Local restaurants in Wyoming (Cheyenne, Casper: appointed, home, high school)

[racechick73]

Who can tell me the best place to get a good steak in Cheyenne?

[sunsprit]

Probably the best around is at The Little Bear Inn, north of town.

Next best probably a toss-up between The Albany or T-Joes'.

Cheyenne also has a Texas Roadhouse and an Outback ... for franchise/chain style cooking. They do seem pretty heavy on the salt though ....

[Earniefan]

The nice hotel on west Lincolnway, what the hecks the name?? There's a cafe and a steak type area and a fancier area in the same hotel. The middle of the road area was where we would go, it's still very nice, anyway they have the best steak we ever ate in Cheyenne. Very good aged beef.

T-Joe's is the way to go otherwise.

Sunsprit,

You must be from Cheyenne, it seems the locals always choose The Little Bear, I think you all remember how it used to be maybe. We ate there a few times and recieved overcooked steaks etc. every time. Maybe we just went at the wrong times??

[sunsprit]

EFan ... yes, I'm from the Cheyenne area, and we've eaten at the Little Bear twice within the last couple of months.

My way to getting the steak cooked properly (very rare) at the Little Bear is to ask for the cow to be displayed briefly to the grill with serious intentions of only searing the outside. I usually get some stares from the waitstaff, but they know I'm serious about wanting a seared on the outside and very cool on the inside steak; and I make them wait while I check it when it's served. Let them know up front if it's overcooked, I'm sending it back. If anything, they'll try to avoid a wasted steak, and "undercook" it by their standards; they even get you to sign a waiver about eating meat that's not up to a certain temperature doneness. It's always worked for me ... they "undercook" it and I get a perfect steak almost everytime.

I have to do the same thing at all the other places, too. Seems like the trend in restaurants these days is to avoid food borne pathogens by cooking the tar out of everything.

IMO, if you got an overcooked steak at any of these places, I'd be sending it back ... if I'd made it very clear when ordering that I meant "very rare" and not medium to well done (which happens sometimes when they try to sear and cook a steak on a too-cool portion of the grill ....).

You wouldn't believe the number of top-dollar places I've been to that use line help that will prepare a well-done steak (gray all the way through) when I've ordered a "very rare" steak. The waitstaff is always "shocked" when the "rare" steak is cleary very well done, but I'm not accepting the mistake. I have walked out of places that couldn't get it right; had a couple threaten to call the cops ... which I told them was OK, I'd wait ... BTW, don't clear the table and the overcooked food so I can show the police why I'm not accepting the meal. I've had a couple of times where they wanted to turn the tabletop and I've carried the plate to the front desk/cash register area so I had the evidence of my dissatisfaction for when the cops arrived. At that point, the restaurant operator usually caves and I walk out ... not having eaten a meal, nor paid for it, either. I leave a modest tip for the waitstaff and that's it ... if they've been professional about their part of the service.

FWIW, the Little Bear's current owners (who've been there about 5 years) have now listed the place for sale. Their ad says they're tired of the restaurant business and looking for other things to do. We'll see how the place fares in the transition. I thought the folks did a pretty good job of keeping up the prior standards of the place.

Interesting, too, that the Cheyenne marketplace has had a flurry and turnover of executive chefs at the truck stops where good steaks were a leader for awhile. We saw excellent steaks at everyplace from the T-A Truckstop to the Flying J's restaurant to the Sapp Brother's stop... for awhile, about 2 years. Sadly, those deals are now gone.

If you're thinking about the dining rooms at the Plains Hotel ... I wouldn't. Have heard too many adverse health inspection reports about the place.

[Earniefan]

Cheyenne Cattle Company at the Hitching Post is what I was trying to think of. We always had great steaks cooked just right and great service there.

One of the times we ate at Little Bear we had waited so long for our food and the kids and out of town family we had with us were so hungry and it was getting so late we just ate it, but did tell them we weren't pleased with the meal or service when we left. They asked us if we told our server our food was all overcooked to which we replied if we would have seen our server again we would have. Anyway, maybe we just hit on a couple of bad nights, however, we weren't too impressed with their service or speed when we attended company Christmas parties there either.


If you're ever passing through Park City Utah around dinner time it is well worth the time to stop and eat at the Grub Steak Restaurant. They age their beef 28 days and boy can you tell, they also cook them to perfection. We drive down for a night's stay whenever we can just to go there.

[Meg Lesher]

While it's not in Sheridan, but at Story 15 miles s.w. of Sheridan, it is worth the (beautiful) drive up to Story to check out Kim's at Lodore. Lodore is a landmark in Story, an old white ramshackle looking place right on the main road (193) in the village. Kim is a chef who took it over last year. And that lady can cook.

[mandK]

Originally Posted by sunsprit

EFan

If you're thinking about the dining rooms at the Plains Hotel ... I wouldn't. Have heard too many adverse health inspection reports about the place.

hmm...thats surprising. I've had a great steaks at the Plains Hotel and eat there every time I'm in town. Snake River on the other hand seem to have gone down a bit in quality.

[racechick73]

Thanks everybody for the info- why am I suddenly craving a sirloin??

[sunsprit]

mandK ... maybe they've cleaned up their act at the Plains, what with all the changes in ownership/management since they "restored" the place. I'll try there again sometime.

You are correct that the Snake River has gone downhill ... way downhill. That's because it's no longer the "Snake River Grill" associated with the micro-brewery up north. The current owners opened up with rights to the Snake River Brewery name and menu, and that arrangement ran out ... it's now the "Shadows Brewing Company". I don't know about their brews, but the restaurant menu is definitely not up to the original quality, even though some of the items are similar.

Thanks, Meg, for the tip re Story. We get up that way a few times a year, and have never stopped because we didn't know there was anyplace there. Will try Kim's at Lodore next trip.

Anybody have suggestions for Rawlins? Am headed that way this week, and up from there to Hanna.

[skibarbie]

I have read most of the restaurant info for Cheyenne..Does anyone have any new information that they would like to share-especially for mexican and/or diner type of places..?