Restaurant Roundup: New grab-and-go meals, food truck closure, autumn specials
Sept. 26, 2024
The Boozy Bakery at JJ’s Wine, Spirits & Cigars has added single-serving grab-and-go meals. They’re fully cooked and ready to reheat and eat. Options change every week, with new items in the case by 1 p.m. Thursday. This week’s offerings are Cajun chicken pasta, Colorado beef enchiladas, Italian Wedding soup and coconut curry soup. Other recent dishes have included roasted meatballs and marinara with French bread, mushroom rigatoni, chicken stew and biscuits, and pasta e fagioli soup.
The food truck Pa & Sons has closed after its third season. Owners Brian Rieger and his son David are too busy to keep it going, said David’s fiancee, Randi Moore. Brian retired but is starting another business venture, David is busy expanding housing at Veterans Community Project, and Moore started her own business, Randi Marie Socials, providing social media marketing for small businesses. They’re doing a little research before putting the food truck on the market, she said.
Check out the new fall lunch specials at Crack’d Pot Restaurant. They’re available every day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Poppy’s Popcorn Co. has a new flavor for fall: Pumpkin Spice. It’s a sugar-coated popcorn with a subtle pumpkin spice flavoring and is drizzled with white chocolate and dusted with cinnamon. It’s available bagged in several sizes, and larger amounts can be ordered.
Fall donuts have arrived at Flyboy Donuts. Flavors include Apple Cider Crisp, Caramel Apple Pie and Pumpkin.
New menu items are available at Chef Lance’s on Phillips, along with a few returning favorites like Mac & Cheese Egg Rolls and the Spinach Artichoke Skillet. Among the additions are Maryland Crab Cakes, Lobster Stuffed Beef Wellington, Steak Oscar, Beef Stroganoff, Tuscany Chicken Linguini, Chicken Oscar and Crispy Smothered Chicken.
Oh My Cupcakes is having another Halloween cupcake design contest that’s open to all ages. Winning designs will be showcased in the bakery cases for Halloween. Last year’s designs were so cute that the cupcake ninjas at the bakery picked three to feature. Winners will get a dozen cupcakes with their design. Entries are due Oct. 12. Find all the entry info here.
The Meeting Nook in Dell Rapids has started serving paninis. Options include pizza, Italian and turkey Reuben, and the shop is working on other varieties. Each order comes with chips and a pickle. The shop is open from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Sunday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, but curbside pickup also is available for online orders from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.
Lava’s Coffee in Tea has expanded its daily breakfast offerings to include English muffin and bagel sandwiches with sausage, egg and cheese. Baked good additions include caramel rolls, doughnuts and scones.
Fryn’ Pan restaurants have several returning favorite menu items for a limited time. Pumpkin pancakes are back, along with the Farmers Skillet and Sausage Platter. There’s Steak N’ Eggs with a 10-ounce beef strip loin, hash browns and eggs, and Cajun Sausage & Mushroom Penne Paste.
Crooked Pint Ale House has $9 specials that are available whenever NFL games are on. They’re available for dine-in only.
Smoked brisket is back on the grill at Chipotle for a limited time. The national chain said it has been a top requested menu item to make a return since it was introduced three years ago.
The autumn menu has arrived at Coffea Roasterie. Seasonal favorites are back, including Charlie Brown, Butterscotch Latte, Old Smoke Tea Latte and Apple Cider. The downtown location has a few additional seasonal drinks: Simmer Pot Latte with orange-cranberry syrup, Pistachio Brown Sugar Latte and Horchata. Seasonal bakery items are pumpkin bread and ginger molasses cookies.
Here’s the fall menu for The Source Coffee Roastery + Taproom: Harvest Moon with cardamom and hot honey; Amber Nights with a blend of brown butter caramel and green apple; Golden Girl with cayenne, ginger and turmeric; Chill Vibes with lemonade and Moroccan mint; and Cozy Up, an herbal tea infused with vanilla spice and activated charcoal and sprinkled with sea salt.
Covert Artisan Ales & Cellars debuted its first THC drink in late August, the seltzer In the Clouds. Now, it has created a soda. The 1008 is a 10-milligram, delta 9 THC-infused vanilla root beer. It’s named after House Bill 1008, which legalized industrial hemp in South Dakota.
Altered Species Ales celebrates Oktoberfest on Saturday with at least six festbier and marzen style beers, including some from Germany. Get beers by the glass or an Oktoberfest punch card for six drinks in a 12-ounce Oktoberfest Moravia Tankcard you get to keep. A limited number of those are available. Southern Perfection BBQ will be selling food. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Note: The taproom is closing earlier that day – at the end of the celebration.
Oktoberfest also arrives Saturday at Verde Lounge in the Holiday Inn City Centre with Stacks and Steins. Enjoy German cuisine, beers and live music, plus test your strength and endurance in a stein-holding competition, or showcase your skills in a game of Hammerschlagen. Hours are 5 to 9 p.m.
Look’s Marketplace is hosting its third annual A Visual Feast on Saturday. The patio and east parking lot will be filled with artists selling their works and with live performances. Hours are 4 to 8 p.m.
This weekend is Southern Perfection BBQ’s final Soul Food Sunday at JJ’s Wine, Spirits & Cigars before it moves back to the parking lot at Roosevelt High School. The regular menu will be available from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday — or until it’s gone — along with a limited number of pre-orders for a prime rib dinner. Those must be placed by 9 p.m. Friday here.
Someday Cafe and Dog House Bar in Baltic are having a customer appreciation day from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Enjoy a free hot dog, chili dog or pulled pork sandwich with chips. Beverages will be available for sale. There will be live music and games. Bring a lawn chair.
Outback Steakhouse’s new Great Barrier Eats featured menu includes Twin Reefs Shrimp, Reef & Beef Platter, Bloomin’ French Onion Sirloin, Tasmanian Pasta, Three Cheese Steak Dip and Alice Springs Chicken. Featured cocktails are the Kangaroo Krush and Blackberry Martini.
The featured Pickle Pizza at Toppers Pizza was so popular this summer that it has earned a permanent spot on the menu. In addition to fresh dill pickles, it has ranch sauce topped with mozzarella, applewood smoked bacon and a dusting of dill. Get a large for $12 for a limited time.
New menu items for fall at Ruby Tuesday include the French Onion Grill with a choice of rib-eye steak, chicken breasts or a smashed burger — each topped with grilled onions, provolone and Swiss cheeses and Parmesan cream. New platters include the Southern Trio with catfish filets, chicken tenders and shrimp; Ribs & Fried Catfish; Ribs & Tenders; and Fried Catfish & Crispy Shrimp. New starters are the Ruby’s Classic Trio with loaded potato skins, boneless wings and mozzarella sticks; Burnt Ends; and Stuffed Mushrooms. For dessert, pumpkin cheesecake is back, and there’s a new funnel cake sundae and chocolate brownie sundae.
Panera Bread has new soups for fall and a new kids menu. Soups include Hearty Fireside Chili and Rustic Baked Potato. Vegetarian Autumn Squash soup is back for the season.
The kids menu has a turkey and cheese sandwich, ham and cheese sandwich, grilled cheese, mac-and-cheese and broccoli cheddar soup. Each option comes with a side.
Papa Murphy’s has a BOGO special through Monday. Buy a large or family-size pizza online, and get any pizza of equal or lesser value for free. Use the code BOGO.
Changes in hours, service
- Baking up a Storm has started closing a little earlier. New hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.
Here are other food and drink headlines from the past week.
Steel District offers new look at restaurants’ approaching openings
Last chance: Try Minervas Asian-inspired Downtown Pork Showdown dish
Yelloh, formerly Schwan’s Home Delivery, to shut down operations
Casa del Rey delays reopening to make more building improvements
