James Ranch Grill - Durango

The James Ranch Grill outside Durango, Colorado, has been serving burgers since 1961. So they must be doing a lot of things right. Located at 33846 U.S. Highway 550, it is a first come, first served, order at the window, pick up your food when it 's ready and find a comfortable spot to enjoy it. Sit outside at a picnic table on one of three leveled lawn terraces. Spread a blanket under an apricot tree. Or eat inside with a fireplace and large picture windows. The restaurant 's theme is table on the farm with the main ingredients coming from the James Ranch itself, a 400-acre ranch where cattle, pigs and chickens are fed on green grass and vegetables are grown in gardens. Some of the ingredients are sourced from other local farmers nestled in the Animas Valley. Open from 11 to 7:30 Wednesday through Sunday, the James Ranch Grill gives a whole new meaning to comfort food. My wife and I started with bowls of chili. She couldn 't resist The Basic But Not Boring Burger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onion, ketchup and mustard. I couldn 't resist the Signature Burger, 1/3 pound of 100 percent grass-fed beef patty served on a lightly battered, local brioche bun with Belford cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce and signature rosemary garlic aioli. With fingerling fries for the two of us. For dessert, we had soda floats, root beer with one large scoop of Cream Bean Berry 's vanilla ice cream. On a warm, sunny day in the Colorado Rockies, this is an extraordinarily delightful way to enjoy lunch.

The restaurant is really a nice place to visit; the weather was perfect and we were able to watch the sun set on the mountains. Burgers were good (I wish they would cook them a little more--the inside was **** and mushy) but flavor was great. The market next door has some interesting finds as well.

Our stay in the Durango area took us by the James Ranch Grill every day we were in the area. Given the outstanding reviews, we decided to eat there on our last night in the area. My wife had a BLT and I had the Steak Sandwich. We ordered a small order of fries to share. The quantity of fries, even for a small order, was rather skimpy. Actually I thought the quantity of bacon on my wife 's BLT was quite skimpy. My steak sandwich was excellent although I would have preferred more choice in toppings. Overall, our food items tasted quite good. The real disappointment was our drinks. We both ordered Kola Light , a cola drink with less sugar than traditional cola. Both of us thought the taste left a lot to be desired. Perhaps the mix was off but these drinks really tasted terrible. I love Farm to Table restaurants but felt this one fell short.

We stopped in after a long day of sight seeing and bought burgers and fries to go. The burgers were delicious. I wish we would have time to go inside and shop at the market.

James Ranch Grill is more than a Grill. It is an experience the staff are amazing, the food excellent and has alot to offer from wildflower tours to the market. I highly recommend a view to this Majestic 500 acre Ranch when in Durango.