Parker’s is a new restaurant located at 201 S. Main Ave.
Unfortunately, that’s all the background info I can give you about Sioux Falls’ newest restaurant.
Funny thing about Parkers is you can’t get a hold of them. Since it’s also a fairly new establishment, there is little about it on the Internet. I started calling them four days ago, attempting to start my quest for information. Three phone calls later, no luck. Called back five times a few days later. Still, nothing. Got an answer on my third phone call on the third attempt — and was told to call back.
Thanks, guys.
So here I am, being brushed off with my deadlines. Regardless, I did eat at the restaurant, and I think you deserve to hear about it. Parker’s is a small restaurant buried in the type of solid block-long building that downtown Sioux Falls seems to harbor. It can be easy to miss if you’re driving by, so I would suggest parking somewhere on the 200 block of Main Avenue and walking.
The restaurant itself is pretty classy. White tablecloths, low lights and waiters dressed in black pants and white button up shirts with ties. The kitchen is totally visible, located towards the front of the restaurant where you would normally expect a bar to be. Combined with the brick interior and high ceilings, it was definitely distinctive look, especially in Sioux Falls.
The menu is pretty simplistic — two thick pieces of paper and a leather-bound wine list. My friend Heather was not too impressed with the quality of the menus, which she felt should have been fancier at such a place. Our other dinner mate, John, disagreed, arguing that the minimalism added to the feel of a bistro.
The food choices were kept to a minimum as well — broken into first through third courses and divided even further by the type of meat (or lack thereof).
That is not to say that the food itself was minimal. Each dish (pork, fish, beef, pasta or vegetarian) included a variety of sauces and vegetables, ranging in price from $15 to $35 per dish. John started his meal with a heirloom tomato salad, which consisted of slices of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese sprinkled with balsamic vinegar. According to a local food blog, The Secret Fork, (remember, I couldn’t get an interview to confirm this) all of the ingredients, with the exception of the fish, are obtained locally. Good move, Parker’s.
Presentation is obviously very important at this restaurant and ultimately what you end up paying for. After about 20 minutes, our main courses were delivered, looking like works of art on the plate. My flatiron steak ($16) came sliced and wrapped around roasted potatoes, intertwined with about four spears of grilled asparagus. John and I sat there for a moment to just look at our food, almost too afraid to eat it and ruin the hard work the chef had gone through to make it look so enticing.
Heather, on the other hand, paused as she received her vegetarian risotto, not so much from its beauty but because it looked like a uniquely pink bowl of cereal. “Wow,” she says. “That does not look like what I expected.” We blamed the beets, which was a main ingredient of the dish.
My steak was good. I asked for it grilled medium and I got it medium. It was tender and juicy and spiced well. I had never eaten grilled asparagus, but I was delightfully surprised, at least by the bottom half of the spear. The bottom of the spear was firm and flavorful with just the right amount of charring while the top part was bitter due to further burning. The vegetable itself was obviously fresh, which is much appreciated especially when it comes to something like asparagus. The potatoes were pretty ho-hum, coated in oil and cooked to the point of being a little too tough. Dare I say, I wanted some ketchup? Oh, I feel tacky just admitting that.
But forget the main course; just go straight to the dessert. I indulged with a piece of amaretto cheesecake, which was well worth the $6 I paid for it. The piece came drizzled in a sweet caramel-like sauce with slices of almonds. The cheesecake itself was light and fluffy and absolutely delectable. The crust, oh the crust, reminded me of burnt sugar, in a very good way. It was sweet and granular, dissolving in your mouth and leaving you feel like you were munching on flavored sugar. I nearly died.
Here’s my recommendation: eat at Parker’s — for dessert. The main course is good, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t strike me as amazing, which is what I would expect for that price tag. The place is unique and would probably be impressive for a first date, but show up fairly early, since the restaurant is small and seems to fill up pretty quickly.
And you certainly can’t count on making reservations.
Ratings for Parker’s (out of 5 stars)
Atmosphere – 3 stars
Food – 3 stars
Price – 2 stars
Service – 4 stars
Overall – 2.5 stars
Top Photo: The classy bistro feel of Parker’s suits its downtown location. (Roxy Hammond/The Post)
Bottom Photo: Beets give this vegetarian risotto its bright red color. (Roxy Hammond/The Post)
