September on the prairie of North Dakota is one of our favorite times of year.

Temperatures can swing thirty degrees in a day, from gale-force winds to the incredibly calm, swaying grasses of the Missouri Coteau. It’s a landscape that feels both untamed and deeply personal.  The native grasses are shrinking at an alarming rate which is one reason we keep coming here year after year.   It is very special to us and we would love to share it with you.

We love grouse—though here, of course, they are Sharpies: the resilient, native upland birds of the prairie. They seem to “laugh” at you when they flush, and in doing so, they make us better.  An all–dark meat bird, sharp-tail grouse reward patience and care, becoming exceptional table fare when properly hung and prepared with respect.

One of our favorite preparations is Sharp-tail Mandu (dumplings), served in several different presentations, each honoring the bird and the land it comes from.

Here, you’ll experience vast open spaces, rolling hills, and the same ground once traveled by great bison herds—a prairie that still carries their spirit.