Where Does South Dakota Rank When It Comes to Our Food and Drink?

In South Dakota we raise a lot of cows and grow a lot of corn and soybeans. Who doesn't love a big juicy steak on the grill with corn on the cob during summer in South Dakota?

South Dakota's official state dessert is kuchen.  There are vineyards popping up all over the state and producing some pretty tasty wines.  From small towns with little cafes specializing in rib-sticking comfort food to fine cuisine and wine in downtown Sioux Falls, we offer some delicious fare across the state.

So, that's what we've got going for us, but it wasn't enough to impress the writers of one website. Thrillist.com ranked every state by its food and drink and South Dakota came up dead last. They said:

When you Google "South Dakota and food," an image of a hungry child crying comes up, and then the computer goes black.

I googled "South Dakota and food" and a hungry child does NOT come up, nor did my screen go black. I'm sure they were trying to be funny, but I'm not laughing.

This is how they came up with the rankings:

We ranked states by the food/drink available in that state, focusing on four key questions: 1) What did they produce (beef, oranges, ugh, sorghum?), 2) What iconic items were they known for (Key lime pie? onion burgers?), 3) What is their beer/wine/spirits production like (great breweries/wineries?), and finally 4) What is the food/drink scene like in their cities?

North Dakota was #49.  They didn't have anything good to say about North Dakota's food either and said they flipped a coined and South Dakota lost and that's why we are #50.

If you look at their list, they don't seem to like the midwest. Iowa was #47, Wyoming #44, Nebraska #43. Have they ever personally visited any of these states? We have several restaurants here in Sioux Falls that could beat any pretentious eatery on the east or west coast.

Of course, their number one choice is California. Shocker.  Number two is Texas and #3 is New York. See the story here. What South Dakota restaurant would you suggest they try?