It takes a bit of effort to get out to the Cowboy Dinner Tree.
First, you had best make a reservation, the further ahead, the better. At that time, diners must make their menu choice, whether to attack the whole roasted chicken or take on the 26-30-ounce Cowboy Cut Top Sirloin.
Then, there's the drive, about 88 miles south of Bend.
Journeying out there is like taking a trip back into time, back into the rough and rustic wide-open outback of Central Oregon.
And the trip is worth it, something that every Oregonian should experience at least once. My wife and I have been there close to a half-dozen times over the past 12 years. Every time has been a treat for all the senses.
Just head south on US-97 past La Pine, then turn east on OR-31 toward Paisley. As you near Silver Lake keep an eye out for the Cowboy Dinner Tree sign and turn right on East Bay Road. About 4.7 miles down this two-lane blacktop, look for another sign on the right and pull into the Cowboy Dinner Tree's dirt parking lot.
From this point on, it's time to get your Wild West on!
There is no host station but as soon as you enter the cozy, low-ceiling bunkhouse with wooden plank floors, friendly staff are there to greet you, take your name and direct you to your table. Drink orders are taken upon being seated: coffee, iced tea or pink lemonade served in large Mason jars. I always opt for an Arnold Palmer.
Soon after the drinks comes a big bowl of tossed green salad. No matter what season it is, the greens are always fresh and crisp. I'm more of a blue cheese guy, but CDT offers two house-made salad dressings: Honey Mustard and Ranch. Our server tells us a lot of folks like to mix the two, so we did. Delicious.
Next comes a hearty soup, served with a pan of sweet yeast rolls and a ramekin of butter. So light and fluffy, these rolls just make you want to have another. By the time your soup bowl is empty and you're half-full, the entrees arrive. The CDT staff of five to seven longtime employees have their jobs down to a science. There is no waiting between courses.
The chicken is the size of a football and the hefty steak the size of a catcher's mitt. OK, perhaps a bit of hyperbole on the latter, but it's big! Both are served with a huge baked potato and sour cream.
Servers hand out clear plastic bags so diners can take home leftovers.
And then there's dessert, often a shortcake with seasonal fruit on top.
Angel Roscoe has been working at the Cowboy Dinner Tree since she was 14. The building has housed a restaurant since 1992, she tells me. Once upon a time, it served as a checkpoint for cowboys driving cattle through the area.
Angel's parents, Don and Connie Ramage, bought the business in 2007. It's also where Angel met her husband, Jamie, in 2005. When her parents retired in 2012, she and Jamie took over and run it with the help of their six kids. Roscoe says the Cowboy Dinner Tree can serve 150 meals a night during the high summer season.
"The unique and one-of-a-kind atmosphere brings joy to our customers," Roscoe wrote in an email. "The menu I think people like because it's always so consistently good and they can count on that. It's always going to be what they remembered and enjoyed through the years. We really work hard to maintain that quality. It's a special place and beautiful area and we enjoy sharing it with everyone."
Customers have taken to sticking dollar bills to the ceilings or cramming them into nooks and crannies throughout the restaurant. The legal tender is collected now and then, and over the years, the Cowboy Dinner Tree has donated about $10,000 to local charities, according to Roscoe.
Important words gleaned from the website:
- "We accept CASH ONLY. No checks, no cards, NO KIDDING!"
- "Come hungry, leave happy."
- There's a friendly CDT housecat, Otis, and even a gift shop, too!
- On-site lodging is available in case diners don't want to make the drive home in the dark. There are four cabins of different sizes, sleeping two up to nine people, renting for $100-$150 a night (the two larger cabins have an additional charge of $25-$50 per adult after the first two people).
- No pets.
- The website, cowboydinnertree.com, has information about additional lodging in the area.
