Juniper Valley Ranch

South Highway 115, Colorado Springs, CO - (719) 576-0741

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Posted By Lisa Vicek on 12/19/2005 11:55:00 PM

This used to be a favorite of ours when the previous generation ran the retaurant. You would make a reservation and show up at that time for a wonderful family style dinner of ham or chicken with a chicken broth starter with two Cheez-It crackers on the side. Your meal comes with riced potatoes / gravy and coleslaw, okra in rice and heavenly biscuits with apple butter. The ham has several candied apple rings on the plate. The chicken is fried and crispy good. The food has always been hot and delicious. Dessert is also included and is usually a "crumble" or pie or ice cream.

The problem is the lack of graciousness with which the restaurant currently operates. They have switched to a seating concept where the arrival times are dictated. We were one of three parties who arrived one weekend evening and we were all clumped together by the door even though there were two other rooms with tables available. We felt seated for their convenience. In the small front room we were all but included in the two other parties' conversations. With empty tables in both side rooms, we asked to be reseated but were refused.

The ham was three half-pieces for our table of three, and when we asked for the traditional "more please" we were brought an even smaller piece and a half for the three of us! Attitude came with the "seconds". In the past we have been served at least five slices of ham as a start for three people. When requesting seconds previously, as the restaurant advertised and allowed, we were always asked "who" as in how many needed another piece, and a full piece was always brought for those who asked. The price is for the fixed meal and is slightly different for chicken or ham.

The easy pleasant service and treatment of customers as guests has passed with the previous generation so we have also "passed" on going back.

Scorecard

Overall: One of the Best - Worth a Trip

Rate this place

"Thick-cut and lean, the ham is a must eat here."
Cliff Strutz

"Dessert comes with your dinner, but since they all sounded so good, we paid extra to get all three. The peppermint ice cream and chocolate brownie pudding were very good, but we both preferred the butterscotch sundae with the homemade sauce."
Cliff Strutz

"I was so convinced the riced potatoes were simply rice, I asked our waitress why we didn't receive our mashed potatoes."
Cliff Strutz

"The hot, straight-from-the-oven biscuits were the perfect conduit for eating the cinnamony apple butter."
Cliff Strutz

"The okra casserole contains green beans, tomatoes, celery, okra, and rice. Plenty of black pepper gave it some heat. "
Cliff Strutz

"The cherry cider is served ultra-cold and grabbed our taste buds' attention immediately!"
Cliff Strutz

"With a thin, brittle crust and juicy meat, the fried chicken was clearly the best thing on the table."
Cliff Strutz

"The finely chopped cole slaw was both sweet and tart."
Cliff Strutz

"To start your meal, you get the choice of either consomme or cherry cider. The consomme tasted heavily of curry."
Cliff Strutz

"When I expressed interest in the process of making riced potatoes, our waitress Tricia brought out a tool, known as a ricer, for us to see."
Cliff Strutz

"Juniper Valley Ranch has multiple dining rooms; each is small and intimate."
Cliff Strutz

"It's not much to look at; inside, the tables are mismatched and the chairs wobble; but we guarantee a good country meal you won't soon forget. "
Michael Stern

"This drawing has been used on the front of the Juniper Valley Ranch menu for many years."
Michael Stern

"Behind the juniper and skunk brunch is the little red mud house in which you dine!"
Michael Stern