It was built by a German immigrant named Camillo Von Woehrmann as a saloon and boarding house . Since then the building has survived major fires and been the home of a variety of businesses including an auto repair shop , mercantile and restaurant .
Today the building is owned by Catherine DeSocio and Scott Sullinger . “ The history of the building has been the most fun for me ,” said Catherine . “ It ' s one of the reasons we bought the building .”
Catherine and Scott were previously from Kansas where they owned multiple businesses .
“ We had come up here several times just for vacation and kind of fell in love with Hill City ,” said Catherine . “ Then opportunity just presented itself for us to become a part of the community , and we jumped at the chance .”
After hearing the restaurant was for sale , they ran the numbers and decided it would be their next adventure . So with a general operations manager overseeing their businesses in Kansas , they bought the restaurant , transitioned their focus to Hill City , found a place in town and became part of the community in August of 2022 .
To start , they took advantage of the off-season to install new flooring and ceiling , redo theelectrical and a lot of the plumbing , update the kitchen equipment and order new signage . However , structurally they did not make any changes in order to stay true to the history of the building .
“ For us to get to be a part of the history of a town and to get to revitalize it back to its roots of 1885 was a great opportunity ,” said Catherine . They even found pictures of the building from1889 and 1890 to display in the bar area .
The 1885 Steakhouse & Saloon opened in May of 2023 and has been busy ever since . Thankfully , Scott and Catherine have a solid team that works together like a family . They are proud of the product they put out and the friendly service they deliver .
“ We ’ re very lucky because they all want us to be successful . A lot of them take the job verypersonally . They are very invested ,” said Catherine .
Back in the kitchen , four chefs work together as a team , and the majority of the menu is made in-house . This includes things like salad dressings , dipping sauces and whipped butter for the bread .
The lunch menu offers a variety of appetizers such as firebreak shrimp , calamari , steak tips , loaded hash browns , fried avocado slices and bruschetta which is a favorite among customers .
Some of the salad options include an iceberg wedge salad with blue cheese , smoked bacon and diced tomatoes as well as a chicken salad made with fresh greens , shredded cheddar jack cheese , tomatoes , grilled or crispy chicken and a choice of dressing . Traditional Caesar salads and garden salads are offered too . The 1885 Burger consists of the restaurant ' s signature beef blend on a toasted bun served with crisp lettuce , fresh tomato , red onion and pickles with the option of adding cheese and bacon . For those looking for a vegetarian option , there is also a Beyond Burger with a vegan burger on a toasted bun served with similar toppings .
Meanwhile , the steak sandwich is made with sirloin steak on a piece of Texas toast topped with caramelized onions and mushrooms . The BLT is made with center-cut hardwood-smoked bacon , lettuce , tomato and mayo on toast , and the chicken bacon ranch wrap features a garlic herbed tortilla stuffed with fried or grilled chicken , bacon , lettuce , tomatoes and cheddar jack cheese with ranch .
There are many more options , and Catherine said , “ We ’ re always trying to expand and make things better ."
For sides , the 1885 Steakhouse & Saloon has mashed potatoes , a baked potato , sweet potato fries , French fries , a vegetable of the day , coleslaw and mac n cheese .
“ The mac n cheese is by far the favorite ,” said Scott . “ It ’ s homemade , and it ’ s our recipe .”
Another popular dish is the loaded potato skins , which Catherine said are really good .
On the dinner menu , “ Our five signature dishes are the lemon butter salmon , the Cajun walleye , the honey pecan chicken , the peach bourbon pork chop and the maple cayenne ribs ,” said Scott .
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