Cowboy Dinner Tree

huntinfool · 04-16-2008, 06:18 PM

Has anyone made the trip to eat here?

http://cowboydinnertree.homestead.com/main.html

Iwish · 04-16-2008, 06:43 PM

We did last year. My dad had heard about it for a long time and the family finally got together and went last year. Long drive! I guess it just depends on where you are coming from. Out in the middle of nowhere. Good food and plenty of it. Bring your appetite! I got sick so it's not a good memory for me. It wasn't sickness due to the food but I just had a bug. I would love to go back soon. Definitely one of a kind.

The Jeweler · 04-16-2008, 06:43 PM

TRUE STORY...

Without a doubt this is one of the coolest restaurants in Eastern, OR. For many years it was a favorite and became a tradition when traveling to Summer Lake for the Eastside waterfowl opener. The atmosphere is way cool, the meat is outstanding, the food is served family style and the helpings are generous. The problem started two years ago when one of my guests thought he saw the waitress dump the remainder of our family style soup bowl back into the main soup pot in the kitchen. I was in absolute disbelief and thought that it had to be some kind of "waste or scrap bin" sitting on the stove. So, a year ago we positioned ourselves at a table to make a few more observations. You'll never believe what happened next. We left some extra soup in the family style bowl only to see the waitress dump in back in a large metal pot on the stovetop. We waited a few minutes and sure enough - the kitchen help appeared to serve some soup to other customers out of the same pot. This trip one of my buddies went down, was up all night, and could barely make it out to our hunting spot the next morning. This year (for the first time in countless years) we skipped the Cowboy Dinner Tree and opted for a nice meal in Christmas Valley instead. I'd recommend this place to anyone but be careful. Let's hear from the rest of you - I'd love to hear one that can top this.

Headhunter · 04-16-2008, 07:02 PM

True story...I was with Ken and saw it with my own eyes.

Jim

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Jeweler

TRUE STORY...

Without a doubt this is one of the coolest restaurants in Eastern, OR. For many years it was a favorite and became a tradition when traveling to Summer Lake for the Eastside waterfowl opener. The atmosphere is way cool, the meat is outstanding, the food is served family style and the helpings are generous. The problem started two years ago when one of my guests thought he saw the waitress dump the remainder of our family style soup bowl back into the main soup pot in the kitchen. I was in absolute disbelief and thought that it had to be some kind of "waste or scrap bin" sitting on the stove. So, a year ago we positioned ourselves at a table to make a few more observations. You'll never believe what happened next. We left some extra soup in the family style bowl only to see the waitress dump in back in a large metal pot on the stovetop. We waited a few minutes and sure enough - the kitchen help appeared to serve some soup to other customers out of the same pot. This trip one of my buddies went down, was up all night, and could barely make it out to our hunting spot the next morning. This year (for the first time in countless years) we skipped the Cowboy Dinner Tree and opted for a nice meal in Christmas Valley instead. I'd recommend this place to anyone but be carefull. Let's hear from the rest of you - I'd love to hear one that can top this.

Fishrite · 04-16-2008, 07:24 PM

I'll tell you one thing. You will not be able to eat the steak. It is

big....it is the size of a small football. It is one of the neatest place that I have ever dined. The rolls are outstanding the soup is great the salads are supper and the Chicken or steak to grand. It was voted one of the Top 50 most unique eating experiences in America. You are in for a treat, if you have never been. Fishrite

Ni! · 04-16-2008, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Jeweler

TRUE STORY...

Without a doubt this is one of the coolest restaurants in Eastern, OR. For many years it was a favorite and became a tradition when traveling to Summer Lake for the Eastside waterfowl opener. The atmosphere is way cool, the meat is outstanding, the food is served family style and the helpings are generous. The problem started two years ago when one of my guests thought he saw the waitress dump the remainder of our family style soup bowl back into the main soup pot in the kitchen. I was in absolute disbelief and thought that it had to be some kind of "waste or scrap bin" sitting on the stove. So, a year ago we positioned ourselves at a table to make a few more observations. You'll never believe what happened next. We left some extra soup in the family style bowl only to see the waitress dump in back in a large metal pot on the stovetop. We waited a few minutes and sure enough - the kitchen help appeared to serve some soup to other customers out of the same pot. This trip one of my buddies went down, was up all night, and could barely make it out to our hunting spot the next morning. This year (for the first time in countless years) we skipped the Cowboy Dinner Tree and opted for a nice meal in Christmas Valley instead. I'd recommend this place to anyone but be careful. Let's hear from the rest of you - I'd love to hear one that can top this.

FYI - I believe it's recently changed ownership.

Ryan Pultz · 04-16-2008, 10:25 PM

Sounds like a cool place to go 100 bucks a nice for the cabin and that includes dinner maybe that will be a cool drive this summer. Ohh and as for dumping the left over soup back well we all eat leftovers dont we lol rp

TheTexan · 04-17-2008, 06:20 AM

Not saying that it is right, but it is from the serving bowl and not your personal bowl. You might be surprised at how many places do recycle the food. I know of several mexican restraunts that recycle tortilla chips.

Bill Monroe · 04-17-2008, 06:35 AM

"Family style" in my family is just about like that. Even leftover, that soup is to die for.

Neatest restaurant I've ever eaten in and I've been in a lot of restaurants (although there is one in Salt Lake City where they walk around carrying menu items like meat, fish, salads, greens, potatoes, rolls, etc., and you just flag the server down).

Cowboy Dinner Tree is a destination experience. Worth a special trip even at today's fuel costs...call first, though.

We ate our carryout leftovers for several days.

Peanut · 04-17-2008, 08:09 AM

Been there too! Outstanding experience. Huge portions, good food. We had to make reservations a month in advance.

Headhunter · 04-17-2008, 09:39 AM

Ok so just to be clear. What happened was they put a big bowl of soup in the middle of the table and everybody has a soup bowl. You pass around the soup and ladle it into your own soup bowl, eat and enjoy...classic "family style". So far so good.

When it comes time to clear the dishes, they pour your remaining soup into the communal pot in the middle of the table so to stack the soup bowls and take them away. It is then that they pour the communal pots from everybody’s table into the pot in the kitchen to reuse the leftovers or the next customer. So if they person before you or at the next table has a cold, virus, or some other nasty stuff....it gets passed along to the next person who gets the soup.

I don't know about your family...but if someone has a cold....I don't eat their leftover soup out of their bowl or pour it into my bowl.

Peanut · 04-17-2008, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Headhunter

Ok so just to be clear. What happened was they put a big bowl of soup in the middle of the table and everybody has a soup bowl. You pass around the soup and ladle it into your own soup bowl, eat and enjoy...classic "family style". So fare so good.

When it comes time to clear the dishes, they pour your remaining soup into the communal pot in the middle of the table so to stack the soup bowls and take them away. It is then that they pour the communal pots from everybody�s table into the pot in the kitchen to reuse the leftovers or the next customer. So if they person before you or at the next table has a cold, virus, or some other nasty stuff....it gets passed along to the next person who gets the soup.

I don't know about your family...but if someone has a cold....I don't eat their leftover soup out of their bowl or pour it into my bowl.

That is just not right. Gross.

Bill Monroe · 04-17-2008, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Headhunter

Ok so just to be clear. What happened was they put a big bowl of soup in the middle of the table and everybody has a soup bowl. You pass around the soup and ladle it into your own soup bowl, eat and enjoy...classic "family style". So far so good.

When it comes time to clear the dishes, they pour your remaining soup into the communal pot in the middle of the table so to stack the soup bowls and take them away. It is then that they pour the communal pots from everybody�s table into the pot in the kitchen to reuse the leftovers or the next customer. So if they person before you or at the next table has a cold, virus, or some other nasty stuff....it gets passed along to the next person who gets the soup.

I don't know about your family...but if someone has a cold....I don't eat their leftover soup out of their bowl or pour it into my bowl.

Don't think that's what he said happened. That would be a problem.
As I understood it, everyone dipped from the same communal bowl into theirs, but then what was left in that bowl was taken to the kitchen and recycled...not the bowls that were used. Questionable? Sure, but standard leftover practice in my home.

Headhunter · 04-17-2008, 11:56 AM

Bill....I was there! With my own eyeballs....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Monroe

Don't think that's what he said happened. That would be a problem.
As I understood it, everyone dipped from the same communal bowl into theirs, but then what was left in that bowl was taken to the kitchen and recycled...not the bowls that were used. Questionable? Sure, but standard leftover practice in my home.

novice · 04-17-2008, 11:57 AM

Just went two weekends ago for the first time....Great people!!!!!
They were short baked potatoes at the end of the night ...so they just split two big ones....To make up for this...they brought us out 2 additional 30 oz steaks....

Thats a trade I'll make any day....The chicken looked good as well!!!!
Oh, by the way....Sage rat hunting was pure carnage

Bucolic buffalo · 04-17-2008, 11:58 AM

If you go, take a paper sack and a couple of ziploc bags for the left over meat/chicken. It is also a good thing if you have a cooler as well. There will be food left over. As for the soup thing, ask them if that is their policy. Find out for sure and give them your thoughts on the practice if true.

lostpuppy · 04-17-2008, 02:30 PM

I go to Christmas Valley in Jan with a big group of guys from our church. We spend 5 days over there and the one thing we do every year is go to the Cowboy dinner tree. The people there are a lot of fun, this year we took 18 guys. When they brought out the steaks they told one of the guys to check his steak and if it was not done they would get him a new one. Turned out to be a huge rock that looked like a steak and they even seasoned it! It is a very fun place with great food. Well worth the trip.