Rusty's Ranch House Restaurant

One of the best kept secrets of the Southwest, and especially Southern Utah is rurally located steakhouse named Rusty's Ranch House Restaurant.  Located in the entry part of beautiful Cedar Breaks, Rusty's has been in business for years and is still one of the most popular places to go for the locals.  We went for New Years 2015, and had no reservations.  We waited only a few minutes to be seated, and got a nice place.  The structure of Rusty's is a log cabin hunter's den with deer heads, moose, and buffalo heads on display.  There are saddles and lassos and all of the things that apply to the local way of life.  The chairs are just regular light weight open chairs that are easy to move and rearrange so each person can get comfortable sitting down.  The room is very open and a good place for large crowds of people to meet up.

These are not my photos.  They are the website photos taken by the management and owners of the area.  The winter one is more like how it was when we went there.  The other two photos are what it looks like in the summertime.  When we went to Rusty's it was night, and the street was extremely icy.  I would recommend a good pair of shoes with traction.  I was wearing boots with a heal and I kept sliding all over the place.

Again, these pics are not my pics.  Rusty's is located along Coal Creek and between the tall red canyons.  If you walk across the street from Rusty's there is a dirt turn off, and a large waterfall/dam that is in walking distance.  For those that are romantics, going to see the waterfall is worth a walk across the street.

New Years 2015 was extremely packed.  If you can imagine all of the chairs filled completely with the lights dimmed lower, that is how this room looked at New Years.  It was very rustic and back country.  I think that is the charm of going to Rusty's Steakhouse.  It's warm and cozy, and people who are local are generally kind.  The funniest thing is that the locals tend to know each other, and so when they sit down to eat, it's not uncommon for someone to wave across the room at one of their friends or get up and walk over to another table.  Typically, that would be rude interruption, but in smaller towns where everyone knows everyone, to ignore someone or not at least say, "hi," to those you know of would be even more rude.  Most of the locals don't worry about what people think, they just go ahead and say "hi" to their friends and neighbors.

There's no booths and no protocols.  The environment is casual.  You can show up with dusty jeans, cowboy boots and hat, and it's the norm, no suit and no tie required.  Come as you are no facade, and people are generally nice.  It is Utah, and there is a liquor limit, and no smoking inside of the restaurant, Utah state law.

Rusty's serves a little bit of everything.  So if you are a Vegan or Vegetarian or have dietary restrictions, there are foods that can be special made for you.  I think the all time favorite and most popular dish is the Filet Mignon and Coconut Shrimp.  Did I mention that you should order another side of Coconut Shrimp?  The best ones to sample, probably the Calamari and the BBQ ribs are a good choice.  For dessert, a person cannot leave Rusty's without a Hot Brownie Sundae with a cherry on the top.  It's delightful.

These are not my pics either.  I don't have any pics of the Filet Mignon, but I promise, it's good, and the price is definitely reasonable for a steakhouse.  The other one I wanted to share was the Brownie Sundae.  It was very good, and filling.  You want to take extra time for dessert and enjoy every bite.

They close before New Years so if you're looking for a place for a New Year's celebration, you're better off eating dinner at Rusty's and celebrating later on at a hotel or at home.  Most of the staff wanted to get home so that they could spend New Years with their family, and that's understandable.  Depending what you are looking for, this could be a restaurant that becomes a bad habit. Rusty's is the right environment.  There is good food, good service, and good friends.  We love it there. We had a great time. The pictures below, these ARE my pictures.