The Granary Doing the Dukes Proud.

The Granary Bar and Grill

-located at The Grist Mill Inn-

64 South 300 East

Monticello, UT, 84535

Phone: (435) 587-2597

Website: http://www.thegristmillinn.com/granary-bar-grill/

Hours of Operation:

Sunday – Thursday; 5pm-10pm

Friday and Saturday; 5pm – 1am

The Dukes of Hazzard that is, referring to The Boar’s Nest, local watering hole of Hazzard County and owned by the Dukes’ nemesis, Boss Hogg.  However, the Granary Bar and Grill is located within The Grist Mill Inn, and owned by Monticello residents Ben and Crystal Breedlove.

The concept behind The Granary is 1920s Speakeasy, and there is a long history behind the term “speakeasy”.  1823 England, a “speak softly shop” or “smuggler’s house” referred to an illicit liquor shop; 1880s the word popped up in Pennsylvania to refer to unlicensed saloons.  It was the 1920s and Prohibition Era that most Americans relate speakeasies to.  Al Capone’s Chicago establishments; New York City’s 21 Club, and other popular haunts of the rich and infamous.  Watching “The Untouchables” with leader Elliot Ness, on television; tommy guns blazing during car chases, kegs of booze being smashed apart with axes, flapper girls doing the Charleston and sultry ladies singing the blues.  These were the speakeasies and metropolitan cities immortalized by the news media and Hollywood.

The Breedloves’ speakeasy concept, however, is based upon the southern backwater, small towns with stills hidden in swampy areas, gators for guard dogs, and a sheriff named Bubba.  It was the federal government crackdowns into these areas that helped create one of America’s favorite sports…NASCAR!  Drivers loaded down with cases of bottled moonshine, and kegs of hooch, maneuvered the back country roads at racing speeds to outrun the law.  After Prohibition was appealed, the drivers found themselves easing into stock car races; the need for speed being their new addiction.

Ben, why a speakeasy?  “We love the era and the hidden doors and rooms inside the Grist Mill call out for this idea.  The flour mill is a perfect disguise for a distillery and yes, we will be selling moonshine!”  Phase 1 of the plan has been completed, the bar (including karaoke area) and restaurant.  Phase 2 is the installation of a professional kitchen and a gift shop through which guests will enter the bar through one of the previously mentioned secret doors.

In 1920s speakeasies, “finger foods” were served; easy to walk around with and needed to soak up the alcohol in the system.  Very necessary for when the secret signal was given that the cops were about to raid the joint.  While The Granary has a two page Booze Menu, it’s the two page Food Menu that was more interesting to this foodie.

Local Patrons enjoying the offerings of The Granary Bar and Grill include Monticello's own Cindi Holyoak (hubby Michael was too shy to want a photo taken), Luke Lessner, and Jason Phillips of Canyon Country Discovery Center.

Luke Lessner

Ben and Crystal Breedlove with patron, Jason Phillips

Cindi Holyoak

There’s more to choose from than just finger foods, so be prepared to sit a spell and eat while enjoying a cocktail or icy cold brewski.  For a starter, we chose the Chicken Strips; 3 strips of hand cut chicken breast, deep fried with a coating of crispy, light panko (Japanese bread crumbs used for tempura).  These long strips were perfectly cooked, tender and moist, and the panko gave a delightful crunch to this appetizer.  House made sauces available are ranch, bbq, chipotle, buffalo, ketchup and that Utah favorite, fry sauce.

Main course was burgers, the Triple Bacon Bypass for myself; bacon combined with 6-ounces of  80/20 ground beef (sourced from Kanab Custom Meats, UT) bacon strips adorning the well cooked meat and a spicy chipotle bacon mayo slathered on the bun.  Hubby chose the Bacon Blue Mountain Burger which was highly recommended by my co-worker Jason Phillips, who had been dining at the bar.  This burger was topped with a mound of sautéed onions, caramelized mushrooms and melted bleu cheese.  Both burgers came with a side of red fries, red skinned potatoes lightly fried and seasoned with salt and cracked black pepper.

Dessert was a to die for Bread Pudding with a vanilla hard sauce; soft French bread is used; the sauce is cooked down with a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and, depending on the chef’s mood, either brandy or rum.  This is no ordinary bread pudding, it is a slice of decadence on a plate.  Next time we’re ordering this first; life is short, eat dessert first!

…and let’s meet the chef of The Granary, Robert Lundell, but you can call him Rob.  Formerly of Harmon’s Station Park Cooking School, he was involved in recipe development with many originating via a “mother sauce”.  Sauces were originally invented to cover up the awful taste of rancid meats, but now they are used to enhance the flavors of many dishes, including desserts.  It’s no wonder the vanilla hard sauce on the bread pudding was so amazingly delicious!

The Granary Bar and Grill had its grand opening on Friday, August 31^st; while the Breedloves are now working on Phase 2, we wish them good luck in all their endeavors.

Mary Cokenour

Virgin Limeade

Ray's Tavern Since 1943..

Ray's Tavern

25 South Broadway
Green River, Utah, 84525

Phone: (435) 564-3511

Website: http://www.raystavern.com/

Hours of Operation: Monday thru Sunday, 11am to 9pm




Patio Seating
 

We were told by friends, Joseph Venus and Dwane Cude (Utah Artists), about Ray's Tavern; let me correct that, they raved about Ray's Tavern.  Looking at it from the outside, it looks like any other bar establishment; inside is pretty much the same look.  The huge difference is everyone is there having a great time; from locals to tourists, family, friends, couples and solos.  The owners and staff of Ray's Tavern pride themselves on their service; fresh cooked, high quality foods; welcoming atmosphere...they have achieved restaurant nirvana.


Walking in, we were immediately greeted and told to sit anywhere we wanted.  We did the Southwest thing and "bellied up to the bar"; my hubby ordering a Polygamy Porter and fresh brewed coffee for myself.  The staff is very, very friendly; answering our questions easily and offering up tips on the food.  Now while we had heard the burgers were the best, we weren't in a burger mood; hey, it happens!  However, a lovely couple sitting in one of the booths had just received their burger and fries orders, and let me take a photo.  They were from Moab, but didn't think twice about taking a one-hour drive up to Ray's Tavern when in a burger mood.  They said they had been coming here for years, and no place could outdo them; and we quickly found out why.

My hubby ordered the Double Pork Chops; nice char on the bone-in chops, thick cut, juicy with an order of handcut fries.  The fries are cut fresh every morning, and it's not unusual to have to do a second batch of cutting between the lunch and dinner hours.

Carlos - Look at that Smile!!!

I ordered the New York Strip Steak, medium-rare, and I got it exactly the way I like it...medium-rare.  Again, that nice char on a perfectly cooked, juicy, meaty steak; along with those handcut fries, it was dinner heaven.







Before our orders we dived into the dinner salad; a large portion of chopped lettuce covered with sliced olives, red bell peppers, pickled beet and croutons.  While my hubby had ranch dressing, I went for the honey mustard; made in-house and so plate licking good!

The portions are not chintzy, so we took some food home; and had no room left for that fresh apple pie (ala mode is an option); maybe next time.  Oh yes, there will be a next time, and we want to be in a burger mood.

Mary Cokenour

Went Back to the Branding Iron and Loved It.

Susie's Branding Iron

2971 South Highway 191 (across from Shell Station)
Moab, Utah, 84535

Phone: (435) 259-6275

Website: http://www.susiesbrandingiron.com/

Hours of Operation: Monday - Sunday, 11am to 10pm

On July 22, 1989, Karl Tangren opened up The Branding Iron; a place where locals could get good food, and play music.  Now we had visited this place about four years ago, and truthfully, we weren't that impressed.  It was only open for dinner and it didn't seem worth the travel, so wrote it off as a to-go place.  After being closed for a little while, and undergoing major renovation, it reopened on September 3, 2012 with new management of sorts, Karl's daughter, Susie Taylor.  The name was slightly changed to Susie's Branding Iron, now open for lunch and dinner.  We kept remembering our first experience there, so didn't rush to try it out; that was a major loss on our parts.

We finally went there on a Saturday night and it was an amazing experience.  After being warmly greeted and seated, our waitress, Melena, took our drink orders.  Melena is a doll, very efficient, attentive and makes sure you are enjoying your meal.  More and more diners kept coming in, some greeted by name; talking and laughter filled the air.  The restaurant is more open now, southwestern/cowboy décor; there is a bar that opens at 4pm every day, and a beautiful patio area.

Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights is the Prime Rib special; 16 ounce slab (about 1 to 1 and 1/2 inches thick) of the most delicious beef we've tasted.  This Prime Rib was tender, juicy, perfectly cooked, and I swear it did melt in the mouth...chewing was optional.  It came with choice of potato (mashed potatoes are two scoops and homemade!), gravy and Navajo Fry Bread.  It also came with a generous side salad; the salad dressings, as well as the gravies, are house made; no bottled stuff.


I decided to try out the Country Fried Steak; a meal that no restaurant should mess up, and Susie's does a most excellent job.  The breading on the steak is one I've not tasted before, lightly seasoned, yet hearty; crispy, yet combines with the meat to create a wonderful mouth feel.  I too had the mashed potatoes, and corn for my vegetable; the gravy was peppery, but didn't take flavor away from the meat or potatoes.  Honey is a basic condiment on the table, so we saved our fry bread for dessert...it was a perfect finish to a perfect meal.

The atmosphere and staff are both welcoming and friendly; the food is top notch; whether for lunch or dinner, you must try out Susie's Branding Iron when in the Moab area...and they do take out service too.

Mary Cokenour

Three Rivers Brewery is Top Notch!

Three Rivers Brewery

111 East Main Street
Farmington, New Mexico, 87401

Phone: (505) 325-6605

We'd passed by Three Rivers many times, but always on the way to somewhere else.  This time though, we made sure to stop and were so glad we did; amazing atmosphere, food and staff.  JJ, our waitress, is a firecracker personality; so ask for her when you go to dine in.  While you can dine in the bar area; there is a separate restaurant part in the next room; plenty of seating (tables, small and large booths).

Three Rivers has an eight page menu; something for everyone's tastes! We started off with the Onion Rings appetizer; crunchy goodness with a homemade buttermilk ranch dressing. We so wanted to order another round of onion rings, but needed to keep room for the main meals.













One of the menu pages is "Daily Specials"; we were there on a Monday, so I started with a cup of the Baked Potato soup; luscious, packed with potatoes, bacon and chives. 













The sandwich for the day was the Smokehouse Cubano; tender pork, onion, pickle, on pressed bread; and Yes!  I ordered bacon for it which enhanced the whole experience.










I'd met some folks from Farmington awhile back, who had highly recommended Three Rivers Brewery; and told us to try the Drunken Steak Sandwich.  This was hubby's main meal, but I had a bite; oh my goodness, so tender and juicy!!!  This definitely hit the top of the awesomeness scale.












Two relatives had joined us for lunch; one had the Garden Burger with a side of black beans; she surely raved about those beans, but enjoyed the burger too. 













The other had a half pound burger special (2 - 1/4 pound burgers stacked) with more onion rings); nothing left on her plate, so you know it was that good!








Now I had already perused the dessert menu and saw that Tres Leches cake was listed; here was my chance to finally try this cake out.  I only ate half my sandwich to make sure I had room for this treat.  The cake is light with a, not unexpected, milky taste; it was almost like a palette cleanser and yummy treat all wrapped up into one.  Definitely would have this cake again!




If you're in the Farmington, New Mexico area and want a unique dining experience, Three Rivers Brewery has what it takes...atmosphere, friendly staff, awesome food.

Mary Cokenour