The Cowboy Dinner Tree is a special place. It’s down a forlorn country road, seemingly in the middle of nowhere in Lake County, Oregon, a county bigger than New Jersey with fewer than 8,000 residents. From La Pine, turn onto US31, then drive 55 miles or so through desolate wilderness, just to eat dinner. Totally worth it!
Reservations required (they tend to book up a month in advance). Your choice of a 30oz custom cut top sirloin steak or a whole roasted chicken. Served with salad and homemade dressings (ranch or spicy honey mustard), cowboy beans, freshly made sweet yeast rolls, baked potato, shortcake dessert. Your choice of coffee, pink lemonade, iced tea or Arnold Palmer. No alcohol, cash only, sharing not allowed. Unless you speak up and say otherwise, they’ll cook your steak medium rare. I recommend that even if you like your steak medium, just let them make it their way: you’ll have about a pound of medium around the outside and medium rare leftovers from the center that’ll warm up wonderfully.
The Cowboy Dinner Tree website.
