San Juan River Kitchen’s Gourmet Mexican.

San Juan River Kitchen

281 East Main (Hwy. 191)

Bluff, Utah, 84512

Phone:(435) 672-9956

Hours: Tuesday thru Sunday, 6pm-9pm, closed Monday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This story begins with an email to San Juan Record owner and editor, Bill Boyle: “Hi Bill, This is not a letter to the editor. It is just a suggestion. We finally had the pleasure of going to the San Juan River Kitchen for dinner last night, here in Bluff. It was truly awesome. It looks like you have a food editor now. Just guessing that she would have the most delightful time checking out Leah's amazing fare. It is Mexican but it is with Leah's special touch. Just fabulous. The San Juan River Kitchen is open every day, but Monday. She opens at 6:00pm for dinner. Leah's number is 672-9956. I'm sure your editor doesn't need to call ahead, but I'm providing the number just as contact info.  Thanks and I hope you are well, Theresa Breznau”.  Bill forwarded the email to me with a message, “This may make a fun story!” and correct he was.

In 2006, Leah Schrenk opened up the San Juan River Kitchen in Bluff, along Highway 191; a colorful metallic rooster being the restaurant’s mascot.  However, in 2012, the Kitchen closed with Leah moving to Springfield, Illinois and opening up “La Calia”.  The concept was “farm to fork” with a Spanish flare; locally sourced from organic farmers.  In only two years, Leah had created a dedicated following, but San Juan County and the river were still deep in her heart.  With a mixture of sadness and exhilaration, Leah and the rooster were back in Bluff; reopening San Juan River Kitchen in the winter of 2015.



Leah Schrenk (Kitchen), Kristen (foreground)

San Juan River Kitchen has quickly developed a dedicated following, once again; open Tuesday thru Sunday for dinner only (6-9pm).  Leah puts her unique spin on her dishes, and while she simply calls it “Mexican”, it is more gourmet Baja style than the typical food at a chain style Mexican eatery.  On one bite, from appetizer to salad to entrée, the freshness of the ingredients comes out strong; buying local produce and products is a must for Leah.  Speaking with Kristen, a perky and knowledgeable waitress, she told us about Leah working on a fishing vessel in Alaska.  Leah knows her fish and frozen won’t do!  The salmon, mahi-mahi and other seafood are shipped in directly to the restaurant to ensure they are served up fresh.

Our purpose of being at the Kitchen was twofold; this article, and to celebrate a friend’s birthday; it was the perfect choice for a celebration meal!  We began with freshly baked tortilla chips and a mild salsa brimming with flavors of cilantro, garlic, chiles, onions and tomatoes.  Also, Baked Jalapeno Poppers served in their own skillet and stuffed with three cheeses; crisply, naked peppers without tons of breading and oil.

 We each chose a different entrée each which we happily shared for tasting pleasure.  Grilled Mahi-Mahi Tacos: one inch thick sections of fish grilled to perfect moistness and flakiness; mango salsa with cilantro perfectly balanced to enhance, not overpower.  The Spanish rice was moist, lightly seasoned; black beans plump and tasty.   



Grilled Flank Steak, served sliced, tender as can be; pan fried potatoes and onions lightly seasoned with a fresh salsa of onions, tomatoes and chiles.  Are you noticing the theme of fresh yet?  It’s in all the dishes! 








My husband had the special, 16 ounce bone-in Pork Chop, brined in juniper berries; served with a green chile polenta and braised kale.  There was nothing left on the plate, but the bone; Leah commented, “Oh, that’s usually the way it is with that pork chop.”  We certainly believed her; considering we all couldn’t help digging into the polenta.

For dessert (house made, even the ice creams); a huge chocolate brownie chock full of chocolate chunks; cinnamon almond ice cream with a strong scent of cinnamon, but so pleasing to the palette; beet mint (yes, I said beet) which is berry delicious in flavor, creamy and luscious.

Beet Mint Ice Cream - Homemade!

San Juan River Kitchen has what every diner craves...great food, great atmosphere, great staff.  By being open only for three hours nightly (except Monday), Leah ensures that the quality and quantity will be a pleasure for each patron.  If you’re a local, you’ll be coming back and introducing others to the Kitchen.  If you’re simply visiting the area, you’ll definitely be spreading the word about San Juan River Kitchen to others visiting the area.

Mary Cokenour

 

 

Menu

 

Patty Melt Goes Upscale

My hubby loves patty melts, and when it comes to the Classic Patty Melt; well he says I outdo everyone.  When I make my recipes, there's one thing I really enjoy doing; outdoing myself!

Let me introduce you to the London Broil Melt; thinly sliced rare London Broil, sharp cheddar, sautéed mushrooms and onions; layered together into a perfect marriage between toasted bread.

 

London Broil Melt

 

 

Ingredients:

 

2 slices of sandwich bread, toasted

3 slices sharp Cheddar cheese (Sargento is the best!)

 8 thin slices of rare London Broil
1/2 cup sautéed mushroom/onion mix

Preparation:

This is a layering preparation.

Preheat oven to 350F; line small baking pan with aluminum foil.

Toasted Bread
Cheese Slice
4 London Broil Slices
Cheese Slice
4 London Broil Slices
Spread out 1/2 cup of vegetable mixture
Cheese Slice
Toasted Bread

Cheese on Toast

Meat and Cheese

Meat, Mushroom/Onion Mix

Place entire sandwich inside baking pan; place in oven for five minutes to allow cheese to melt thoroughly.  Remove sandwich to plate, cut in half and enjoy.

Makes one sandwich.

Note:  While my hubby enjoys a multi-grain bread, I go for potato bread; so, use what appeals to your taste buds.

Mary Cokenour

Fired Up About Fired Up Pizzeria.

Fired Up Pizzeria

741 Main Avenue
Durango, Colorado, 81301

Phone: (970) 247-0264

Email: info@fireduppizzeria.com

Website: http://www.fireduppizzeria.com/

The best way I can give a good assessment of Fired Up Pizzeria is by posting their "Mission and Vision Statement" which is located on the homepage of their website.

"Fired Up Pizzeria is dedicated to the ingredients, quality and traditional methods of producing authentic Neapolitan pizza. Our pizzas are created with handmade dough, fresh mozzarella, and hand crushed tomato sauce. We focus on using high quality imported and local ingredients needed to produce a great pizza and support a great community. We do this with the conviction that when you pour your heart and soul into what you love, excellence can be achieved. Come and enjoy."

Entering Fired Up, expect to be warmly greeted; seating available is indoor and outdoor, but if you want to watch the pizza chef at work, pick indoor - front.  The menu lists appetizers, salads, artisan sandwiches, "build your own" pizza, specialty pizza, desserts, drinks, alcoholic drinks, and a kid's menu.  After ordering, we watched the pizza chef and he let me take photos of him, and a pepperoni pizza fresh out of the wood burning oven.

We ordered two "build your own", an 8-inch Margherita with meatballs and a 12-inch Margherita with Kalamata olives, red onions, red bell peppers and diced tomatoes.  Within 20 minutes we were chowing down on deliciously scented and tasting, crispy pizzas; NO!  there was not one slice left over.  Surprisingly, we were not overstuffed and decided to try one of the desserts...cannoli.

8 inch Meatball

12 inch Olives, Red Onions, Red Bell Peppers, Diced Tomatoes



Crispy Crust!

The Cannoli were two waffle cookies, known as Pizzelle, rolled and filled with a lemon zested mascarpone cheese, vanilla glaze drizzled over top.  Talk about dying and going to dessert heaven; the lemon, vanilla and mascarpone worked perfectly together; and to our surprise, was not overly sweet.  The Pizzelle were light and crisp; skip the spoon, use the fingers and give yourself a great excuse to lick them clean.


Fired Up Pizzeria is definitely the place to go when in the mood for pizza and cannoli; then again, it's a great excuse to go back and try the sandwiches and salads too.

Mary Cokenour


Menu

Don't Make This Mistake with Edamane.

Whenever I've used edamane (soy beans) in a recipe, I usually purchased the frozen, already shelled variety.  When I saw the PicSweet brand on sale, I didn't think there was anything strange about the beans still being in the pod.  When I cooked them up with the recipe I'm going to giving you, I made a huge mistake on not reading the directions on their package.  So, here's the warning:  If you cook edamane in the pod, the beans must be removed before or after; you CANNOT eat the pod itself.  The dish was still delicious, but we had to pick out each pod, push out the beans and throw out the pods; it was quite a messy meal.  I know my Thai friends are going to be rolling on the floor laughing when they read this.  Yes Bella (Arches Thai) and Venus (Bangkok House, Bangkok House Too), I can hear you both laughing!  That's why you two own the best Thai restaurants in Moab, Utah, not I.

By the way, besides edamane (the beans only!), sugar snap peas (and you can eat the pod!) go great in this recipe too.  When it comes to rice and noodle packaged sides, I have found that Knorr tastes much better than other brands, or the store brand copycats; and they have a larger variety.  Oh, the package directions tell you to add oil when cooking up the Rice Side; since you already used oil when browning the beef and onions, skip that part of the directions and don't add more oil.

Enjoy!

Beef, Vegetables with Asian BBQ Fried Rice

 

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. canola oil

1 lb. lean beef, cut into one inch pieces
1 small red onion, large diced
6 oz. frozen peas and carrots mix
6 oz. frozen sugar snap peas or shelled edamame
1 package (5.9 oz.) Knorr Asian BBQ Rice Side
2 cups water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation:

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high, brown beef and onions together until red color of beef is no longer showing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add frozen vegetables, contents of Rice Side package and water; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and let cook for 7 minutes (longer if rice is still too firm).  Turn off heat, uncover, allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Makes four servings.

Mary Cokenour

Bees, Hives and a Taste of Honey.

Utah, the Beehive State, adopted the symbol of the beehive onto its state flag and seal in 1847; representing the qualities of industry, perseverance, thrift, stability, and self-reliance. For the Mormon settlers, who definitely had to live these qualities to survive the unforgiving Wild West, it also meant a deeper connection to their beliefs. Within the Book of Mormon, the name Deseret meant “honeybee”, being derived from the Jaredites; a group believed to have been led to the Americas during the time of the construction of the Tower of Babel. While Christopher Columbus is given major credit for discovering the Americas and archaeological finds place the Vikings here first; let the historians battle out “Who’s On First?”

In many recipes of Native American origin, honey was included; so it would make sense to believe that honeybees were indigenous to the Americas, and you would be only slightly correct. In 2009, paleontologist-entomologist Michael Engel, of the University of Kansas, discovered fossilized remains in Nevada of 14 million year old honeybees which did not survive the Ice Age. (Reference: http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=1544 ) It was not until 1622 when white settlers brought over European honey bees; referred to as “white man’s flies” by the local Native American tribes. Bee migration, via swarming, began on the east coast of North America; colonies finally arrived in the West by the middle 1800s. Therefore, honey became an active ingredient in Native cooking along with white flour, sugar and lard; all thanks to the pioneers. (Reference: https://www.agriculture.purdue.edu/agcomm/newscolumns/archives/OSL/1999/November/111199OSL.html )

Two "Security" Bees at the entrance to each hive.

Bees produce honey, honey is sweet and tastes really good; is that all there is to honey bees? Bees produce - pollen, wax, royal jelly, propolis, honey and bee bread which are chock full of nutritional and health benefits for humans. While not being all that nutritionally balanced, from fermented honey, an alcoholic drink, called mead (Go Vikings!) can be enjoyed. The importance of bees goes beyond the human need of their byproducts; 1/6th of plant pollination worldwide is attributed to bees. Besides bees in the wild, local beekeepers provide a great service in maintaining hives, and coordinating with other beekeepers.


One such beekeeper is local Blanding resident, Ricky Arthur (also co-owner of Patio Drive-In with his wife, Lana). Ricky graciously invited my husband, Roy, and I to visit his hives, introduce us to the honey bees, and give us loads of information. Within each of the hives, a single queen (fed on royal jelly only) emerges to hold reign over the workers (fed bee bread). Did you know that a queen can be dethroned? After a queen lays eggs, multiple females can hatch; one will be the strongest, kill the others and she is the “virgin queen” who will mate with drones. However, the workers watch her progress and if her behavior somehow puts the hive in jeopardy, another queen will be put in her place. Queens will travel as far as 3 to 5 miles to mate with drones from other hives, so as to not mate with her own. Within each hive (colony) live 50, 000 to 100, 000; all constantly gathering pollen and nectar; taking care of the queen and her eggs; many die each day and the colony continues on….busy, busy, busy.

Honey is ready for eating within 3 to 5 days; tastes and scents all dependent upon what flowers were blooming. For example, in spring, the pollen from flowering fruit trees will be much different from those of clover, dandelions, flowers and flowering vegetable plants in summer. Have you ever been tasted by a bee? No, not stung, but tasted and I experienced such an instance at a lavender farm back in Pennsylvania. Bees like salt, so one decided I would be a nice “salt lick”; it was just a little pinch and imagine my surprise that others around me felt cheated at not being chosen.

Currently, Ricky Arthur’s hives provide enough honey for personal family use; however he is hoping to expand out eventually to create a small business. Anyone interested in beekeeping, and becoming a bee farmer, is very welcomed to contact Ricky at: (435) 260-2393. By the way, Ricky loves his bees and you can hear the passion in his voice when he speaks about them. He also created a glass enclosed hive which he keeps inside his home; he will proudly display it and describe the inner workings.

















To see the bees in action, go to: https://youtu.be/D-teH-b6vyU created by Desert Stone Studio; my husband Roy’s new videography and visual effects business, or see the video above.

So plant those flowers and fruit trees, do NOT use pesticides, let the dandelions bloom, do NOT swat those precious honey bees…our very existence depends on their work ethics.

Mary Cokenour