Black Hills, South Dakota
This blog will be broken up into 3 parts of a 2 week trip we took out west this past September, 2021. We ate at some very fun places and frequented several microbreweries. We hope you enjoy reading about where we went. And please visit our travel page for our blog about where we visited during these 2 weeks.
Part 1 - The Black Hills Area
The first leg of our trip we stayed in Rapid City and used that as our home base for several days while we ventured off in different directions. We landed Sunday, a little later in the evening than we expected so dinner was high on our priority list. Our stop tonight was Sickies Garage Burgers & Brews. This chain started in Fargo, ND, but had a great local eclectic feel to it. The menu is filled with at least 50 burger options as well as 50 beers on tap. There is something for everyone. The menu also has some fun appetizers and sandwiches as well. I opted for the Mac-a-Dilla appetizer which was a quesadilla with mac and cheese, pulled pork, onion straws, BBQ sauce and more cheese. This was very satisfying and tasty, and also made for some great leftovers to be eaten another day. Tom went for one of their super charged burgers called the Big Shot. The 1/2lb burger was seasoned and cooked perfectly and was topped with a fried egg, pineapple slices, fried pickles, Sickies’ sauce, BBQ sauce and Gouda cheese. A half hour later and Tom was still saying how good it was. We enjoyed our meal with some of Sickies’ brews - IPA and their wheat. A nice way to start off the vacation.
After a nice day in Custer State Park and the City of Custer, we searched for an independent restaurant for dinner. We started the evening visiting a Rapid City’s micro brewery called Dakota Micro Brew. They had a good variety to choose from and we enjoyed a blonde ale and an IPA before heading over to our dinner choice. Juniper is a hidden gem just south of the main downtown area. We did not have reservations but went right when they opened and nabbed a couple seats. We tried 3 wonderful dishes - the Autumn Apple Salad of lettuce, dried cranberries, bacon, feta, toasted pecans and honey poppyseed dressing; the special of beef tips with mushrooms, red potato mash, roasted carrots and blackberry gastrique; and finally for desert the homemade cheesecake with fresh berries and a blackberry drizzle. All the food was excellent. If you are looking for a unique, independent restaurant this would be one of our choices in Rapid City.
For our final evening in Rapid City we decided to try the Italian restaurant Sabatinos on Main Street. We sat at the bar, our usual spot when outdoor seating does not work. We started with their Alex Salad which was lettuce, dried cranberries, feta and dressed in a light Italian dressing. Very nice and fresh. We then opted for the Ravioli Aragosta - lobster filled ravioli with a creamy homemade tomato sauce topped with gulf prawns. This also was a nice dish which we enjoyed. We finished off the dinner with the Creme Brûlée. This is made in house and beautifully presented. Different from other brûlée’s we have had, this one had a thick caramelized topping which was slightly harder to break up but did add a nice crunch and flavor to the dish. The restaurant has a nice upscale feel and was extremely busy by the time we left. We would recommend this restaurant nestled in the nice downtown area of Rapid City.
The Rapid City downtown, with its Statutes of all the presidents, also had many restaurants to visit. For breakfast one morning we went to Tallys Silver Spoon and had their pancakes, eggs and bacon, as well as the Breakfast BLT which was sourdough, Gouda, arugula, bacon and an egg. It not only tasted good but was a beautiful presentation. We also tasted wine at the Firehouse Wine Cellars, had beers and ate at a food truck at Lost Cabin Beer Company, and tasted some bourbons at Black Hills Contraband Distillery. All made for some nice reprieves after sightseeing during the day. Then we were off to Yellowstone.
