Friday night steak dinner at Chef Andy's Cafe...

Friday, May 28, 2010 turned out to be a very busy day for us at the 39th High Desert Roundup, as we arrived at base camp in the early afternoon, had to set up our camp, pass the safety check and pick up our registration package. With all of our overhead completed, we headed back to camp, dug a fire pit, stacked firewood, and opened up our well-equipped bar, which is the centerpiece of our camp. Setting up camp is hungry work, and by the time Chef Andy opened up the Ruff Rock Run Café at 6:00 in the evening for dinner, we were ready for a great meal.

Photo: Marilyn explains how the system works to Robert, as he makes his choice of tonight's dinner. It wasn't difficult for all of us to choose steak, and the fried cabbage with bacon is a deal breaker!

Hot dogs, hamburgers, burritos and a T-bone steak dinner were the choices on the menu tonight. Matthew and I were working on the truck, but Robert was really hungry, and headed over to Chef Andy's for a steak dinner. Matthew and I were considering going with a couple of desert dogs, with all the fixin's, but when we saw Robert's steak dinner, all thoughts of hot dogs went out the window, and we dropped what we were doing and headed over to Andy's for dinner.

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 paparazzi-style attitude or mentality when I take photos. With these girls, paparazzi would not be a problem, as they simply loved having their photos taken, and really posed for the camera.

Photo: Grilling steaks in the desert, at Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café.

Photo: Chef Andy is preparing one his shredded beef burritos, which was a new item on the menu.

The format for tonight's dinner worked the same way that we've experienced in years gone by: Start at the far end of the line, where you make your selection, pay Barbara, Chef Andy's better half (who normally handles cash register duties) she gives you a plate, and calls out "Steak dinner!" With plate in hand, you shuffle down the line, and hand your plate to one of the girls behind the counter, and she reaches into a stainless steel warming container and scoops out a side dish, then she hands it to the girl next to her who does the same, and when your plate is full of side dishes, one of the girls hands it back to you. At the end of the counter, Chef Andy is the guy who not only grills your steak, but places it on your plate, all 12 ounces of it! Then, you grab a roll, and make your way over to the condiment counter for steak sauce, butter, catsup, hot sauce and the like. You can eat on one of the tables placed outside the café, but Matthew and I decided to join Robert back at our camp and maybe wash dinner down with a brewskie or two.

Photo: Three of Chef Andy's helpers. The lady on the left is Grace, Andy's granddaughter, who would prove the next night that she knows how to handle a shovel.

Photo: Matthew tears into his steak dinner. Note the full-service bar that is a fixture at our camp.

The price of the T-bone steak dinner was $12.00 and included a perfectly grilled 12-oz t-bone steak, fries, corn, Andy's famous fried cabbage, and a roll, and not only was the meal delicious, and filling, but it was worth every penny of it, as we didn't have to cook or do dishes! I ordered my steak cooked medium, and it was perfectly cooked, tender and pink inside, and nicely browned on the outside, just the way I like it. Andy's fried cabbage is to die for; it must be the bacon in it that makes it so good!

Photo: My delicious steak dinner. Robert was so impressed by the fried cabbage, that he talked Andy out of the recipe, and when he got home, he made it for dinner a couple of times. He later told me that his wife went crazy over it.

What more could you ask for than beautiful scenery, great four wheeling, a loyal friend, a devoted son, and a T-bone dinner from Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café? Well, maybe the winning lottery ticket...