Dolores River Brewery is Darn Right Bad!

Dolores River Brewery
100 S. 4th Street
Dolores, Colorado, 81323

(970) 882-4677

Website: www.doloresriverbrewery.com

Last night we decided to try out a brew pub I saw mentioned on the internet. We have frequented several of these microbreweries in the past, and always with a positive result, so why not try this one? It turned out to be a big mistake on our part.

Upon entering the pub area we were greeted by…no one. No hostess, the bartender did not acknowledge us, and there was no wait staff. Not a good first impression; so we seated ourselves at a small table set against the wall, and waited…nothing still. Roy got up, went to the bar and grabbed a couple of menus. So, let’s see what kind of pub grub we were going to experience. It certainly wasn’t the typical pub faire we were used to: snacks consisted of chips with either salsa or guacamole, or an antipasto plate. There were a number of salads to choose from; 3 types of sandwiches, and designer pizzas and calzones. Cheesecake was listed as a dessert, and it was noted on the menu to ask your server about other selections. That would be good, if we had a server.

Going up to the bar, Roy placed our order: Philly Cheese Steak sandwich for him, a calzone called “The New Yorker” for me. While I had iced tea, Roy tried their “Dry Stout”; DRB sings their own praises of their brews. Roy’s assessment of the stout was: the body was so light; it was almost watery, not as rich as the typical stout, medium hoppiness, but smooth. He asked about the specialty brews the menu describes, but the “brew master” had none ready for sale.

What we discovered, upon receiving our meals, was that the wait staff was also the cook staff. After receiving our plates, the bartender finally left his post behind the bar, and asked us if we needed anything else. Nope, not yet; but that was the last time we had any interaction with anyone at DRB, except when we paid…at the bar. Seems if you were not one of the locals, who frequent the bar area, you weren’t worth noticing.

Philly Cheese Steak sandwich is touted as a traditional Philly sandwich with beef, cheese, sautéed peppers and onions, and something called “hot sambal” on a toasted roll. The “hot sambal”, we later read online, is a very spicy chili sauce mainly used in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. How that ended up on a “traditional” Philly Cheese Steak is beyond me; and all we could taste of the sandwich was the hot chili sauce. Picking out the beef, it was tasteless; the cheese was unidentifiable, we saw a few onions and peppers, but they too were tasteless. The sides were a handful of bagged chips and a pickle; not very impressive for the price charged.

“The New Yorker” calzone looked wonderful when first presented; a massive dough dome, dark brown and when cut into, steam escaping. Our first reaction though was, “I bet this is nothing but hot air”, and we were right. While the dough was cooked on the outside (burned on the bottom I found out as I tried to eat it), the contents in the center were barely warm. DRB brags about spending hours on their dough which simply tastes like white bread. Toast me some, spread some butter on it, and I would not have been able to tell the difference from it and white bread from the supermarket. I cut the calzone down the center; one side consisted of ricotta cheese (not a sign of mozzarella, except as listed on the menu), the other had pepperoni (limp and tasteless) crammed in a large clump of slices which needed to be pulled apart. The sausage was spicy hot (not described as such on the menu), and a complete, unpleasant surprise. DRB claims to be a family/kid friendly place; but if any parent with small children surprised them with the spicy sausage within the calzone; they would have been screaming. The menu only states sausage, but no mention of the spice intensity. There was a smear of sauce on the bottom, and luckily I was able to peel off the burnt layer of dough before trying it.

Again, no one came by to ask about how the food was, if we needed anything, or just to say hello. Roy had to go to the bar, ask for the bill and pay there. The bartender did say goodbye as we left though, so a point for that effort.

The front of house is the dining area and bar, while back of house is the kitchen and brewing area. The bathroom (single toilet available) is co-ed with a changing table available. The one positive aspect of DRB; the atmosphere is rustic (wooden furniture), and quiet (no music) and can enjoy conversation without having to shout over noise.

Do yourself the favor and avoid Dolores River Brewery if traveling through, or staying in Dolores, Colorado; there are other places to eat there that are much better, and worth your time and money.

Mary Cokenour

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday, and she is 76 years old. She doesn't want me making a big fuss about it, so I'll just be saying;

Happy Birthday Mom!!!


Love from Roy, myself, and all the grandpets (Jenna, Tippy, Nefi, Sam, Miss Kitty, Dallas, Monkey, Rusty and little Two)

Hope you enjoy the gift we sent you.

Onions with a Sweet Kiss.

Onions are best known for making us cry. Once an onion is cut, it begins to release a sulfuric component which irritates our senses. Keeping onions in the refrigerator will deaden this effect somewhat, but as the onion begins to warm up, so does the acid.

There are, however, on the market types of sweet onion which have a mild sulfuric, and higher water, content than regular onions. Examples of these are Vidalia from Georgia, Walla Walla from Washington state, Sunbero from Nevada and Maui from the Hawaiian island of Maui; to name a few. Red onions, also called purple onions, are also mild and sweet; their coloring brightens up any dish.

One way to use sweet onions is to make a relish which can be spread on toasted bread, used as a condiment on sandwiches, or an enhancement for beef, pork or poultry.



Sweet Onion Relish
Ingredients:

2 Tbsp canola oil
6 cups chopped sweet onions
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp celery seeds
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
½ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup water
¼ cup diced roasted red peppers

Preparation:

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium heat; add onions and celery; sauté until tender. Mix in remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring often. Let cool. Spoon into a bowl; cover and chill for 8 hours.

Makes 4 cups.

Mary Cokenour
March 23, 2006

....so lets cook up a family meal with that relish.

Sweet Onion Chicken Casserole
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 large red skinned or Yukon Gold potatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup sweet onion relish plus ¼ cup (set aside)
1 can (10 ¾ oz) cream of mushroom soup
½ cup half n’ half
1 (4oz) can sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp paprika

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 2-qt baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat; brown both sides of the chicken breasts.
Layer the potato slices in the baking dish; spread the onion relish on the potatoes before beginning each layer. Mix together the soup, half n’ half and mushrooms; pour over top of potato/onion relish layers. Place chicken breasts on top, spread the reserved ¼ cup of onion relish over the chicken breasts; sprinkle paprika over the chicken.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour; remove foil and bake additional 15 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Mary Cokenour
July 22, 2006

Nothing to cry over.

In my Jan 27, 2011 blogpost, "Comfort is never overrated.", I gave you my recipe for "Potato Leek Soup", and leeks are primarily used in soups. However, this relative to the onion, and asparagus, is more versatile than one might think. Due to its mild onion flavor, a leek can be substituted for a regular onion; cutting it will not irritate the eyes either.

Leeks have a small bulb end; and the tastiest part is the white part which grows deep in the ground, and away from the sun's rays. The green upper part is very fibrous, and used for making stock; or thrown into the compost pile. Growing in the ground has the desadvantage of having dirt caked in between the many layers of the leek, so it needs to be thoroughly washed before use. The best way to do this is to cut the white part either into circular sections, or cutting it up into pieces, placing it all in a colander and washing under cool water.

The pieces can than be used in soups, quiches, casseroles, side dishes; anything an onion can be used for. Sauteed in butter or olive oil, they turn translucent and release a pleasant onion scent that is easy on the nose, and most especially, the eyes.

The recipe for today is an example of the versatility of the leel. Enjoy!

Potato and Leek Casserole with Meat

Ingredients:

4 cups thinly sliced, unpeeled and parboiled russet potatoes

2 cups cooked ham, or beef kielbasa, cubed

1 large leek, cleaned and thinly sliced

3 tsp each dried parsley, paprika and sea salt

¾ tsp ground black pepper

1 cup shredded swiss cheese

8 Tbsp butter

2 cups heavy cream

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Spray a 2 qt casserole dish with non-stick spray.

In a small skillet or saute’ pan, melt 2 Tbsp butter, add leeks and saute’ till soft and translucent.

In a small bowl, mix together parsley, paprika, salt and pepper.

In the casserole dish, build 2 layers of potato with meat, leeks, herb/seasoning mixture and cheese; dot with 4 – ½” Tbsp of butter.  There should be a 3^rd layer of potatoes which will have only the remaining herb/seasoning mix and butter on it.  Pour the cream over the potatoes.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Jack and Janelle's of Cortez, Colorado

Jack and Janelle's Country Kitchen
801 E Main St
Cortez, CO 81321

(970) 565-2572

Website: N/A

When we first began traveling to Cortez, CO for our shopping needs, we found a large selection of places to have a meal. Seeing Jack and Janelle’s sign, it seemed welcoming, so decided to try the place out. It is a medium sized restaurant, clean and the décor is just as the sign indicates – country. For all the times we have been there, we have been usually greeted by Jack; a very friendly and pleasant man who makes you feel very welcomed. The waitresses are also friendly, and make sure that coffee cup is always full.

Breakfast is a wide selection from the basic “American” (eggs, bacon or sausage, hash browns, toast or biscuit), French Toast, Corned Beef Hash (crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and my absolute favorite), Chicken Fried Steak (measuring about 12” long, crispy and delicious), Omelets and Casseroles. The homemade biscuits come with thick, rich gravy. On Sunday, a breakfast buffet is available which consists of scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes, bacon, sausage, toast, biscuits, gravy, cereals and pastries for only $8.95.

Lunch and Dinner have a good variety too, and if you add a cup of soup, or the salad bar, it’s only 50 cents more. The salad bar has a nice selection of items and dressings, and is a lot better than most places that offer a salad for $3.99; so don’t be cheap, go for the salad bar. The burgers and sandwiches are thick and come with plenty of fixings. There are “all-you-can-eat” specials, surprise specials, and you have to try the Navajo Tacos (offered on Tuesdays), and the Green Chili.

There is a small selection of Appetizers and the Chicken Quesadillas are highly recommended, as are the Onion Rings.

We have yet to walk away hungry from Jack and Janelle’s, always feel comfortable being there, and you never get the feeling of being rushed to get out.

Mary Cokenour

Yippee-ky-yo-ky-yay; it’s the Bar-M Chuckwagon.

Bar-M Chuckwagon

7000 U.S. 191

Moab, UT 84532

(435) 259-2276

Website: http://www.barmchuckwagon.com/

After a day of sightseeing, hiking, climbing, or any of the other outdoor activities available in Moab, the Bar-M Chuckwagon is the place to go for a relaxing evening. Located just 4 miles north of the Arches National Park entrance and 1.5 miles south of the turn off to Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands National Park, it is right off of Route 191. The ticket booth is located at the entrance of the ample parking lot, and as you make your way down the path to the Bar-M, don’t forget to stop and pay your respects to those buried at Boot Hill.

The evening begins with a comedic confrontation between two cowboys, a meeting with the sheriff, and the shootout. Nothing overly dramatic to frighten the children, and lots of laughter to get everyone in a happy, “yeee-harrr” mood.

Inside the main building, guests can seat themselves at picnic style wooden tables. The sheriff, who is also the ranch cook, greets everyone, and announces how the meal will be served. When he says to hold your plate on the apple sauce side, listen up, cause the hot food is hot; and metal plates conduct heat very well.

The two choices for the main dish are barbequed chicken or roast beef; served with cowboy beans, baked potato, apple sauce, spice cake, biscuit. Drinks are lemonade, iced tea, coffee and water; all refillable. Seconds on the meal are offered, and if you’re still hungry, get up and go get it, for it goes fast. Yes, it was that good!!! Dinner is about an hour, and after cleanup, the musical entertainment starts.

Classic and modern western songs, lots of jokes (mostly corny, but you can’t help but laugh), audience participation is encouraged and very welcome; young and old alike are guaranteed a heapin’ good time. There is a gift shop on premises, right next to the saloon where you can purchase alcoholic beverages and bottled soda.

From start to finish, expect to be at the Bar-M for about 3 hours. Since it goes into late evening, children under the age of 8 might find it to be long, and get antsy and/or cranky. Parents should know their own child/children’s temperament, so plan accordingly.

If you're visiting the Moab area, and want some real old time Western style entertainment and grub (that’s food), then the Bar-M Chuckwagon won’t do you wrong.

Mary Cokenour

Negative Energy Recreation.

Interesting title? Does it mean to create, or bring back, negative energy? Nope, just the opposite. It means to take negative energy and change it into something positive.

So, yesterday I was having a rather stressful day, and I had a few choices on how to handle it. Wallow in it? Been there, done that; don't like it much. Clear my mind and meditate? Fat chance of that happening, since my brain refuses to shut up. Destroy something? That accomplishes nothing, and only causes more stress. Be creative? Eureka!!! Been there, done that, and it works. Whether it is through my poetry, photography or cooking; transforming negative energy into something creative and positive brings comfort,and reduces the stress.

A food that is high on the comfort food scale is pasta, and I had ravioli in the freezer. Ho hum, regular pasta sauce; just not in the mood for making it fresh, or defrosting a container from the freezer. Alfredo sauce wasn't going to give me the zing I needed to get out of my funk. Hmmm, always wanted to try and make homemade tomato vodka cream sauce. I have tried the jarred variety (ok, get over the shock now and move it along), and it was ok, but it still had that processed after taste.

Do you know how many recipes you can find on the internet for this sauce...hundreds! Printed a couple out, compared ingredients and cooking styles, raided the pantry, gave it my own twist and style; and my creation became alive, alive I tell you!!!

Ok, enough of the drama, and here's the recipe:

Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce

A light cream sauce which can be served over any type of tubular pasta (penne, ziti, rigatoni); long, flat pasta (fettuccine, linguine); or cheese filled pasta (ravioli, tortellini, tortelloni).

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

¼ cup diced onion

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup vodka

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup grated romano cheese

1 lb hot, cooked pasta

minced fresh parsley for garnish

Preparation:

In a large skillet, medium-high heat, melt butter and sauté onion until translucent.  Add tomatoes and cook until liquid reduces by half; stir frequently to keep from sticking or burning.

Add cream, vodka and pepper flakes; bring to a boil; reduce heat to low; add in cheeses and let cook 10 minutes to let sauce thicken.  Add in cooked pasta, toss to coat.  Serve and garnish with minced parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

Note:  a half lb. of medium shrimp can be added the last 5 minutes of the sauce being on low; or a ½ lb of grilled chicken slices.

Mary Cokenour