10
Type of Business: Restaurant
Cuisine:
American
Price: $$
Rating Criteria
1. From Scratch: Serves mostly (i.e., more than half of the menu) fresh food, prepared from scratch. Does NOT rely primarily on kits or prepared/partially prepared foods from commercial food services.
Yes
2. Local/Organic: Offers at least some locally sourced and/or organically produced food and/or wild-caught seafood.
Yes
Comments: Everything at the grill is grown or produced on the ranch, from other local sustainable, regenerative farmers and ranchers, and pretty much everything is made from scratch! The grill uses organic, pasture-raised and finished James Ranch beef, organic, locally-grown foods. They are extremely supportive of area farms and ranches and have a great working relationship in using and selling other's produce.
3. Pastured: Offers at least some pastured animal foods.
Yes
4. Organs: Offers some dishes made with organ meats (liver/paté, sweetbreads, heart, kidney, brains, etc.).
Not Sure
Comments: I'm not sure if the grill offers organ meats in their recipes, but I have bought ground beef with liver in the market.
5. Cooking Fats: Cooks (sautés) in natural fats such as butter, lard, tallow, duck fat, coconut oil, or olive oil; uses lard, duck fat, or tallow for frying.
Yes
6. Bone Broth: Makes own bone broths/stocks for use in soups, stews, gravies, and sauces (does NOT use canned broth or powdered soup bases).
Yes
7. Seasonings: Makes most of its own seasoning mixes (does NOT use flavoring packets or MSG).
Yes
8. Salad oils: Makes most of its own salad dressings using olive oil or cold-pressed sesame oil.
Yes
9. Breads: Offers genuine sourdough bread.
Yes
10. Beverages: Offers lacto-fermented beverages (such as kombucha or kvass).
Not Sure
Comments: Also, I'm not sure if the grill offers raw, unpasteurized lacto-fermented beverages, but they do in the market.
11. Condiments: Offers lacto-fermented condiments.
Yes
12. Desserts: Offers desserts made with natural sweeteners (such as raw honey, maple syrup, maple sugar, molasses, date sugar, palm sugar, coconut sugar, sorghum syrup, or malt syrup).
Yes
Comments: hey source local, organic breads, ice creams, everything.
Rating Created by:
Judy Lange
Notify rater of changes to business info or rating criteria
Location & Contact
33846 U.S. 550
Durango, CO
This is a wonderful multi-generational ranching family that has created several businesses on their ranch in beautiful southwestern Colorado in the mountains above Durango. They believe in sustainable, regenerative farming and ranching practices; as a family, they are welcoming, ethical, and friendly. There is a beautiful market along with the grill that caters to indoor and outdoor seating, including picnic tables on the lawns overlooking the pastureland and beautiful mountain scenery. You can watch as they bring the milk cows in, with they babies, to be milked in the covered, open-air milking structure. They produce artisan cheeses. They host gatherings for local families to tell their stories of their farms and ranches. The food is absolutely wonderful. It is peaceful and welcoming. It is my favorite place.