The Pawnee Cafe

If you have always dreamed of owning a little cafe in a small town, filled with morning regulars having their coffee; satisfying, made to order hamburgers with hot, crunchy fries or onion rings fresh from the fryer; hand made shakes and malts in extra large cups; and a down home atmosphere filled with local personality.....


This is the place for you!

It's For Sale!


Occasionally I get called to help waitress at our little local cafe; usually at the last minute and mostly for the lunch rush;



CDOT workers fresh off the snow plows, semi drivers passing through town, oil rig engineers surveying for new wells, wind farm contractors and then there is the locals.....



Booths are shared, commodity prices are compared, rainfall amounts are debated, field conditions are discussed, deals are made and bargains found---



Political and intellectual conversations are rare, but your neighbor may have a new cure for your calf with scours (diarrhea) or have news of a product to increase the yield of wheat harvest for next year---



It is not uncommon to see a field sprayer or John Deere tractor parked out front-- why go home when you can swing through the cafe on your way to the next field?


This is the only restaurant for at least 30 miles in any direction....

Everyone knows the owners and they know everyone's usual orders---

I, who will be a "new" person until I have been here at least 40 years and then will probably still be "new", unfortunately, don't---

I almost always get the statement of, "I'll have my usual', and with my blank look, they proceed to tell me that Kathy knows what they like.....


I'm lucky to remember their name and how to ring the order up on the cash register, let alone what their "usual" order is--

So I head back to the kitchen to ask Kathy, she peaks over the counter, and says," Oh, that's Jim, he likes a cheeseburger with pickles and no onion," or "That's Del, he has the special with half and half (lemonade and iced tea mixed together)."


Can't get personal service like that anymore in the city....





This is my friend, Kathy--funny, sassy, down to earth, filled with good advice and tips, and a good cook to boot-- what more could you ask for?



Together with her sister in law, they have run this cafe for many years--- now, with kids grown and gone, it's time to move on-- finding a buyer has been challenging--- even though this is a pretty successful business!






The atmosphere is casual and forgiving-- if it's busy and I have not gotten a drink refilled, the locals just get up and do it themselves--

Folks passing through aren't sure what to do about the duct taped seats in the booths, or the lack of menus on the table, but there is something about the atmosphere that makes you feel at home....

There are aerial pictures of the local fairgrounds on the walls along with mounted buffalo heads and a nice set of longhorns--











The coffee is hot, the desserts are homemade, and in keeping with our theme of a few days ago, as well as the title to this blog, Rocky Mountain Oysters were the special of the day today!





In case you city folks wonder what fried calf testicles look like on a plate.....

Crunchy, fried goodness---tastes like chicken--

Usually served with tarter sauce or cocktail sauce-- someone has a sense of humor!

Betcha thought they would be circular, didn't ya.....


One of these days, I'm going to do a recipe feature on how to make these....


The tips are good and getting to know the local folks is priceless..... Plus it's nice to get off the ranch every now and then....