Situated in Brookings, South Dakota, a town of 23,000 people, the Pheasant Restaurant and Lounge that started as a gas station café 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 Olson’s grandson and the third generation of Olson’s who have steered it. Previously Johnson’s 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? “We were just doing what we are passionate about, and then this divine light just shone down on our daily gig so unexpectedly,” 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 Pheasant’s 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 “highlights items from the gas station café days, our steakhouse era and a lot of current New American items, but always with local flair.” 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 state’s 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 there’s walleye, the South Dakota state fish.

“We love to work with rhubarb, blue cheese, homemade ice cream and anything fresh off the farm,” Johnson explains. “In the end, it’s a distinctly eastern South Dakotan experience,” 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. It’s 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. That’s right under $10.

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

It’s also a lounge where it keeps six rotating, seasonal beers on tap such as Ferson Lion’s 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, he’s not going anywhere until “Chef Elsa” is ready for the task.