Plains Hotel’s restaurant a perennial Cheyenne favorite
When the Plains Hotel opened in 1911, it boasted a premier location across from Cheyenne’s busy Union Pacific Depot. Among the well-known guests were politicians on the campaign trail from the whistlestop era and later, including Tom Dewey, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Ted Kennedy, and celebrities in Wyoming to make or promote movies including Carroll Baker, Karl Malden, Pat Wayne, Gilbert Roland, Sal Mineo, Ricardo Montalban Jimmy Stewart, Barbara Eden and Debbie Reynolds. Surely, they also dined in the hotel restaurant.
The hotel fell into disrepair, although blocks of rooms continued to be blocked off for Union Pacific crews, long after passenger service was discontinued. The beautiful depot has been restored, and the hotel received a massive makeover in 2002 that included The Capitol Grille, a restaurant whose decor evokes the Craftsman style and whose cuisine, piloted by chef Gary Trehy, is a favorite by government officials, business travelers, legislators during the legislative session and visitors who appreciate the ambiance and the ample portions. Nine of us – eight out-of-towners and three locals — certainly did, forking into portions that would fuel a working cowboy.
The Wyoming Quesadilla (below) is not billed as an appetizer to share, but it certainly should be. Large flour tortillas (note plural) are stuffed with onion, jalapenos, black olives, cheddar and pepper jack cheeses and topped with additional cheese and sided with the Tex-Mex condiment trinity of sour cream, guacamole and salsa. And oh yes, add chicken or steak to the filling.
The soup of the day was a takeoff on minestrone, with white beans and mixed vegetables, herbs and cheese. “Hearty” is an appropriate adjective.
The Plains House Salad combines mixed greens, tomatoes, red onions, artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives, sprouts, sweet peppers and blue cheese crumbles. There’s a choice of thick dressings and two slices of herbed crostini come on the plate. The large salad (top image, below) is huge, and even the small version (bottom image) is sizable.
A raft of crostini come with a spread-your-own topping of finely chopped feta, Greek olive, tomato, red onions and artichoke hearts, and a small ramekin of sun-dried tomato pesto.
Ricotta-stuffed shells are lurking somewhere under this thick blanket of Alfredo sauce, topped with cheese (and maybe crumbs) and quickly browned. This rich-looking dish was ordered at the other end of the table, and I snapped a quick photo but didn’t inspect it or remember to ask.
Red meat rules in Wyoming, and the images below show variations on the theme of beef or lamb that is served with a choice of garlic whipped potatoes, baked potato, fried Yukon golds (the kitchen had run out earlier) or cranberry wild rice, plus sauteed mixed vegetables and a sprinkle of chopped parsley on the plate rims. The top photo shows the Rocky Mountain Lamb chops with Bearnaise and marion berry sauces, and the lower one the 14-ounce grilled ribeye.
A steak-size portion of grilled fish is available with the same choice of sides as the meat dishes.
Apple-walnut cheesecake garnished with fresh fruit, whipped cream, mint and caramel sauce.
A mountainous slice of chocolate cherry mousse cake with decorative loops of whipped cream.
Price check: At dinner, appetizers, $7.95-$12.95; soups and salads, $3.50-$6.96; entrees, $9.95-$29.95; desserts, $6.95. The $20 range between the least expensive entree (stuffed shells) and the most expensive (the lamb chops) is worth noting.
