Buckhorn Exchange, steaks

All photos from one spot while seated.

We're taken to an enclave in the back where I've not been before. If it were a house the space would be a bedroom. I took the seat with the short view. This is what I saw when seated. 

Up.

Behind

So I told Joe I'm temporarily poor due to emergencies and such and that's a bit ridiculous but he can still be counted on for jumping right in with, "That's okay, on me!" 

So I said, "I ordered the most expensive thing possible and still manage so that this is all worth it for you." And he cracked up because that is kind of logical.  

Through our enclave's doorway. This is the hallway of linking segments that forms the lower portion of the restaurant and leads to our side enclave at the back, not the side enclave in the middle. Its theme seems to be Bill Cody.

And dead animals.

So that's lamb, buffalo, and elk. The lamb chop is thick. The waitress came back and told me to eat this bit. The tenderloin bit. The best part. Dear thing, she worried herself I would miss it. 

My favorite part is the gastrique that comes with one of these things. I think they call it blueberry sauce. 

Buckhorn Exchange Bean Soup

I LB Great Northern beans

1/2 cup diced onions

3 oz. diced ham

1 oz. chicken base

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/2 gallon water

Put in pot. Oven. 200℉ for 8 hours.

Bring to stove top. Add slurry, boil to thicken.

1 oz. cornstarch

1/2 cup water

These beans are very good. Very satisfying indeed. They hit the spot every time. 

Mine are better.

Use site search up there, or tags down there to see and compare, if you like. 

Off the top of my head, I would add chile flakes, or some form of chile, it just screams for it. There is no bay in this recipe. I would use more herbs, more cilantro, or mint, if I had it, something to spruce it up rosemary would work so would thyme. Why powdered garlic and not real garlic since the onions are being chopped anyway or conversely why not dehydrated onion since they're taking that shortcut? This recipe has no acid at all, they do not specify diced tomato, nor molasses, no brown sugar. I would thicken with smashed beans and leave out the deadening cornstarch. I'd leave out Liquid Smoke simply because I do not understand that ingredient, the Buckhorn Exchange is an exceedingly smoky place already, it smokes up the whole neighborhood. Introducing the ingredient Liquid Smoke does not make sense unless they're making it themselves. Instead I'd include fond that was stuck on from singed protein and lifted off with wine, most likely, but they do not bother with this basic cheffery technique. I'd consider salt pork for additional flavor, and then remove it. And I'd use beef stock instead of chicken stock. I would consider half a teaspoon of fish sauce or even a touch of anchovy, for boost, not for fish flavor. 

This is the sort of place men go in packs. Seated behind me was such a table of big fat men, and, man, do they put it away and have themselves a fine robust time. I'm imagining each one of them chomping down on a 16 oz buffalo steak with all the trimmings. I did my best to to be a pig but I don't hold a candle to the guys who hang out at this place. They like big caveman steaks.