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| Annie's Place Boulder, UT |
On the other side of the mountain from Capitol Reef National Park is the town of Boulder, Utah which is 27 miles from the Grand Staircsase Escalante National Monument. Boulder is primarily a farming and ranching community with a population of 227 according to the 2020 US Census. We chose to stay here in Annie's Place BnB in the middle of an Alfalfa field.
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| Annie's Place |
This really is farm living. A long gravel road through a field takes you to this homestead. It was origonally a Post Office building but moved to the top of the hill and refurbished both inside and out making it a very modern Bed and Breakfast.
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| Dining Room at Annie's |
We found that we were the only guests staying in a very large BnB. Our room was attractive with a little sitting area with TV and a large King bed. A set of double doors led to our own deck overlooking the countryside. This was almost like camping but with all the luxuries of home.
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| Double doors in our bedroom open to a private deck |
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| We witnessed some of the Alfalfa Harvest. |
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| Surrounding ranches are the only neighbors As the day evolved thoughts of dinner were going to be interesting. There is nothing around here for 100 miles. We asked our host Lesley what we should do for dinner. She told us about a little restaurant at the stop sign which basically is the center of town. We asked her if it was that shack looking building that we saw on the way to the BnB. That was it! Unbelievably, this little treasure at the crossroads is Michelin rated. Celebrities come here from miles away. Oprah has eaten here. It is called "Hell's Backbone Grill" and you need a reservation which are sometimes hard to acquire. 27 years ago, two Buddhist women, Jen Castle and Blake Spalding, chose to open a destination restaurant in one of the most remote towns in America.  Restaurant owners Jen Castle and Blake Spalding To quote the owners: Our restaurant operates following Buddhist principles, with a commitment to sustainability, environmental ethics, and community responsibility. We serve organic, locally produced, regionally and seasonally appropriate cuisine, growing much of our produce on our six-acre farm. Our fruit largely comes from Boulder’s heirloom orchards, and our meat comes from local ranchers. It’s not easy, but it’s worth the effort." The restaurant has been featured in The New Yorker, O: the Oprah Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Sunset Magazine, Bon Appetit, Gourmet, Organic Gardening, Outside Traveler, Outside, Travel and Leisure, Washington Post, Men’s Journal, More, SLUG Magazine and National Geographic Traveler. It has been a James Bear Award finalist in the outstanding restaurant category many, many times as well as having the highest Zagut rating of any restaurant in Utah.   It's not much to look at, but looks are certainly deceiving. Behind these buildings, which have seen better days, there was a large parking lot with more cars than we saw on our entire drive here. Once seated inside, we found the place was run by buddhists. Service was very attentive. Everytime the server filled my water glass he clasped his hands in prayer and bowed to us. This is a farm to table organic restaurant. Most of the veggies as well as the beef are raised here on the farm or on surrounding farms.  We started with the black powdered biscuits which are served with butter and homemade jam. These are some of the best restaurant biscuits I have ever had.  The main menu was small but adequate. I chose the Bison Chile Colorado which was memorable. I wish I could make this at home. The bison was tender and tasty, served over green chile polenta and accompanied by sweet corn succotash. This creative combination of flavors was a sensory delight. We will be coming back the next time we are in Utah.   Libbie chose the pan seared steel head trout in a lemon tarragon beurre blanc, jasmine rice and an array of vegetables. We had too much food to be able to try the dessert offerings which is almost sacrilegious. After dinner it was nice to be able to drive across the street back to our ranch on the hilltop. The next morning we had a delicious BnB breakfast of a yogurt parfait topped with fresh strawberries followed by an egg and cheese casserole with wheat toast. To top it off, Lesley served coffee with fresh ground beans. This is my kind of morning beverage. Leaving Boulder on to our next destination, the scenery was just as awe inspiring as our trip going to Boulder. The Escalante National Monument is beautiful by itself but is overshadowed by some of the most scenic National Parks in the US.  |
