By Denise DePaolo
The Sandbar is part of a new strip mall located just south of Sioux Falls’ busy West 26th and Marion intersection. As the name eludes, the decor concept aims to capture the sparse, unfussy, yet stylish look of a modern waterfront cabin. Despite sitting just beyond a large manmade pond (which separates patio diners from a distant I-29), instead of lakewater, fish, and boat motors, one simply smells the clean scent of fresh construction upon entering.
A friend and I stopped by for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon and sat ourselves, as indicated by a sign, in a booth by the front windows. A server stopped by a moment later with menus and to inform us that our server would be by in a moment for drink orders. As promised, we waited no more than two minutes for her to arrive.
Since our stomachs were already rumbling, we ordered the Baked Potato Flat Bread, while we perused the rather extensive menu. The offerings at The SandBar consist largely of your standard bar and grill fare, with wings, cheese curds, and house nachos in the appetizer section, except that many selections have been elevated with gouda and aioli and ciabatta to meet the desires of the Food Network generation. For example, one of the items we ordered was the SandBar Burger Melt, which is a play on the typical patty melt. Instead of Swiss cheese and onions on rye, this burger is joined by provolone and cheddar cheeses, red onion, and smoked mayo between slices of grilled sourdough bread. Our third choice was the Steak ala Rosa from the entree portion of the menu, which also looked like an interesting combination of standard pasta ingredients.
When our flatbread arrived, it was difficult to exercise restraint and save room for the rest of our order. The crust was crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle, with a dusting of garlic salt on the bottom, which made each part of each bite worth it. The crust was topped with a savory, garlicky, glorious combination of alfredo sauce, mashed potato, cheese, and bacon. What made it truly great, though, and not just an indistinguishable mashup of gluttonous goodness, were the sour cream sauce drizzle and green onions, which provided the fresh zip necessary to keep things interesting. Although definitely best saved for a “cheat day,” my friend and I agreed that the Baked Potato Flat Bread would be worth returning for.
Read the full review in the October issue of 605 Magazine, or click here.
