is short-staffed and will be closed Sundays, likely through the summer, an employee said. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
• “O” So Good in Garretson will be closed Monday through May 28 because two of the main employees are going on vacation and the restaurant is still trying to hire additional staff. Owner/chef Omar Thornton is planning to do “pop-up special dinners” Tuesday through Friday. He’ll post details on Facebook.
• The owners of Khorasan Kabob House are visiting family in Kabul, Afghanistan, for the first time in seven years, so the restaurant is serving carryout only until June 23. Orders can be placed by calling 338-2424.
• Pizza di Paolo will be closed for vacation May 27 through June 3.

Here are other headlines from the past week.

New wine shop opens downtown

Food truck returns with eye-catching trolley

Tiny Fish & Chips trailer offers simple menu with lots of flavor

Capriotti’s opens second Sioux Falls location

Pop-up barbecue to display rent-a-chef’s skills

Rudy’s Tex-Mex Taco Bus to join food truck scene