Friday Dinner

It was last Friday night and I decided that I had cooked, cleaned, washed dishes and entertained enough to earn a night out. So we went to downtown Battle Mountain in search of a place for dinner. Joe has passed the Hide Away Steakhouse many times but had not yet ventured in so we went there. Upon arriving we saw about 10 white mining trucks in the parking lot. You can always tell a mining truck or field BLM truck from the rest of the vehicles on the road. They are covered with mud from the bottom of the side windows to the wheels from driving in the desert and mines. Also, the mining trucks have orange flags on a pole attached to the end of the bed.

Joe said if I thought there were too many of these miner types and I was uncomfortable we could leave. He forgets I was a bartender for many many years with Hells Angels for regulars for some of them. I was not worried about being uncomfortable. I did however not care for the cigarette smoke but once we passed the bar and went into the dining area it wasn't bad.

Being a waitress and person that loves to cook I immediately became a snob about the place. I decided that the food would be mediocre and was convinced when they told me they had only Franzia boxed wine!!!!! I choked the first Merlot down quickly so that the second one would taste better. But, to my surprise, the food was much better than the wine menu.

I ordered grilled halibut with a baked potato because there was no sign of rice any where. Joe ordered a steak. We ordered Texas Toothpicks for an appetizer, one because of the name and two because it was deep fried (I know bad) onion and jalapeno strips. It was part bloomin onion and part poppers but very good. The breading was light and they were tasty. Had we known what was coming we would have skipped it and will next time.

Dinner came with tossed salad, soup and rolls. They serve it family style as I know it but it may have a different name out here. That sounds fancier that it was. The soup came in what most restaurants use for salad dressings on a salad bar but it was delicious. It was clam chowder. To us it was New England clam chowder and it was fantastic. The tossed salad was fresh but your standard iceberg lettuce. They gave you two dressings, ranch and Italian, and it was served in what looked like one of those diet things that has the measurements up the side so you know how much diet powder to put in and whatever you mix it with. The dinner rolls were packaged an room temp, I didn't bother.

It is a typical small town restaurant/bar in that the parents were in the bar area and the kids were sitting at a table drinking pop and being silly. Eventually the parents would join them and they would have dinner. Not unlike what my Uncle Larry and Aunt Pat's place was like. Poppy's Place in Menands, NY. We had a lot of good food at a very reasonable price and will go back.

The next day they were having their Wild Game Day. They set up tents and grills and people bring either prepared dishes or meat to grill and share. I guess it's a big thing and a lot of drinking is involved. The next day we drove by and there were about 5 vehicles in the lot and a whole bunch of beer bottles all over the place. I think they had a good time.