Prairie Schooner a tasty Old West retreat during pandemic
The Prairie Schooner offers a taste of the Old West, with diners sitting in covered wagons amid mounted wild animals, campfires and cactuses.
The Prairie Schooner offers a taste of the Old West, with diners sitting in covered wagons amid mounted wild animals, campfires and cactus.
The Schooner Burger ($10.99) is smothered in barbecue sauce, topped with cheddar, bacon, onion strings, lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo.
The Schooner Combo ($30.99) features an 8-ounce, bacon-wrapped filet mignon with three batter-fried jumbo shrimp.
Julie Johnson, Prairie Schooner partner, sits in one of the restaurant’s covered wagon tables.
The Cattleman’s Catch ($19.99) includes an 8-ounce cut of broiled salmon served with tender broccoli and au gratin potatoes at the Prairie Schooner.
Deep-fried mushrooms ($7.99) are a longtime favorite appetizer at the Prairie Schooner.
The Prairie Schooner's patio, built last year, will open when the weather gets warmer.
The Prairie Schooner harks back to the Old West, when social distancing out on the lone frontier was the norm.
Patrons sit in private tables resembling covered wagons, overlooking a starry sky, campfires, sagebrush, cactuses and heart-stopping mounts of wild animals. By lantern light, they chomp on USDA choice steaks, broiled salmon, half-pound burgers and other house specialties.
The Ogden dining landmark was named for the wagon used by settlers trekking West. From a distance, the wagon’s white canvas bonnet looked like a schooner sailing ship. Hence, the term, “prairie schooner.”
Years later, the billowing canvas covers were a boon during the pandemic, as they count as a barrier to the coronavirus, according to Weber/Morgan Health Department’s public information officer Lori Buttars.
“You are pretty much sitting inside a big mask,” said Michelle Llewellyn, the restaurant’s manager. “That was a saving grace for us, so that we can use all of our wagons. A restaurant is hard enough to make a profit with 100% occupancy. Bring it down to 30% and I don’t know how you could do it.”
According to old-timers, the Prairie Schooner was opened around 1976 by Neil Rasmussen on Washington Boulevard, where The Junction sits today. It had covered wagon seating and a simple menu of high-end steaks.
In 1978, construction of the Ogden City Mall forced Rasmussen and his partners, Dean and Karen Hill, to move to the current site on 445 Park Blvd., near the Ogden River.
An avid hunter, Rasmussen created a taxidermist’s wild game paradise, along with old ranch tools, wagon wheels and outdoor artifacts. At the time, themed restaurants, such as the Hard Rock Café, were catching on. People wanted more than just a meal.
Llewellyn noted that many themed restaurants have died out, “because usually the food wasn’t that great. But the Prairie Schooner has really good food and service, not just a theme. There’s something to be said for sitting in a wagon next to a campfire, with a delicious steak.”
In fact, the restaurant became so popular that another dining area was added to the back of the building, to avoid the two-hour waits for a table on Saturday nights.
Then tragedy struck. Rasmussen was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and passed away in 1982. Dean and Karen Hill left and founded the Timbermine, another premiere Ogden steakhouse still in business today. Eventually, the Rasmussen family sold the Prairie Schooner to Rasmussen’s hunting buddy, Jim Koertge, who had helped with the initial décor and taxidermy mounts. Koertge ran the restaurant until 2009, when it changed hands again.
In 2015, it was bought by Norm George and Julie Johnson. In a Standard-Examiner article at the time, Johnson noted that the restaurant had recently struggled with food quality and service, and vowed to bring it “back to the way it used to be.”
New dishes, such as ribs ($22.99) were added. But signature specialties remain, including the ever-popular deep-fried mushrooms ($7.99). The Cowgirl — a bacon-wrapped filet mignon ($29.99) — and the Wagonmaster ($34.99), a Porterhouse steak, are two of the favorite steaks.
Nobody counted on COVID-19 shutting down in-restaurant dining from March to May 2020.
“It was a very scary time, when we were unsure of the future,” Llewellyn said. There weren’t many takeout meals, since the majority of Prairie Schooner customers preferred eating their steaks hot and juicy in the restaurant’s unique atmosphere, instead of lukewarm in a takeout box at home.
Johnson and George used the closure to make renovations. They pulled up carpet and added a tin-type covering to the lobby ceiling and stairs. They spiffed up the bar and added swinging, saloon-type doors.
They also took steps to comply with pandemic health guidelines, removing the traditional red-and-white checked tablecloths to more easily sanitize the tables.
They built a patio, a welcome addition since outdoor seating helps avoid transmission of the virus. Although it’s not open now, “In September, it was nice to sit out there with a nice breeze and you can hear the river across the street in the background,” Llewellyn said.
Although business was slow last year, “For January, overall, we were up in sales,” Llewellyn said. “People want to get back to normal, but at a safe distance.”
It’s known for high-end steaks and seafood. But there are less expensive options on the menu, especially during lunch when you can order smaller steaks, as well as sandwiches and salads. Llewellyn maintains that the burgers ($9.99 to $11.99) are the restaurant’s best-kept secret.
“They are absolutely amazing, and they don’t get enough love,” she said. “All our burgers are made from the trimmings of our steaks. So you’re getting a choice chopped steak. They’re a half-pound, and so delicious with all the fresh-cut toppings on a brioche bun.”
The prime rib ($22.99) is slow-roasted four hours to get a seasoned crust. It’s served with au jus and horseradish on the side.
“On Fridays and Saturdays, people who want prime rib know to come early, because it’s so popular that there’s a great chance that we might run out,” Llewellyn said.
The children’s menu runs from $5.95 to $9.95.
Hours are Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for lunch and 3-9:30 p.m. for dinner; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturdays, 3-10 p.m.; and closed Sunday.