Stegner's resume alone would carry a lesser restaurant: Rising Star Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 1994, then Best Chef Midwest in 1998. What keeps Prairie Grass from coasting on that pedigree is the monthly menu turn -- seasonal ingredients dictate what's on the page, not a fixed greatest-hits rotation, so a repeat visit in October looks different from one in June.
Shrimp spring rolls and the chocolate lava cake have stayed as the two dishes regulars order on autopilot, and Stegner's mother's pies show up as a dessert highlight diners specifically call out.
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