Restaurant Renaissance

Sep 27, 2016

Our September/October issue includes a story on Vermillion’s downtown restaurants. The college town’s hungry citizens have historically enjoyed little culinary variety. There have always been burger joints, and University of South Dakota students thrive on the chicken wings from Leo’s. But the scene began to change a decade ago, and Vermillion is now home to some of South Dakota’s most popular locally-owned restaurants. Bernie Hunhoff’s photos accompanied the story of Vermillion’s restaurant renaissance. Here are a few that didn’t make the magazine.

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Chef Kirk Phillips creates American favorites with regional twists at Red Steakhouse. The restaurant’s name was inspired by the University of South Dakota colors.
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Chae and Skitch Donald operate Silk Road Café, an Asian fusion restaurant especially popular for its noon buffet. Their son, Jon, plans to buy the business and continue their legacy. The Donald’s have been operating restaurants in Vermillion’s downtown for 23 years.
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Aaron Scheibe, interim commissioner of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development in Pierre, says downtowns are often the focal point of quality of life because they appeal to youth.
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Monica Iverson and Jim Waters opened Café Brulé in 2011.
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Their menu features uncommon items like the Monte Cristo sandwich, but it’s also about the cake. Iverson had a reputation for baking and cake decorating long before the first sandwich was sold.
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Waters and Iverson plan to open another restaurant in Vermillion, across the street from Café Brulé. When they removed the mortar of this interior wall they discovered a very long exterior sign had been painted on the brick. Waters has been doing a lot of the renovation — he’s a chef who’s also good with a hammer.