Restaurant Review: Mad Marys

This is my last review for the small South Dakota town of Flandreau. I spent a total of 2 weeks there and even though there is not a lot of restaurant choices there seems to be quality. I saw a few signs around town and in the hotel information binder about a Mad Marys Steakhouse. So one evening I decided to head over and check it out.

As I pulled up to the parking lot I was quite surprised. The parking lot was packed, but with only large trucks. Not just any truck, John Deere trucks. So I entered and saw it was quite busy. One gal met me at the door right away and she sat me in a nice corner away from the large group. I later found out John Deere was having thier Christmas Dinner Party that night.

The waitress came right over and told me the evening specials and the beers on tap. I ordered a beer and looked over the menu. The menu offered a little bit of everything but not too much. Some menus offer everything from Italian, Chinese to all day breakfasts. This menu was a classic steak house menu. A few different cuts of steak, some chicken, pork chop and a couple seafood items.

When she returned with my beer I had narrowed the decision to 2 items: Ribeye steak or the Prime Rib. I inquired if the Prime Ribs looked fatty. She told me that the Prime Rib looked great and that they hand pick the Rib Roasts that they cook in order to have high quality Prime Rib. That was all I needed to hear. I went for it. It was supposed to be a 12 oz cut with garlic mashed and a dinner salad.

She brought out my salad right away and warned me that the large group was ordering also so my order my get caught in the middle of theirs and be delayed. I was okay with it because the entire restaurant was non smoking and the atmosphere was clean and relaxing. The lighting was turned down just a little bit and there was very soft music in the backround. I dont even know what type of music it was because it was just loud enough to know it was there but not so loud to inhibit a conversation. My salad was a nice mixture of lettuce, sliced onions, cherry tomato and cucumber. Nothing too fancy but very crisp and fresh. She also brought out a selection of homemade dressings. I tried each one and the thousand island was awesome. It had chunks of tomatoes in it and was so good.

I was just finishing my salad when my waitress came out with my prime rib. It looked perfect. She apologized for it coming out too fast. I told her it was perfect timing and I could not wait to cut into that bad boy. Remember I told you I ordered a 12 oz prime rib? Well if this was 12 oz then I am 7'2" and my name is Shaquille! WOW! What a nice lean cut of meat. If it tastes as good as it looks I will be in heaven...and heaven bound I went. It was cooked to my exact order (medium) and was tender, juicy and oh so ever delicious. Each bite melted in my mouth as I took my time and just savored every single bite. The garlic mashed potatoes were excellent also. Mashed with tiny bits of the peel mixed in and not too powerful on the garlic. A real good balance. I barely finished my meal, there was no way I was not going to finish the prime rib. The waitress came over every once and a while to make sure I was doing fine. She was very attentive but not hovering. Again a good balance.

I was fortunate enough to return to Mad Marys again the following week while treating the CT staff at the hospital to a meal. I thought I might try something different but when I got there the prime rib angels were calling out to me again. I gave in and endulged in prime rib heaven. The wait staff again was superb. They were very busy again but were very knowlegdable about the menu and very efficient.

If I do get back to this area of South Dakota I will definitely set aside at least one evening to go to Mad Marys.

Here are my grades.

Food Quality-------------5 out of 5

The food quality was awesome. The food was prepared fresh and looked great . I found no faults in the food or how it was prepared.

Service Quality----------5 out of 5

Perfect. The staff was friendly and courteous. They were attentive but not smothering.

Value--------------------4 out of 5

The prices for the food were comparable for the same items in other areas but well worth the price for the freshness and overall quality.

Overall------------------ 4.7 out of 5

Mad Marys Steakhouse has a great atmosphere, awesome service and wonderful food. Probably the best prime rib I have had since I can remember. Loved it and would recommend it to anyone out in the area.

Restaurant Review: Royal River Casino

I was recently out in Flandreau, SD for a work trip and needed to find a place to stay. I Googled hotels in the area and did not find any hotel chains nearby. However I did find a Hotel/Casino called Royal River Casino. Through some hurdles and return calls I was finally able to reserve a room but that is the topic of another post. I went to their website to see the amenities. I found that they had a buffet and a sports bar restaurant. That was nice because the forecast was calling for winter storms and dangerously low temperatures. I was looking forward to not having to venture out to grab supper after getting into the warm comforts of the hotel.

After I checked in the first night I went down the the restaurant and was smacked in the face by a wall of smoke. Totally disgusting! I stood there for a few minutes waiting to be seated (following the directions on the sign) and when no one acknowledged me I went out to seek the hostess. The hostess was standing away from her station at the front of the restaurant visiting with a waitress and not paying any attention to her job. I asked for a menu to see what they had to offer. She handed me one and also told me about the Sports Bar (which I could supposedly order off the menu also). Since this was a Monday night and during football season I decided to walk over to the Sports Bar and take a look. When I got over there the place was empty. They had multiple large flat screens all over with different sports on including the Monday Night Football pregame show. BINGO!!! No people equals no smoke plus I can watch the game. I found a winning combination. So as I sat down and waited for a waitress I looked at the banners and table top ads sporting their weekly and daily specials. All day Sunday and during MNF they had $2 tap beers and $0.25 hot wings. Cool. They also had a selected menu of appetizers on sale. I waited and waited but no one was there. So I got up walked around looked into a few open doors and finally spotted a young waitress standing in the breeze way between the Casino bar and the sports bar smoking away and chomping on french fries. Nice. I tried not to startle her while she was in her feeding/smoking frenzy. I politely excused myself and asked her for a menu. She seemed put off that I was interrupting her. She made sure to mention to me that I could not order off the restaurant menu (even thought the Sports Bar and restaurant were connected by a glass door). I mentioned to her that the hostess from the restaurant told me that I could order off the menu in the Sports Bar. She seemed annoyed and I got the impression that she just didn't want to have to serve anyone. So she scuttled off to check with the hostess. Meanwhile I decided that it did not matter and that I would just order hot wings and some beer while watching MNF. Finally she came back and announced that I could order from the menu but I would have to go over to the restaurant (20 feet away) and order my meal for take out and then hand carry it myself in its plastic foam container over to the Sports Bar. I informed her that it would not be necessary and that I would just order some of the hot wings that were on special and a tap beer. She then looked at me and said "Oh, no those specials are for Sunday only". Hmmm...odd..because the 8 foot by 7 foot banner hanging on the wall clearly stated "All day Sunday and Monday during Monday Night Football (6-10pm)". I pointed out the sign and read it to her but she said that I was reading it wrong and she proceeded to read it aloud then stopped with a confused look on her face. She then went to get another waitress or possibly the manager on duty to look at their own sign. They both stared at this sign that has probably been hanging on the wall for 13 weeks now with amazement. Finally they came to the consensus that I was right. Finally I would get my beer and wings.

The wings were actually pretty good and the beer was nice and cold (even though they served it in a cheap thin plastic keg cup). I stayed for the better part of the first half. The waitress was not attentive at all and still seemed pissy that I dare make her work. For these reasons and the smoke issue I decided not to come back this week.

But being the sucker for cheap cold beer, good hot wings, MNF and not having to venture out into subzero temperatures I took a chance the next Monday. Different waitress same story. It was like deja vu. I found it hard to believe that the staff that works there does not know the weekly specials. Especially when they are plastered on every table top placard and on a huge banner on the wall. It was like an old rerun: cold beer, good wings, poor uninformed service. To add injury to insult a group of 3 people came in and sat down and the waitress came over with the other restaurant menu and they ordered the special from the restaurant. They did not have to go over there and order it and wait for it and hand carry it into the Sports Bar. I was dumbfounded. The incompetence runs so deep at these restaurants. Needless to say that was the last time I ate at the hotel regardless of temperature or impending snowstorm.

Here are my grades.

Food Quality-------------2 out of 5
Kind of hard to mess up hot wings. But lower score since I got the vibe that this might be the only safe thing to order on the menu.

Service Quality----------1 out of 5

Giving them a 1 is sort of a stretch. I guess they were present and they did finally bring me my food but that was pretty much it. I often had to seek them out for napkins, dressing, or to order another beer.

Value--------------------3 out of 5

The prices for the food and beer were excellent but the hassle in which to get the special advertised prices sort of dampened the good feeling. It was annoying the first time educating their staff on their own specials. The second time was painful.

Overall------------------ 2 out of 5

The Royal River Casino Sports Bar has good specials and lots of flat screen TVs for catching the game and having a brew. However it is evident why each time I was in there on a MNF night the place was vacant. Unless you don't mind searching for a waitress and trying to educate them on what menu you can or can't order from. In my own experiences, I cannot recommend these restaurants.

Restaurant Review: Bean and Vine

While on one of my recent work trips to Flandreau, South Dakota I stumbled upon a small coffee shop cafe. I was craving a nice hot latte and one of the staff members at the hospital mentioned that this new cafe in town served them. I got directions to the Bean and Vine (not hard to find in this small town) and headed over there the next morning.


The next morning was bitterly cold with dangerously low wind chills so I was hoping that the hot coffee was going to be good. When I entered the cafe the atmosphere was so warm and inviting. It had a beautiful ordering counter with pastries and cookies displays. There was a large simple menu hung on the wall behind the counter with coffees, pastries, pizzas, soups and sandwiches. I ordered a sugar free vanilla latte with skim milk and decided to grab one of the fresh baked muffins on the counter. As the waitress was making my latte I looked around. The decor of the cafe was so peaceful. They had a handful of small tables with chairs mixed among a couple of larger tables. In one corner their was a couch, coffee table and a pair of comfy upholstered chairs. I got my latte and muffin to go and decided to try this cafe for dinner tonight.


I did indeed have dinner there that evening which was so relaxing that I spent almost the entire evening there sipping coffee and catching up on paperwork on my laptop. There were a few people in and out the entire evening but the mood stayed relaxed and peaceful. I ended up getting a lot of work done that evening. As far as the food, it was really good. The wait staff was helpful and attentive. The food tasted fresh and flavorful. The serving sizes were moderate, not too big but just enough. I enjoyed the food and atmosphere so much that I was back each morning for a coffee or latte. I thought the homemade muffins were delicious and they also make a breakfast sandwich (fresh to order) which was great.


I returned there for dinner many evenings and stayed until just before closing at 9pm. Having tried most of the items on the menu I can say that there was not one thing I did not like. Some of my favorites were the soup, pizza and chicken sandwich. I ordered the chicken Alfredo pizza. It was on a wafer thin crust and was a light flavorful dinner. I enjoyed a bowl of chicken tortilla soup (not sure if it was homemade) was again was delicious. The last of my favorites was a chicken Parmesan sandwich on ciabata roll. I loved this sandwich which was a grilled piece of chicken breast with red sauce and melted cheese.


The only thing that I did not like so much was the flavored coffees. They have a selection of flavored coffees in those pump carafes. I tried a few different ones and each time I was disappointed. These coffees were always bitter. I don't know why because the lattes I had were smooth.


As far as value, the prices are not cheap and the serving sizes are not overly large. But the quality of food and the atmosphere is very welcoming when you are on the road a lot and need a change from the fast food chains or franchised eateries. Overall, if I had to travel back to the area and needed a place to eat I would choose the Bean and Vine for any (probably all) of my meals.

Here are my grades.


Food Quality-------------4.5 out of 5
The food quality was great. The food was prepared fresh and looked good.

Service Quality----------4 out of 5
The staff was friendly and courteous. They were attentive but not smothering.


Value--------------------4 out of 5
The prices for the food were a bit high for comparable items in that area but worth the price for the freshness and overall quality.

Overall------------------ 4.2 out of 5
The Bean and Vine Restaurant is a comfortable coffee house style cafe that offers a variety of menu items. Based on my experience, I enjoyed all my meals there. It was a quiet relaxing meal with great food and prompt service. I would recommend this restaurant for a any meal or a good latte.

Here Fishy Fishy

When the weather started to cool off this past fall I started to get the itch for the ice fishing season. Fortunately the weather cooperated but unfortunately our family's busy schedule did not cooperate. We either had recitals, basketball tourneys, or other commitments that prohibited me from getting on the ice. That is just the way it goes sometimes.

After all the dust (and snow) settled we found a Sunday afternoon with not much going on. Cole and I decided to try it out for the first time this season. So we started to get all the supplies together and loaded in the van. I filled the auger and decided to start it up before we head onto the ice. Pull, sputter, pull, pull, pull. Expletive! Again and again. This was very frustrating since not more than 3 weeks earlier when I got all my gear organized and ready to go I had the beast running on the second pull. I tried and tried until I ripped and blistered piece of skin off my hand through my glove. By this time my neighbor had just opened his garage to start snow blowing his driveway when he saw me yanking on the auger cord. He came over and visited about ice fishing for a few minutes and told me to take his auger out. He said he wasn't gonna use it that day (he was going to the Vikings playoff game). Frustrated with my own used auger by now I accepted. So Cole and I finished loading up and headed off to get some bait.

We ended up at Forest Lake #2 off of Willows Point (Cole's choice since we've had luck here in the past). I pulled up to the lake access and noticed many trucks, cars and ATVs out on the ice. I don't like to bring my vehicles out on the ice (even when it is pretty thick). Its not that I have really nice vehicles but the fact that I cant afford to replace them. So Cole and I parked the van and unloaded the sled. We pulled the sled a few hundred yards out and randomly picked a spot to set up camp. It was pretty cold out there (1 above). I brought the Ice Cube and the propane heater. Once set up we started to get to the fun part...fishing. Right away we both had strikes but we both were rusty. It took us a while of feeding the fish until we caught on and caught one. It was not super busy but we continuously had something hitting our line. We sat out there talking, visiting and praying for the fish to bite. It was fun to be out with Cole and talk about a few things. Cole's feet started to get cold and he was getting hungry. I convinced him to stay out a little longer and we snagged a few more fish. It was getting even colder and colder. I remote started the van and after a little bit I sent him ahead of me while I finished the tear down of the house. That was one long cold walk back.

All in all we went home with 9 fish (5 crappies and 4 sunnies). We threw back at least as many as we kept. It was fun to finally get on the ice!

Welcome 2009!!

It is hard to believe the year 2009 has arrived. I know we hear that every year but just think back when the year 2000 seemed so far off. That was nearly 10 years ago! It is so true that as you get older (not older just older) time goes by so fast. I remember when New Years Eve was a big occasion. Maybe go out for dinner, few drinks, or even go to a New Years Eve Party. Those days are gone. Now we are lucky to see the ball drop...in New York!

As advertised we had a pretty uneventful New Years Eve. I worked part of the day in Iowa and drove back late that afternoon. Fortunately I had Cole along with me on the short trip which I enjoyed. He did some reading and Internet browsing while I worked and afterward we hung out, went to the small mall, swam in the pool and caught a movie. It was nice one on one time with him. Once we got home we settled in for a movie and popcorn (Kung Fu Panda). De popped up some gourmet popcorn in her new popping kettle and we all gathered in the living room for the show. When the movie ended we got the little kids tucked in and Cole, De and I watched the ball drop in New York (11pm our time) and that was good enough for De. She headed up to catch some sleep before our two little early birds decided it was time to start the new year. Cole on the other hand had big plans on staying up late and watching as many new years being ushered in across the U.S. as possible. I tried to join him but barely made it to our own countdown. The next day was relaxing. We hung out at home and played some games with the kids. Jake and Kennedy wanted to play Operation but every time they bumped the sides and the BUZZ rang out it startled them. They didn't like that aspect of the game but really thought the play money was cool. Kennedy is pretty good at adding up the fake dough. So I thought I would introduce them to Monopoly. Well that was a BIG hit. All of us sat down and played it. The little ones thought it was so cool. De again popped some popcorn for us and we played well past their bedtimes. They loved rolling the dice and counting how many spaces they needed to move. Kennedy counted out the amounts of money she needed to pay while Jake made sure his little fortune was in nice neat tidy little piles. They had a ball! So much so that we had to play again the next day. It was so much fun to just sit around the kitchen table with the family without the video games and TV and just enjoy each others company.

Catching up in the New Year

Boy the time just flies. I can't believe the holiday season has come and passed us by again. Lots and lots of events, gatherings and memories have taken place in the past few weeks since I have posted. I will try to highlight them now and make an extra effort to be more diligent in updating more often.

Cole's traveling basketball team has been busier than ever. He has been practicing at least twice a week with tournaments at least every other weekend (sometimes two weekends in a row). The last tourney before Christmas was a true "B" tournament (even though at least half the teams were "A" teams. This was the first tourney that they didn't win a game. Not that they shouldn't have won, but the first game got away from them. The second got messy and was not close but the last game the kids played their hearts out and was leading late in the fourth quarter until they went cold at the free throw line. The other team made 7 of 8 down the stretch and ended up squeaking by us at the end of regulation. It was a hard one to lose because the kids played so well together and really out hustled their opponent. Unfortunately we just could not buy a free throw.

Cole got his Christmas present a few weeks early this year. As you may already know, Cole has been taking guitar lessons. When he first started out I bought him a First Act electric guitar in order to lessen the initial expense (in case the guitar wasn't for him). But he has stuck with it and loves to play. He has been itching to get his hands on a better quality axe and spent many hours looking on the Internet at different makes, models, colors, etc. His favorite place to window shop is Guitar Center which so happened to have a sale. Well we went in and Cole found a sweet guitar and case. So with some leftover birthday money of his and a lot of Mom and Dad money, he got his early Christmas gift. He was and still is very excited about it.

Cole is still adjusting to the increased responsibilities of Jr High. He is finding he likes some subjects more than others. It is sometimes very challenging to juggle his busy extracurricular schedule with the demands of school work. But he is learning and growing. We were very pleased to find out that he made the "A" Honor Roll. He worked very hard for his excellent grades and we are very proud of him. He is looking forward to the next quarter when he is able to experience new subjects and teachers. He will also be starting Jr High basketball after the holiday break. As you may imagine this will increase his workload immensely but he says he is up for the challenge. I think he will be a very tired young man once spring comes around.

Kennedy also has been a busy girl. With all the Kindergarten activities and dance practices it doesn't leave a lot of spare time. She has been so excited (and nervous) for her first dance recital. We could tell as the days were getting closer that she was a bit nervous about it. But once the day arrive we all gathered in our seats to support her. She did an awesome job! Once she was out there on stage you could just tell she was loving it. During the final group finale she had the biggest smile that she just couldn't hide. It was priceless to see her up on stage executing each and every practiced dance maneuver.

Jacob and Kennedy have been so excited and busy getting ready for Christmas. They have enjoyed making Christmas cards, signs, posters, letters to Santa and you name it. They had also gotten into the Christmas spirit of giving. They both enjoyed wrapping "presents". It was pretty fun for them to go grab a toy out of their room and wrap it up and write one of their family members name on it. It was priceless to see the excitement and joy on their faces when De or I opened up a beautifully child gift wrapped race car or toy phone.

We were able to go see Santa at the mall again this year. Jake and Kennedy were so excited to see him. This was the first year that we did not have one tear shed on our Santa visit. They both went right up to Santa and begin answering his questions. Jake told him that he wanted a Race track and a blue guitar for Christmas while Kennedy informed him that she wanted a Scrap booking Stamp Kit. We had a great family day.

The days leading up to Christmas is always hectic and busy. But as usual we always get everything done. We got all the baking done (De not me) and all the last minute shopping. The house was spruced up a bit and all the snacks, platters and goodies were prepped. It was our turn to have Christmas Eve at our house this year, so De's sister Kristi, her husband Rafe and daughter Anna all came over for the Christmas Eve festivities. De's grandma arrived on the train earlier in the week from North Dakota for the the holidays also. We had a very relaxing evening of eating, visiting, playing games and opening a few gifts. The kids had a blast! What a fun night. After the evening ended and the cookies, carrots and milk were put by the tree the kids slipped into sleep as us adults welcomed the quiet and rest. All the kids were up at the first sign of sunlight. They were buzzing with excitement of what Santa had brought them. Luckily they all were very good this year. They opened the last few gifts and we needed to get ready for Christmas day mass.
We arrived early enough to get a second row seat and enjoy the pre-mass carols. It was a very beautiful and simple mass. De and I felt truly blessed for our wonderful family.