HOT OFF THE GRILL : A CALF NEWS BBQ PARTY FIRST TIME ON THE GRILL
CALF BEEF REVIEW
By Betty Jo Gigot Publisher
Where’s the Really Exceptional BEEF?
Bonnie and Clyde Grill and Sports Bar HUGOTON, Kan.
By James Coope Contributing Editor O ne of my fondest childhood memories was helping my dad grill steaks in the backyard. We had a simple hibachi-style cooker, and we used charcoal briquets that were ignited by a portable heating element plugged into the wall. I remember the unique smell of the coals burning and the smoke that, at least for a moment, drove away mosquitoes. We only grilled steaks – that was about the only thing my dad ever
N o, documentation cannot be found proving Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were ever in Hugoton, Kan., but local legend certainly seems to indicate that the couple, going by the names Blackie and Jewel, may well have been there. The couple ran the Jewel Café in the small Kansas town for a short time and, after infamous Bonnie and Clyde were killed in 1934, a notebook in Bonnie’s possession showed earnings from the Jewel Café. Later investigation showed that the notebook was lost in a fire. History does show that, in 1927, the Hugoton Natural Gas Field was discovered, which became one of the top five sources of natural gas in the United States. The discovery attracted an array of characters, including Bonnie and Clyde, according to the locals. What could be more appropriate than Bonnie and Clyde’s return to Hugoton almost 100 years later in the form of the Bonnie and Clyde Grill and Sports Bar. “We just wanted a local place where we could get a good steak and a drink,” according to the enterprising owners of the 3-year-old establishment on South Monroe Street. Hugoton, a town of 3,700 people in southwest Kansas, was ready for such a place. The restaurant owners are quite the unique partnership: farmers Todd and Lorri Lissolo; their son, Leland, and his wife, Janet; and local businessman Jim Ghumm and his wife, Stacy. The group soon realized their newly hired manager, Melissa Golding, was a go-getter so they purchased the property and forged ahead. Golding describes what it was like to develop a plan for a new restaurant ready to open just at the time COVID hit the United States. In a way, it helped to have time to put together a staff and a unique menu for the business. The challenges were met and now Bonnie and Clyde’s
are preparing your meal,” Ripley observed. We ended up buying a couple of really nice New York Strip steaks. On the way home from Tony’s Meats we discussed how we would prepare them. My go-to is pretty simple – rub some olive
cooked – and they were delicious. Aside from the great childhood
memories, I learned a lot about grilling from my dad. There was a fair amount of planning and prep work involved and, unlike an oven that can regulate temperature, cooking with fire requires a bit more attention and patience. My daughter Ripley was home for a few days for her spring break at the University of Arizona recently, and I realized that while she had seen me cook on the grill, she had never really done it herself. As a college student she doesn’t have the time, equipment or resources to cook much beyond mac and cheese, so this was going to be a welcome change for her. She was up for learning, so we took a few hours on a Sunday afternoon to plan out our family dinner for that night. Our first project was to source our steaks, and for that we visited our local butcher, Tony’s Meats, in Castle Rock, Colo. Tony’s is a family-run business that has been a staple in the Denver community for decades. For Ripley, a steak was a steak, so it was eye-opening for her to see all of the different cuts of meat and to learn about what they are best used for. “There are a ton of different cuts of meat with different amounts of fat, so you have to keep that in mind when you
Bonnie and Clyde Grill owners (left to right): Todd and Lorri Lissolo, Melissa Golding, Stacy and Jim Ghumm, and Janet and Leland Lissolo.
oil on them, add some salt from the salt grinder, and let them sit for about an hour at room temperature. We discussed how people like their meat cooked and how that was really a function of temperature. “Meat has an ideal temperature to be cooked at, and it depends on the cut and preparation,“ Ripley later recalled. We worked together to orchestrate the meal (we also had twice-baked potatoes and a pasta salad). We discussed the differences between cooking with indirect vs. direct heat on the grill, and how you need to factor in “rest” time for the steaks after you have taken them off the grill. We did make some compound butter (butter, garlic, rosemary and thyme) to add to the steaks a few minutes before we took them off the grill. Ripley turned the steaks, took the temperature and, when the time was right, pulled the steaks off the grill. There’s a lot to learn in a short amount of time, especially with everything else going on in the kitchen. I asked Ripley what she learned.“There are so many ways to customize your food with preparation and cooking style,” she replied.“It’s important to understand the
selection. All steaks are sourced in the area and many are hand cut. Prices are noticeably lower than most elsewhere and worth the drive. While waiting for the food, reading two full pages of the menu about the namesakes is worth your while. I loved the descriptions of the notorious couple with the announcement issued by the era’s FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover: “If apprehended, please notify the Director Division of Investigation nearest your city.” Clyde was described as “23 years; height, 5 feet 7 inches; bare feet; weight 150 pounds. Medial build, dark brown wavy reported dyed black hair. Scars and marks, shield and anchor with ‘U.S.N.’ on right forearm, bullet wound through both legs just above the knees.” Bonnie was 23 in 1933, and “5 feet 5 inches tall, weight 100 lbs., auburn hair, originally blond, and scars and marks including bullet wound on left foot next to little toe, bullet in left knee, burn scar on right leg from hip to knee, and peculiarities: walks with both knees slightly buckled.” Haven’t seen anyone like that recently, but a visit to the restaurant is certainly worth your time.
has become one of the area’s prime dining establishments. Customers come from across the country where the nearest town, Garden City an hour away, is the closest competition. My visit to Bonnie and Clyde’s was a delight. After a lunch of Certified Angus Beef and fried okra, which they don’t serve at my home in Castle Rock, Colo., I toured the property. A large café with a sliding bookcase door and blazing fireplace featured historic mementoes, including a rifle over the mantle. A long hallway filled with pictures and press from the Bonnie and Clyde area takes you to a large bar area, again with a blazing fire. I met with the proud owners there. They explained the reasoning behind two eating areas was to suit customers who are not comfortable in a bar. The kitchen sits in between. The unique menu, in the form of an old-fashioned newspaper, sports a variety of choices but certainly tends to feature Certified Angus Beef. Keeping with the Bonnie and Clyde atmosphere, steaks featuring themed names include The Pardon, a 6-ounce filet; The Jury, an 8-ounce filet; The Trail’s End, a 14- or 18-ounce ribeye; and The Lead, a blackened medallion filet and my meal
meat you are using so it can be made the best it can.” When we grilled it was a slightly windy, cool March evening in Colorado, so we also discussed how the outdoors can impact the grill’s performance and, of course, our ability/desire to stand outside and monitor everything. It does take a bit more planning and preparation than just cooking in the kitchen, and we all know how good a grilled steak is. We got to enjoy a very nice family dinner on the night before she was to return to college – the last home-cooked meal she would have for a couple of months. She learned a lot and while she may be a few years away from having a grill of her own, I know she will be ready when she does. According to Ripley, her favorite part about grilling was “getting to enjoy a wonderful meal with my family.” With that, another generation of our family has completed Grilling 101, and I’m sure it was a memorable experience for Ripley. And since I’m on the other side, I’ll note that it was a memorable experience for me, too.
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