Ruff Rock Run Cafe - Panamint Valley Days 2008

During Panamint Valley Days 2008, we enjoyed three wonderful dinners and two delicious breakfasts at Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café. We also just missed a breakfast that got rained out, on a day that the weather service had predicted a "zero" chance of rain would occur. Click on the links below to enjoy a delicious meal in the desert, at CA4WDC's Pamamint Valley Days, 2008.

Photo: Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café, at Panamint Valley Days, 2008, has the lights on, everybody is at home, and preparing for the Saturday night barbecue dinner.

Photo: The day before the big event, specifically Friday night, a wood fire is built in the pit, across "Main Street" from the Café, as some of Chef Andy's younger helpers tend the fire.

The Saturday Night Barbecue is a huge undertaking, as Chef Andy and the crew barbecue 300 pounds of beef, and prepare a complete meal, featuring the beef entrée, mashed potatoes, brown gravy, vegetables, salad bar, rolls, butter and pudding for desert. Mind you, this takes place in remote Panamint Valley, under sometimes very difficult conditions. We've attended many Panamint Valley Days since 1993, and each Saturday night, Chef Andy and the gang have produced some of the best barbecue I've ever eaten.

Left: Firewood is stacked, ready to burn for the barbecue. Right: A few pieces of the 300-some pounds of beef that will be slow barbecued, over a wood-fired pit, in the ground, at Panamint Valley Days 2008.

The barbecue doesn't happen in a New York Minute, as it's an overnight event. Andy and the crew set up their café on Thursday, and as the griddles are unpacked, and the tent goes up, several of the guys are digging the pit, where the beef is barbecued. The pit measures about four by six feet, and its six feet deep, and its dug by guy--power, using ordinary picks and shovels. That in itself is an undertaking... Chef Andy brings about a quarter cord of hardwood, usually oak, to provide the heat for cooking, and a nice, smoky taste to the meat. The fire is lit late Friday afternoon, about the time dinner is served, and its lovingly tended to by a couple of Andy's helpers, which are almost always young teenage boys. Don't all boys love to play with fire?

Photo: Chef Andy, literally, stirs the pot, this time, of beans. Chef Andy has a talent of stirring any pot.

Photo: The salad bar is prepared, by one of Chef Andy's talented helpers. Note that she wears latex gloves, as all contemporary health precautions are observed.

By 11:00 in the evening, the wood has been reduced to glowing coals, and it was time to place the meat in the pit, all 300 pounds of it! The beef comes in big chunks, of about 30 pounds each, and each piece is tightly wrapped in moist burlap, to seal in the juice, and to protect the meat from the coals. The meat is placed directly on top of the coals, and by the time all the meat has been placed in the pit its nearly full. Then a heavy steel plate is placed over the meat, and about 18 inches of dirt is shoveled on top of the meat. That's it... the meat will cook for around 16 hours until it's removed from the pit, just before dinner is served at 5:00 on Saturday afternoon.

Photo: Hard work, on a late Saturday afternoon, as members of Chef Andy's crew dig up the pit.

Photo: A 50-pound sack of beef is unloaded from the pit. The beef has been smoked for 14 hours, under very primitive conditions. Note the thick steel plate to the right of the photo, which was used to seal the pit.

About an hour or so before dinner is served, it's time to dig up the pit, and that's no small task, as you've got 300 pounds of beef, under a heavy steel plate, covered by about 18 inches of dirt. Any able-bodied helpers of Andy's crew that aren't busy performing other chores are recruited to help uncover the pit, as it's a huge undertaking. Bystanders are recruited as well, and are usually lured by the promise of free strawberry shortcake, or a free breakfast in the morning. After the pit is uncovered, one guy removed a wrapped chunk of beef with a long-handled meat hook, and hands it to another guy, who brings in to the cutting table in the café. The process is repeated until all the meat is on the cutting table. Then, Andy and his crew get out their sharp knives and quickly slice the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Photo: The salad, slash, fixin's bar is almost ready, as Chef Andy's helpers proudly show, as they proudly display their hard work before my digital camera. Chef Andy's salad bar offers a vast array of salad items, fixin's, and is comparable to the fare that you'd enjoy at any high-class resort.

Photo: The lineup for the Saturday night barbecue dinner, at Panamint Valley Days 2008. It's about 6 O'clock in the evening, Saturday, November 08, 2008 and the line-up is in full swing for Chef Andy's amazing bbq dinner at Panamint Valley Days.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew are preparing the side dishes for the meal. I wandered into the café and watched Barbara and the gang prepare huge pots of mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables, and cut up mountains of vegetables for the salad bar. Andy has about a dozen people working in the kitchen, not to mention several others who are engaged in supporting roles, such as fetching things, cleaning, and attending to the many details necessary to make this event happen.

Photo: Food is served to hungry four wheelers, at Panamint Valley Days, 2008.

Photo: I'm in the chow line, awaiting my turn for a delicious barbecue dinner...

At five o'clock, on the dot, dinner is ready. Sure there's a line, reminiscent of a Navy chow line, but its worth the wait and the line moves quite fast, as Chef Andy and his crew are very efficient. Most dinners have been purchased in advance, with registration for Panamint Valley Days, so everybody has a ticket, so no money is exchanged prior to serving, which makes things go a lot faster. (A limited number of dinner tickets can be purchased on-site at registration at a slightly higher price) You had your ticket to Barbara, and she hands you a plate, and utensils. Then you go through a line-up, cafeteria style, of a half dozen of Andy's helper, and each one dishes up a different item. For example, one girl dishes up your potatoes, you move to the next station, and another girl puts gravy on your potatoes, and so on, and so forth. The last station is where you get your helping of beef, topped by spicy barbecue sauce, if you desire. Then, if you have room on your plate, you head over to the salad bar, where you'll find your salad items presented restaurant-style, in individual bins. You help yourself to whatever you want, and then it's time to enjoy your delicious meal. The salad bar is quite complete, as it features both macaroni and potato salad, olives, grated cheddar cheese, onions, cherry tomatoes, shredded lettuce, pickled jalapeño pepper slices, several varieties of salad dressing, and a whole lot more. After receiving generous portions of the main and side dishes, you probably won't have much room for salad, unless you mix 'n match, and pile 'em high, like I do. Whatever the case, you can always come back for seconds at the salad bar, that is, if you have room in your stomach, which you probably won't. Nobody will go away hungry from the Panamint Valley Days Saturday Night Barbecue.

Photo: Chef Andy cuts and dices the beef. At the Panamint Valley Days Saturday night barbecue dinner, you don't have to cry our the pleading phrase, "Where is the beef?" ... as Chef Andy provides plenty of beer with your barbecue dinner...

Photo: Oh boy! ... My dinner of barbecued beef, roasted for 14 hours in the pit, with side dices of a roll, potato salad bar salad, macaroni salad, and a huge amount of mashed potatoes, topped with beef gravy. Such a fine Panamint Valley dinner.

Unless you've had the opportunity to enjoy beef cooked slowly over hardwood coals, in a pit for 16 hours, it's difficult to describe how good it is. Chef Andy's beef almost melts in your mouth, and its so tender, that you don't need a knife to cut it. It has just a hint of smoke flavor, but it's moist, tender and delicious. The side dishes are great, and the salad bar features fresh ingredients... nothing about the meal will disappoint you. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, the portions are generous, and you'll leave the Saturday Night Barbecue with a big ol' Panamint Valley smile on your face.

Photo: Sharlene enjoys here dinner, and I'm about ready to enjoy mine, as I take this photo at our camp, at Panamint Valley Days 2008. We love to eat delicious barbecue, by the light of a Coleman lantern.

Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café Saturday Night Barbecue is truly delicious, and it's the highlight of Panamint Valley Days.

I got up Saturday morning, November 8, 2008, eagerly anticipating the day's run, the Backdoor to Darwin, but when you're attending Pamamint Valley Days, you must keep your priorities straight, and my day always begins with a short hike over to Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café, to get my day started, with my favorite meal of the day, and that is breakfast. By the way, if you love breakfast as much as I do, click on the hyperlink to visit our sister web site, and read about the breakfast adventures of the Sacramento Breakfast Club.

Photo: I wait in the chow line at 0730 in the morning, on Saturday, November 8, 2008, at Chef Andy's

Photo: Eggs and omelettes are made to order at Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café, at Panamint Valley Days, 2008.

Chef Andy's menu advertised "eggs to order," and that includes omelets, and Andy is happy to create an omelet for you with whatever ingredients that he has on hand. That fell right into my plans, as I got up with an omelet on my mind, specifically, an Ortega omelet. So, I did the usual thing, got in line, placed my order, paid for it, and watched Chef Andy create a delicious Ortega omelet, right before my eyes.

Photo: Chef Andy and sous chef are hard at work, preparing the griddles for another round of eggs and pancakes.

Photo: At Chef Andy's, eggs are cooked to order, as this photo illustrates a hungry four wheeler about to receive is order of two eggs cooked, over easy.

Chef Andy uses fresh ingredients, and you know its fresh, as he and his staff cook your breakfast as you watch. As the menu states, eggs are cooked to order, so Andy and his staff will prepare your breakfast any way that you want it. Delicious food in the desert!

Photo: Chef Andy prepares Patty, at the extreme right of the photo, a special breakfast. She requested one egg, scrambled, with the egg shells included, shredded jack cheese, and diced ham. Andy was happy to custom cook her omelette for her.

Photo: Andy grins, as he grills a custom-made omelette for Patty. It was just a joke for Patty, as she requested her preference from Andy. Patty is one of Andy's helpers, so whatever the case, Patty has her plate ready for her delicious, custom-made omelette. This was just a joke, and I caught it on camera!

To round out my delicious breakfast, I ordered hash browns and ham, and a big ol' cup of coffee on the side.

Photo: Meat and potatoes girl and Chef Andy provide a striking pose as they prepare breakfast for hungry four wheelers at Panamint Valley Days, 2008.

Photo: I chose something a bit different today, as my breakfast consisted of an Ortega omelette, two slices of ham, and the customary hash brown potatoes.

I can't say enough about how delicious Chef Andy's breakfasts are, or how convenient it is to have a full-service restaurant way out in the desert, or that fact that the portions are generous, and you'll never leave Chef Andy's hungry. Breakfast at Chef Andy's at Panamint Valley Days is a unique and enjoyable experience that you don't want to miss.

In addition to the hamburgers, desert dogs and soup or chili in a sourdough bread bowl, the dinner menu for Friday, November 7, at Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café, during Panamint Valley Days, 2008 advertised a seasoned rotisserie chicken dinner with all of the fixin's, and that sounded too good for us to pass on. Seasoned rotisserie chicken in the desert! And you don't have to cook it yourself!

Photo: This is the way delicious hamburgers are grilled in the desert, during Panamint Valley Days. It's early Friday evening, November 07, 2008, and it's time to enjoy dinner at Panamint Valley Days, 2008.

Photo: I'm standing behind Chef Andy's folks, as they serve dinner, cafeteria style. At the left of the photo, my wife, Sharlene, orders our rotisserie chicken dinners.

When we arrived at Chef Andy's on Friday night, the café was a beehive of activity, as the staff was in the middle of serving dinner to many of the hungry four wheelers who attended this year's Panamint Valley Days event. Barbara and the two not-so-camera-shy girls from breakfast were at work, along with several other helpers, and one gentleman had a grill fired up outside the restaurant, and he was in the process of grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. Chef Andy has a large generator which provides power for his entire operation, so the lights were on, and the place was bathed in a cheery, mellow light, event though it was well past dark.

Photo: Chef Andy's meat and potatoes girls get to take a break, and eat a rotisserie chicken dinner on the house. These girls not only provide outstanding photo opportunities, but they're nice people, and they're hard workers.

Photo: Chef Andy slices and dices his awesome rotisserie chicken.

Friday night dinner works the say way as the rest of the meals, in that you make your selection, pay for your meal, and then you're served cafeteria style. Sharlene and I both chose the rotisserie chicken dinners, as they sounded just too good to pass up. Our dinners included half a chicken, steak-style fries, grilled mushrooms, corn, and a roll and butter, which makes for a delicious, satisfying meal for the modest price of $15.00. Keep in mind that you're over an hour from any sort of civilization, everything is packed in, and a portion of the money you pay for your meal goes to the CA4WDC, which in itself is a worthy cause. Altogether, it's a great meal at a fair price.

Photo: A behind the scene look at the hard work that makes the Friday night dinner happen, at Panamint Valley Days 2008.

Photo: Chef Andy personally dishes up Sharlene's plate, of rotisserie chicken, corn, grilled mushrooms, fries, and a sourdough roll.

It was all that I could do to finish my meal, as the portions are very generous. Sharlene couldn't finish all of her meal, so she placed the uneaten chicken in a ziplock bag and stored it in the ice chest. The next day, she acquired a couple of rolls from Chef Andy, and had a chicken sandwich for lunch.

Photo: Here's my Friday night dinner: One half seasoned rotisserie chicken, fries, grilled mushrooms, corn, and a sourdough roll. As I publish this web page, just looking at it makes me hungry.

Photo: By the light of two Coleman lanterns at our camp, Sharlene reads a book, and enjoys her dinner. My dinner is in the background, and you'll note there's an open brewskie behind it. I just had to enjoy one more beer before dinner...

Seasoned rotisserie chicken in the desert... now that's a Panamint Valley Days treat!

We walked over to Ruff Rock Run Café for breakfast, on Friday morning, November 7, 2008 just as they were about to close, as the run we were planning to do didn't leave until early afternoon, so we were able to sleep in, at least a little bit. Sleeping in can be somewhat difficult at any organized four wheel drive event, as the action starts early, an you're generally awakened to the revving-up sound of your neighbor's Jeep. I look at it as part of the ambiance of the event...

Photo: Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café, at Panamint Valley Days base camp. Note that first aid is available, if needed.

Photo: The hours of operation and the menu is posted outside.

Panamint Valley is remote, and the Panamint Valley Days campsite is over 50 miles from any kind of civilization, so you can imagine what a treat it is to get up on a pleasant November morning, walk over to a restaurant, choose your breakfast, watch Chef Andy and his helpers prepare it before your eyes, and then enjoy a delicious breakfast. Luxury in remote surroundings!

Photo: Chef Andy surveys his domain, at Panamint Valley Days, 2008. On this Friday morning, we were some of his last customers for breakfast.

Photo: Chef Andy grabs some eggs, as Sharlene looks surprised, as I take her photo.

From the breakfast menu, I chose two eggs, over easy, sausage patties, and hash brown potatoes. Sharlene wasn't particularly hungry, as she rarely is in the morning, so she skipped on the potatoes, and simply ordered bacon and scrambled eggs.

Photo: Kyle cooks my eggs over easy, and Sharlene's omelet on the griddle, as the sausage and hash brown girls look on, and admire his egg breaking skills.

Photo: After your eggs are placed on your plate, it's time to back up a little, and visit the friendly meat and potatoes girls, who will place hash brown potatoes and your choice of ham or sausage on your plate. I snap the photo of these girls hard at work, dishing out meat and potatoes for Sharlene and I.

This year, Chef Andy had a couple of young teenage girls as helpers, who seemed to fulfill the role of dishing out the meat and potatoes, and these girls were not at all shy in front of the camera. I love to take photos of beautiful women, but I attempt to be professional, and I don't exhibit the papparazzi-style attitude or mentality when I take photos. With these girls, paparrazi would not be a problem, as they simply loved having their photos taken, and really posed for the camera. After taking their photos, it made breakfast taste even better!

Photo: The meat and potatoes girls aren't shy in front of my digital camera. They're model quality... Chef Andy knows how to pick his helpers. I can't resist taking photos of beautiful women... What about the peace signs? Do these girls really remember the 1960's? I think not...

Photo: My delicious breakfast of two sausage patties, hash brown potatoes, two fried eggs, over easy, topped with a few drops of tobacco sauce. Truly a delicious breakfast in the desert!

Sharlene and I carried our breakfasts back to camp, sat down, and enjoyed a leisurely, wonderful meal, that we didn't have to cook, and we enjoyed it in the splendor of the majestic Argus mountain range to the west, and the Panamint range to the east. Great food and "eye candy" in the desert... it doesn't get any better than that!

Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café opened for dinner Thursday night, which is actually the night before Panamint Valley Days officially opens. That's a boon to those of us who like to "pre-extend" the weekend, and to get into camp a little early, to maximize our precious time enjoyed in beautiful Panamint Valley. Thursday evening, November 6, 2008, as soon as we'd set up our camp, we were ready to enjoy a delicious dinner at Chef Andy's.

Photo: Thursday night, and Sharlene and I head over to the Café for a delicious dinner of hot dogs, with all the fixin's.

Thursday night dinner choices were somewhat basic, as they included desert dogs, hamburgers, and assorted varsities of soup or chili in a sourdough bread roll. All dinners included access to the salad bar, which was basic, but included all of the "fixin's.." You're in the desert, over an hour away from any sort of civilization, you're on vacation, and you don't have to cook. Thursday night dinner at Chef Andy's is a sweet deal, as the price is right, the food is good, and you don't have to cook!

Photo: Sharlene places, and pays for our orders, with friendly Barbara Cunningham.

I love hot dogs, so I opted for two desert dogs, with all of the trimmings, which came to a wallet-friendly price of only $4.00. Andy asked my if I wanted chili on my dogs, and of course I opted for a scoop of chili. A chili dog in the desert almost reminds me of a hotdog or two that I've enjoyed on a trip or two to Sonora, Mexico. Anyway, my desert dogs were grilled just the way I like 'em, and placed on fresh buns. Then it was off to the fixin's bar, where I opted for sliced tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese, diced onions, and dill pickle slices... yummy!

Photo: These two happy campers opted for the soup, in a French roll. The large stock pot on the stove contains hot soup, just the thing for a cool November night in the desert.

Not to toot my horn too much, but just maybe a little, I love hot dogs, so you might want to click on this link to view some of my hot dog dining experiences that I've had in the greater Sacramento area, where I call home. The hyperlink will take you to our sister web site, www.erench.com, which is co-maintained by your friendly web author.

Photo: Sharlene enjoys her delicious desert dog and fries, at our camp.

Two delicious chili hot dogs, with all the fixin's for $4.00... how can you beat a deal like that? You can't... Needless to say, we enjoyed a delicious Thursday night dinner of desert dogs, in beautiful Panamint Valley.

Sunday morning, November 09, 2008, we woke up to enjoy breakfast, but it never happened, thanks to the rain and wind that we endured all night long.

After a very interesting night of wind, and after an impromptu tent engineering project, we woke up to very unsettled weather, and a somewhat gray sunrise over the Panamint Range. Yes, the weather guessers had said that there would be a ZERO chance of rain on this Sunday morning, November 9, 2008, in Panamint Valley, as the rain was to drench the area to the north of the valley. Heck, we're in Panamint Valley, which is hardcore desert, and you just know that it NEVER rains in a California desert. Or does it?

Photo: Ruff Rock Run Café, on the rainy Sunday morning. Breakfast was washed out.

Our plan-of-the-day was to get up, break camp, pack things away, and enjoy a delicious breakfast at Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café, as per the custom and protocol, the restaurant is open until 0900 on Sunday, which is the departure day of the event. So at 0700, we were up and packing, to a very unsettled sky, with rain squalls to the north. As Sharlene and I proceeded to break camp, I advised her that the Internet weather said there was ZERO chance of rain, despite the threatening skies, and the gusting winds. We're in the desert, where it rarely rains, right?

Naught!!! Around 0730, as we just really getting started with breaking camp, we felt a drip-drop... drip-drop, and could see... to our aghast... tiny bubbles... sorry Don... rain drops. What??? The weather guessers said that there would be a ZERO chance of ran, and now we're seeing raindrops? We were in a state of denial, as we believed in the weather forecast, so we thought the rain drops were only a fluke, and they'd just disappear and that would be the end of the story.

Photo: As the ran falls, the staff at Chef Andy's huddles under the tent, and tries to keep warm and dry.

The rain drops had another idea, as they didn't disappear, as they summoned their whole extended family and showered (no pun intended) their blessings upon us in great style. 0730 it was just a drip-drop, but by 0800, it was a steady rain, with closed-in gray clouds and the whole thing that you expect in a major rainstorm. Back to my story, a full-blown rainstorm is just the thing that you need to make breaking camp a happy occasion.

Sharlene and I put breaking camp into overdrive, but still, what a pain... especially storing a wet tent, and an equally wet ground tarp... I would' wish that chore on my worst enemy. After cutting many corners, and doing many things that we've never done before, we had our camp broken, the stuff packed away, and by 0800, we were ready to enjoy breakfast, at Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café. But due to the steady, pouring ran, we elected to drive over to the restaurant rather than ride, as we were already soaked to the skin, and we didn't want to get any wetter than we already were. Oh yes, since the weather guessers said there would be a ZERO chance of rain, we didn't bring our wet weather gear with us.

Photo: The meat and potatoes girls, and others, huddle under the tent, and ponder, why the rain? Me too...

Breakfast at Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café on this rainy Sunday morning actually happened for an hour or so, but by the time we arrived the café, the place was closed, as the rain-soaked and bedraggled staff was hovered under the tent, and seemed to be in the process of wondering "What do we do? ...How do we deal with this rain? ... How do we pack up all this stuff in the rain?" Gigantic questions, with no answers except a lot of hard, wet work...

Long story short, by the time we arrived for breakfast, the restaurant was closed, as the rain was pouring, and Chef Andy's staff had put themselves into the survival mode. They still had the daunting task of breaking down the camp, which is a big chore under ideal conditions, but in the rain? Then there was the task of burying the pit, which fell to five unlucky guys, who got to fill in the pit in the soaking rain.

Photo: The pit is covered and returned to normal, to satisfy the requirements of the "Green Guys." At CA4WDC events, all environmental standards are strictly enforced, to preserve the future of four wheeling.

We found the whole rain-soaked situation quite interesting, as the weather service had promised that there would be no rain, and up until late Saturday afternoon, we'd enjoyed the best weather that we've ever experienced in the 15 years or so that we've been attending Panamint Valley Days. But when you're four wheeling in the desert, you take one day at a time, and enjoy the time as it happens.

So ended Panamint Valley Days, 2008, along with Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Cafe, on a soggy note...