South Dakota

South Dakota’s Pheasant Restaurant And Lounge Earns James Beard Classics Award

Published

2 years ago

March 11, 2024

Press Room

South Dakota’s Pheasant Restaurant And Lounge Earns James Beard Classics Award

James Beard Classics Awards winner Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge stays true to its South Dakota … [+] culinary roots.

Courtesy of Pheasant Restaurant

Situated in Brookings, South Dakota, a town of 23,000 people, the Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge that started as a gas station cafÃ© might not have been the most likely of candidates to earn one of the six prestigious James Beard Classics Awards, in this case for the Midwest. But Pheasant Restaurant is going to surprise you in many ways.

And Brookings is not your average town since a college, South Dakota State University and the South Dakota Art Museum, situated on campus, is located there.

Pheasant Restaurant has been owned by the same family since it opened in 1949, and is now overseen by Georgiana Olson and Michael Johnson, the head chef and general manager, who is Olsonâs grandson and the third generation of Olsonâs who have steered it. Previously Johnsonâs mom and aunt ran it. Johnson has been working there for over 30 years and was handed over the reins 18 years ago.

How did Johnson feel when he learned Pheasant had won one of the James Beard Classic Awards? âWe were just doing what we are passionate about, and then this divine light just shone down on our daily gig so unexpectedly,â he replies.

Staying true to its South Dakota roots, Pheasant Restaurant has earned a James Beard Classic Awards and yet has adapted its menu.

But Pheasantâs menu is one of the unexpected factors in its longevity. Though streamlined, the menu offers variations of classics like its duck wings platter, lamb sloppy joes and hummus platter.

Updated Plus Old Reliable Menu

As Johnson explains that its menu combines its history while adapting to modern tastes and âhighlights items from the gas station cafÃ© days, our steakhouse era and a lot of current New American items, but always with local flair.â It also integrates influences of Native Americans, Norwegians and Germans as well as farmers, hunters, fishers and ranchers.

Some South Dakota Specialties

And then there are some entrees specific to South Dakota such as its chislic, which is the stateâs official nosh and consists of deep-fried, cubed local lamb meat served with blue cheese dressing and its seared sirloin bites, six ounces of cubed Angus top sirloin.

It also prides itself on its Upper Midwest classic dishes such as hot roast beef on homemade white bread with mashed potatoes and gravy, its Nordic waffles folded around smoked salmon and bison steak au poivre. And then thereâs walleye, the South Dakota state fish.

âWe love to work with rhubarb, blue cheese, homemade ice cream and anything fresh off the farm,â Johnson explains. âIn the end, itâs a distinctly eastern South Dakotan experience,â he says.

And yet with all the changes, the hot roast beef sandwich and liver and onions were there on the original 1949 menu. Its coffee is made from locally-roasted beans bought from Cherrybean Coffee Co., which makes organic coffee and is based in Marion, S.D. Itâs a bottomless cup, naturally.

Keeping the Prices Low: Not So Easy These Days

At a time when restaurant prices are spiking, Pheasant Restaurant has kept its prices down. Its early bird special served from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday includes a choice of cod liver, pork chop, taco salad or chef salad and costs $9. Thatâs right under $10.

Keeping those prices low, admittedly, has become a challenge. It maintains relationships with âproducers, like farmers and bakers who come right into the kitchen and hand us their goods. These relationships really help with both quality and cost,â he notes.

Itâs also a lounge where it keeps six rotating, seasonal beers on tap such as Ferson Lionâs Paw Lager from Sioux Falls, S.D. and Brau Brothers Moo Joos from Marshall, Mn. It also maintains a wine cellar with a large selection of curated wines.

Sustaining its tradition and appealing to the more sophisticated tastes of people who travel these days have become the bywords of keeping the Pheasant Restaurant dynamic, Johnson suggests.

And what will keep the Pheasant Restaurant pumped up for the next generation? Johnson said his 10-year-old daughter Elsa has declared that she wants to be the chef when she grows up. In the meantime, Johnson says, heâs not going anywhere until âChef Elsaâ is ready for the task.

Source link

Click to comment

South Dakota

Feeding South Dakota

Published

2 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

State

Zip Code

Country

Source link

South Dakota

SD Lottery Millionaire for Life winning numbers for Feb. 26, 2026

Published

14 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Feb. 26, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from Feb. 26 drawing

03-14-22-50-57, Bonus: 04

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link

South Dakota

SNAP soda ban headed to desk of South Dakota governor, who’s concerned about costs

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

SNAP soda ban headed to desk of South Dakota governor, who’s concerned about costs

State Sen. Sydney Davis, R-Burbank, speaks in the South Dakota Senate at the Capitol in Pierre on Feb. 10, 2026. Davis is sponsoring a bill that would ban the use of SNAP benefits for soda purchases. (Photo by Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight)

By: John Hult

PIERRE, S.D. (South Dakota Searchlight) – The question of whether South Dakota moves to ban the use of government food assistance for sugary drinks is in the hands of Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden, who has signaled his opposition to the bill all through the 2026 legislative session.

The state Senate voted 27-6 on Wednesday to endorse House Bill 1056, after the House passed it earlier 58-11. Assuming the same levels of support, both margins are wide enough to overcome a Rhoden veto, should he choose to issue one.

The bill directs the Department of Social Services to ask for a federal waiver to allow the state to bar the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for the purchase of soft drinks.

SNAP is a federal program, managed by the state, through which people with low incomes get a monthly allowance for food through a debit-like card that can be used at most stores to buy nearly any consumable grocery item save alcohol and prepared foods.

Representatives from Rhoden’s office testified against the bill in House and Senate committees, arguing that the administrative costs would be too high. A fiscal note attached to the bill between its passage in the House and its appearance on the Senate’s Wednesday calendar estimated that implementation would cost $310,000 through the first two years. Those costs would come from hiring an extra employee and contracting for software to track sales, file reports and help retailers determine which drinks are banned.

Backers see long-term savings to the state, though. A high percentage of SNAP recipients are also on Medicaid, a taxpayer-funded health insurance program open to disabled and income-eligible people.

On Wednesday, Burbank Republican Sen. Sydney Davis noted the connection between excess soda consumption and health problems like obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. Medicaid dental costs alone add up $51 million a year, she said.

Mitchell Republican Sen. Paul Miskimins, a retired dentist, told the body he once counted 32 cavities and seven abscesses in the mouths of 2-year-old twin boys who were covered by Medicaid.

He attributed the tooth decay to sugary beverages.

“I don’t know if that first visit was more traumatic on the boys or on my dental staff and myself,” said Miskimins.

Tamara Grove, R-Lower Brule, was the lone senator to speak in opposition on the Senate floor. She argued that some stores might stop accepting SNAP payments due to the administrative burden of sorting barred products from the rest of their inventories, and pointed out that the bill wouldn’t do a thing to prevent SNAP recipients from loading up on sugary foods like ice cream or snack cakes.

“It gives this look as if there’s going to be this big, huge change in the way that people buy products, but it’s really not going to be,” Grove said.

Some surrounding states, including Nebraska, have moved to ask for a waiver to ban soda sales through SNAP. Such waivers are now an option, as President Donald Trump’s administration is willing to consider granting them. Former President Joe Biden’s administration was not.

Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, the South Dakota bill’s prime sponsor, got a letter last week from Trump administration officials expressing support for her proposal.

In response, Rhoden spokeswoman Josie Harms told South Dakota Searchlight that the governor “has always been supportive of the Trump Administration’s efforts to Make America Healthy Again,” using a reference to the policy agenda branding used by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“We have met directly with his Administration on this issue, and at no point has our opposition been directed at President Trump or his efforts to reform SNAP,” Harms said. “Our focus has always been on ensuring the implementation of SNAP reform works effectively for our state.”

Harms said Wednesday that Rhoden would answer questions about the bill at a Thursday press conference.

Source link