I'm not sure what it is about small towns in Iowa having absolutely stellar restaurants, but I have…read morefound another. The Fox Hole in Orange City, IA (pop. 6500) has an unassuming façade on a quiet main street, but the food and cocktails they are putting out is what you would expect from a big city restaurant. They certainly had variety on the menu so I am confident that you will find something you love, but whatever you do start with the cheese curds. I'm not sure what they do to them to make them square or lightly fried and not overly dense, but pair them with the raspberry jam they come with and be prepared. These things are phenomenal. I appreciated that the hummus was seasoned and came with marinated vegetables rather than feeling like it had just been taken out of a tub. The miso glazed salmon with forbidden rice and a crushed cucumber salad was phenomenal. However, the star of the show might've been the oven roasted lamb. It had a reduction with mushrooms and carrots and is served with a potato pavè. I've heard of this technique before, but never had it. They thinly slice Yukon gold potatoes, layering them in a baking pan with cream and herbs before cooling them for more than 12 hours. They then cut them in cubes or bricks like this and fry them. It was delicious and I truly appreciate the effort behind each of their dishes and cocktails. The decor was elevated, but not pretentious and the staff was pretty attentive. I thought the price point of their dishes varied enough that it's not going to break the bank and if you're worried about price, they have a pretty stellar happy hour menu that goes until 6 PM with food and drink options. Whether it's a road trip or the tulip festival, put this restaurant on your list of places to try.

The Brussels sprouts were amazing. After eating the rest is all a blur!…read moreThe service was also very good and server very friendly. The one thing we were surprised with was - being charged for keychup when we ordered a side order of onion rings ? and also being charged for mayonnaise. I asked if the sauce for the Aji tuna was spicy and she said it was a little bit. I asked if I could have mayonnaise as well. I was surprised to see a charge on the bill, although it was nominal it was still something we had never been charged before.

This place is amazing!!!…read more The Big Poppa is one of my top 5 burgers of all time!!! The smashed burger patties were grilled to profection, then top with a crazy breaded deep fried cream cheese,jalapeño & bacon disc with American cheese, lettuce, pickles, with a raspberry jalapeño sauce. The fries were amazing as well!! My wife and friend food was awesome as well. Our waitress, Miranda, was great too. She was very nice and offer opinions of food choices. This is always a plus as they have eaten there. This location has a good vibe. I would definitely come here to watch a game!!! If you are looking for good food, great service, or a cold beer you have to get in here!!!

You expect from a dive bar, except for the exceptional service! I came up for the tulip festival,…read moreand the weather was less than optimal, but the roadhouse saved the day with quick cheap drinks, pool table and jukebox!

This is a great small town cafe. Ordered their special of a steak sandwich with fries and a side…read moresalad. Side salad was shredded lettuce with choice of dressing. The steak sandwich was very good and the fries were good crinkle cut. Go support these local cafe/diners. It's where you'll find great people, good food, and good conversation.

Delicious!!! We stopped on a whim for lunch. This place is your typical small town cafe and it…read moredid not disappoint us!!

Steaks and salmon are the best! Service is good. Ambiance is midwestern steakhouse…read more Meals are expensive.

Seriously, like stepping back in time to the days where you could go to your local steakhouse for a…read morephenomenal meal, friendly service, and a cozy home like atmosphere. Well, look no further. This no-frills steakhouse specializes in dry aged beef, is James Beard award winning, has great cocktails, and still serves you a relish tray while you wait for your meal. For those of you under the age of 35, a relish tray, often consisted of carrots, celery, pickles, and cubed cheddar cheese like this one. They also will bring you some bread and butter if you would like. In my opinion, you should definitely opt for the tenderloin, but I'm not sure there is a bad steak option on the menu. They also have seafood and even sandwich sandwiches including a burger so there's something for everyone! It's family friendly and although the decor will remind you of your grandma's house, no grandparent I have ever met could put out steaks like this. Visit the ice cream capital of the world and make sure to save room for a steak!

A nice place. Service was some of the best I've ever had. Food was solid, but not the best. I will…read moresay that I think it is as good as I expected it to be, but I always hope it'll be better thus I am not leaving a 5-star review. Fried pickles spears with the rock n roll sauce were great. I wouldn't have ordered these except my server recommended them out of all the apps, so I went with that. Fried things at places like this usually lack flavor and are just salty, fried bar food. These had some kick. The rock n roll sauce was like a Mayo with Frito's Chili Cheese Twists, so they were yummy. Tilapia on wild rice was ok, but it's tilapia, so how amazing can it be, right? Broccoli wasn't too over cooked and it still had a healthy green color, so I was happy with that. And the fries were a tad greasy, but they came out hot and crunchy. I think if they let the oil drain off them a bit more under a heat lamp, they'd hold their crispness a bit longer. Oh, and it was an entire plate of fries, so portions were generous. Lastly, everything was served very quickly. The place wasn't super-busy, but it wasn't dead and I was happy about the timeliness. I ordered an app first then placed an order for my entree after munching on that. And I was out done in 45 minutes. Granted, I was eating alone, but still. If you enjoy meat, I highly recommend giving this place a shot. I am a pescatarian (mostly vegetarian) and I have a sneaking suspicion that their beef and chicken options have much more developed flavors.

Great food great drinks, great owner, great service! Will be making it our "go to" place when…read morewe're in Sheldon!@

Love Fireside! Beat steak in the area. Great salad bar with awesome variety. Consistent food and…read moreservice!

I hadn't been to Fireside in well over 20 years. I always enjoy a good prime rib and figured it…read morewould be a fun birthday trip. Overall the establishment was clean. I personally didn't care to walk into a place to enjoy a meal and have political coverage all over the tvs. I get that it's a small town, but sometimes you just want a break from all that. The salad bar was great with lots of options. The prime rib was at the end of it's run. After I ordered mine a few tables over they were told they were sold out. The piece I got was clearly towards the end. The food wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. I'm all about supporting small business but was it worth the hour drive each way and almost double the price of Texas Roadhouse? No. Also be prepared that because it's a small town the other clientele are more concerned about the strangers at their steakhouse than they are their own meal. Only one server for the dining room we were in.

Cafe Brule is always our go to when we want eclectic gastropub style food. The London Fog always…read morewarms my soul during blustery SD weather. Always great service when we frequent this cafe.

Stopped in while dropping my daughter off at college. A nice little restaurant located on Main…read moreStreet with fast friendly service. Ordered the turkey omelet which was a wonderful and filling serving of turkey, spinach, red peppers, Gruyère, and a hollandaise sauce. There drink selections of coffee and teas were excellent making selecting one difficult but I settled for the Black Forest latte off their specials menu and was not disappointed.

Stopped here as we were passing through town on Friday night and I'm so glad we did! Feature…read morepoutine was great and the steaks were cooked to perfection. Everyone from the host to the servers were super friendly and they were hopping busy!

Prime rib is half cold when served. Otherwise service is great friendly service. Prices fair to…read morealittle high.

If you're looking for a family, friendly dining experience, I would recommend Cook's Café. The food…read moreis always well prepared by a staff ready to assist you. Between the hours of breakfast and lunch this is definitely a great restaurant to consider.

Food was pretty good. Typical cafe, but the some of the servers could be a bit more friendly. The…read moreambiance is ok, not the best. Seems like they want you in and out to flip the tables..