Growing up in Wagner, I lived less than an hour from Yankton, South Dakota. Yankton was the closest "big city." We'd go to Yankton to stock up on groceries at Save-U-More. A few weeks before school started we'd make a stop at the Yankton Mall to buy school clothes. They had a JC Penney, Payless Shoe Store, Maurices, and several other stores. It was always fun to throw a penny in the fountain in the middle of the mall. There was a K-mart and no Walmart. My mom sewed a lot, so we'd stop at Alco to buy material.

One of our favorite places to eat was Bonanza. Remember when Bonanza had that big block of cheese on their salad bar? Best. Cheese. Ever! I don't get back to Yankton very often now, but when I do, that is where I eat.

I was just crushed when I learned that Bonanza in Yankton will be closing March 11. It's the last Bonanza in South Dakota. At one time, there were three in Sioux Falls and even one in Mitchell. The closest restaurants will now be in Des Moines, IA and St. Cloud, MN.

I even wrote a story about the Top 13 Restaurants I Want to Come Back to Sioux Falls and Bonanza was #2 on that list. That is how much I love this restaurant.

The Texas toast cannot be duplicated. I would order an extra piece with my meal. I would order four pieces if it was socially acceptable. The chocolate mousee was like chocolate clouds in Heaven. Don't even get me started on their dumpling soup - better than your Grandma's. I'm not a salad eater, but any restaurant with cottage cheese on their salad bar is a winner in my book. I would usually order a chopped steak, ribeye or sirloin. The baked potatoes were some of the best you can get anywhere. You could grab some shredded cheese, bacon bits, sour cream and extra butter off the salad bar and load them up.

I plan on traveling to Yankton this weekend to have my last bite of chocolate mousse and say goodbye to another beloved restaurant. And, I don't care what anyone says, I just may get three slices of Texas toast.

The Yankton Press & Dakotan has the full story on the closing of the restaurant.


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