Cee Cee's 605 Scratch Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Vermillion Township

Well, I guess about a year ago- with no fanfare or advertising- a little place called Cee Cee's Cocktail Lounge appeared on the Vermillion grid. Located inside the party room of Red Steak House, a small classic neon sign announces "Cee Cee's Cocktail Lounge". Had my hubby and I not driven past this store front as we drove down Main Street, we would not have known it existed. We checked online to see if they offered food as we as Vermillionites truly missed what was once an oasis of great restaurants. The whole covid debacle wrecked what was a cornucopia of diverse eateries here in this small college town. Then, slowly, some of our favorite eateries started bouncing back. But this little lounge (not so little, actually) appeared out of nowhere. Now, to call your establishment a "cocktail lounge", those cocktails had best be darned good...and they are! Old school and dressed to the nines! Beautifully prepared. OK, let's keep it concise- the food...WOW!! Keep in mind Cee Cee's is just starting to roll, so they still have to build their staff- BUT (wow- that's a big 'but' lol), their chef (not line cook) knows his stuff! The menu is limited at this time, but that's ok- more time paid to the dish. Firstly, Cee Cee's offers a bountiful charcuterie board for the table- a real celebration of Italian salamis, capicolas, and cheeses with loads of sides- no skimping here! There are several imaginative starters- we get the bread and oil, but I've got to try those cucumbers. Main courses- four to five entrees and two sandwiches done to upscaled perfection- who knew Asian fusion could be so flawless? The hubby and I had the Peruvian Meatballs, Ahi Tuna, Steak Tips, Turtle Cheesecake- all done to perfection with an Asian flare...except, of course, for the cheesecake ;-) which was made fresh and was truly outstanding- as close to New York cheesecake as you'll find (says this expat New Yorker). My thought is now this- is this food really in Vermillion?! I am blown away by the presentation, blend of flavors, and quality of the dishes. And the staff- all of them- still maintain a great, helpful attitude while hustling their butts off because Cee Cee's is taking off! Now, as this is a cocktail lounge, you seat yourself. No sign indicates "Please Wait to Be Seated" as Cee Cee's is a lounge that just so happens to serve new and exciting food. A laid-back atmosphere, gorgeous cocktails, and dishes Gordon Ramsay would be proud of is making Cee Cee's the place to be.

IDEAS: How about trying steamed mussels in a Pernod Anis/butter broth with garlic, parsley, sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and shallots: NOBODY and I mean NOBODY serves steamed mussels in this area. And how about a lovely after- dinner Port wine? Thanks for asking for ideas! You'll be seeing a lot of the hubby and me, we are very impressed with your entire...

Stumbled onto this place while testing the range on my new EV. An easy 62-mile drive from Sioux Falls, Cee Cee's scratch kitchen in Vermillion is a hidden gem. There were so many items on the menu I wanted to try, but one can only eat so much. Very cozy on the inside. There is also a game room where the restaurant hosts murder mystery nights. Cool wall decors. But that's not why people go to restaurants. We started out with all three flat breads as appetizers. The steakhouse, the candid pear flat bread, and the grape almond flatbread. The beef on the steak house was tender and flavorful. The saltiness of the blue cheese (you don't have to like blue cheese. it turns into something very delicious and very creamy when it's melted on a pizza/flat bread) paired perfectly with the sweetness of the balsamic reduction. The goat cheese was also very delightful with the same reduction. According to our server, the bread for the flatbread is homemade. I ordered the patty melt, which was simply delicious. Two smashed burger patties on sourdough bread with gruyere cheese. My friend ordered the Peruvian meatball bowl. The meatballs were very juicy and tender. And the dish was very flavorful. The veggies, sauces, and rice came together as a whole, yet you can distinguish individual flavors. I noticed they had seabass on their summer seasonal menu. I really wanted to try the seabass Caesar salad. Which, also according to the server, had "homemade" Caesar dressing. We had a dirty martini, which we were given the choice of shaken or stirred, which implies the attention to all the details even carries over to the bar menu. The desert menu was unique. I prefer my deserts to be over the top rich and sweet sending one into a diabetic coma. That was not the case here. I wish I had taken a picture of the desert menu. there was homemade gelato. Affogato and a pear crisp. We had the pair crisp, which was great. Not molten cake drenched in sauce great like what i prefer but great non the less. I have eaten at restaurants all over the country. Cee Cee's kitchen definitely ranks...

We attended a special chef's dinner, with wine pairings for each course. Such a fantastic job throughout the night. The food was amazing, we were blown away with the dishes we were being served in this little unknown restaurant in the small town of Vermilion. From the very bite to the last we were so impressed. & The pairings were done perfectly to each plate. The young chef prepared an outstanding meal! While I was hopefully after receiving the invite to this dinner, I had no idea it would be one of the most exquisite meals I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy! The restaurant itself is very unique & interesting. We were treated to a walk thru of the rest of the restaurant & it has some very cool hang out sections. I noticed some college age customers were playing one of the many board games I had seen. I could see spending nights here with friends tucked away in one of their cozy corners, playing & drinking one of the delicious craft cocktails. We got to visit with the owners who were very friendly & extremely knowledgeable on the different spirits they were serving at their establishment. Received a lesson in tequila from the root of the plant & got to sample a variety of them. We can't wait to attend the next...