Sometimes, it's just nice to get out of town and go out to eat. It brings back memories of days when dining out was a rare treat requiring a trip in the car, and it was so fun to roll down the road with an empty stomach.

Whether stopping on the way to another destination or just getting out and seeing some countryside, there are some"worth the trip" restaurants out there.

From Pipestone, Minn., to Elk Point and from Hudson to Mitchell, there's a wealth of small-town dining stops that pack a culinary wallop. We drew a circle around Sioux Falls and set out to find the best dining spots within an hour's drive.

We found more than we expected, from fresh red snapper dinners to racks of ribs that hang off the plate in two directions to rich, amazing Mexican meals and service so convincing, you can see what out-of-staters mean when they talk about friendly South Dakota.

But here's a look at the places we visited and why they are worth leaving town for this spring and summer.

Buckaroo Bar & Grill, 317 Wheelock St., Hudson, 605-984-2832 Distance: 50 miles from Sioux Falls

Where in the heck is Hudson? Some might ask when you mention the Buckaroo, an unassuming spot on the center strip of this small southeastern South Dakota town. It's not far from Canton, and when we stopped on a weeknight, it was nearly empty. So of course, we figured this would be another "also ran" spot we would not include in this story.

We could not have been more wrong. The Buckaroo is a classic case of overachievement. Yes, at first glance, it's just a bar with tables assembled in front of the bar. But once the food starting coming to the table, we just shook our heads, smiling at how darn tasty every bite was.

When we started with hot wings, we figured no one could really fail or flash with them. Wrong. These little fatties were so packed with meat, it was like eating a dream appetizer of chicken thighs or breasts, but it was truly wings, just big ones, with a mess of sauce all over them. No skimping here.

Then the main dishes arrived. We found the teriyaki pork chops perfect: thick, seasoned with flavor and oh-so juicy. Buy a rack of ribs, but only if you're packing a mean hunger. The full rack came out dangling over both sides of the plate. So what? the connoisseur of ribs will say; flavor trumps heft. But these were so flawless in flavor - rich sauce, with a bit of bite, not too sweet - and so tender, we thought time and time again, this cannot be Hudson, S.D.

We picked beef for our third entree and found the weeknight prime rib to be just as good as any we'd had on weekends elsewhere. Two other things make the Buckaroo worth a visit. First, it offers a killer house salad and a wide range of dressings, including a mango lime one we could not get enough of. The other was that each potato side was better than the last. The American fries made us cry with their crunch and flavor, but the fries and the hash browns were top-notch as well.

What a winning visit to Hudson. Don't overlook this place when you're in the mood for a night out of Sioux Falls and a good meal.