Favorite places to eat

My friend Jackie posted a list of seven favorite restaurants and asked others to follow up with a list of our favorite places to dine in and around town. I've been thinking it over the past few days and trying to compile a decent list. I will say that Brandon is not known as the hot spot of dining so I have combined Brandon and the greater Sioux Falls metro area to create my list. I'll also add that with three young children hubby and I don't go out for "fancy" diners as a couple too much and when we dine out (date night) it is usually to sit down restaurants that don't work too well with short attention spans or places that serve food the kids don't usually like to eat.

1. Pizza Ranch It's family friendly, good food and the one in Brandon has an arcade attached to it with 25 cent games---Kinda like Chuck-E-Cheese without the chaos. Oh yeah, did I mention the Cactus Bread???

2. Famous Dave's Hubby is a barbecue lover and by lover I mean cut him open and he bleeds BBQ sauce. The atmosphere is fun and the service is quick and the food is oh-so-good. I like the burgers but the rib tips are out of this world. The corn muffins are fabulous and the cole slaw is creamy. You also get 6 different sauces to put on your food and yes, they have ketchup too.

3. Hu Hot Hubby and I became fans of Mongolian BBQ when we lived in Michigan so we were thrilled to find Hu Hot here in SF. The kids totally love going there. They pick out their own meat, veggies and sauce (with help) and can't wait to eat. Watching the staff cook on the big round grill keeps everyone occupied. I really like creating my own personal meal and the fact the food is very healthy (lots of veggie choices) is a big plus in my book. This is also the most point friendly choice for me with Weight Watchers---I can't wait to eat there again.

4. Qdoba I had never eaten there before until this past year when I won a trivia contest on the radio and got free food. I'm now a big fan. What can I say, it's a create your own burrito place. Walk through and tell the friendly staff what you want on it and it's yours. They have meat, no meat, and vegan options. There is a variety of salsas, lite sour cream, cheese, and the queso and guacamole toppings are to die for. They also do tacos and taco salads too.

5. Granite City This is a very nice place to go. The food is pretty good and if you go in the warmer months then there is an outdoor patio with views of a nice duck pond.

6. Johnny Carino's OK, I've only eaten there once but I really love the food. I'll put it up against Olive Garden any day. I totally plan on taking hubby there in the near future. We also have a gift certificate so that will make things easier.

7. Red Lobster This is more of a sentimental favorite than an actually go there on a regular basis place. The seafood pasta is my gotta have and don't get me started on those Cheddar biscuits. I also love the shrimp too. When we are in Rapid City, hubby and I like to ask the Grandparents to watch the kids and we go out for our seafood fix.


Honorable mentions.....These are places where we usually go to eat.

Hy-Vee---yes it's a grocery store but for good salad bar and pretty good Chinese you can't beat the convenience or the price.

Royal Fork Buffet--The kids #1 choice for restaurant. For a buffet it's not too bad. For my Weight Watchers points, it's a pain in the butt.

Taco Johns--Six pack and a pound baby!!! (crispy tacos and potato Ole's)

Dairy Queen--Food is OK but who goes there for the burgers?? Lets talk Blizzards. Make them with chocolate ice cream for even more flavor.