Open Table and People Magazine have spoken. The Lodge Restaurant at Black Butte Ranch has ranked among the Top 50 Most Beautiful Restaurants in America. Rated for its space that brings “outside in,”, it’s no surprise this mountainside retreat ranks atop the list!
This premier dining destination is part of a 22,100-square-foot Lodge that has quickly become the heart of the resort. Its grand reopening came in 2023 after a massive $20 million renovation.
The scenery at Black Butte Ranch includes panoramic Cascade Mountain views, and The Lodge Restaurant is no exception. With its floor-to-ceiling windows and dining views of the resort’s Aspen-lined lake, dining at The Lodge Restaurant offers a casually upscale setting for its guests.
Fine Dining at Black Butte Ranch
Under the leadership of Executive Chef Don McCradic, the Lodge Restaurant offers a menu that blends classic favorites with innovative dishes. After taking over in the fall of 2022, McCradic revamped the menus while preserving some long-standing favorites.
Upon arrival at The Lodge Restaurant, the first thing you may notice is the grandiose wooden doors. Look closer, and you’ll find them etched with the resort’s unique mountain vistas. As you move into the dining room, you’ll catch a glimpse of the resort’s awe-inspiring views encompassing the whole space.
On summer days, you can watch the sun glistening over Phalarope Lake while enjoying a cocktail and shared plates. Throughout the evening, watch as the sun begins to shift westward as your meal progresses.
During the winter and cooler evenings, you can catch radiating warmth from the two-story, double-sided fireplace that heats The Lodge Restaurant from the main floor to its second-level Aspen Lounge. Or, cozy up with an aperitif or digestif affront the restaurant’s nook surrounding a gorgeous copper fireplace.
Dinner at The Lodge Restaurant
When curating the new restaurant menu, Chef McCradic considered the history of Black Butte Ranch. Combining longstanding favorite dishes with fine dining options, The Lodge Restaurant offers a range of shared plates, hearty entrees, and desserts for which you’ll want to save room!
Cocktails
Kick off the evening with a Dew Berry Spritz at the bar or enjoy tableside. This citrusy spritz combines Cointreau, lemon, blueberry, and prosecco for a light and bubbly pre-dinner cocktail.
Sip on the gin-infused concoction ‘By Any Other Name’ for a Limoncello that’s as rosey as the sun setting over the summer skies. Garnished with crushed rose petals and sweetened with rose simple syrup, this drink is as floral as it is photogenic.
Starters
Who can pass up a serving of Burrata on a menu? Not me, that’s for sure. Served over local vine-ripe tomatoes with watercress and basil, there’s only one thing capable of enhancing the Burrata: grilled focaccia. Creamy Burrata over slightly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, lightly grilled focaccia bread is an absolutely divine way to kick off the evening.
When it comes to salad, the Chicory Salad was the obvious choice. This endive and frisee salad, with its inherently bitter greens, is complemented by shaved carrots and radish, balanced with crunchy Marcona almonds, and brought together with a housemade Green Goddess dressing.
Finally, the Ahi Tuna Tartare lands on the list of favorite starters, and for many reasons. A generous cut of ahi is served over a cucumber and lime jous, dressed in pickled shallots and avocado. This plate is perfect for sharing, or even as a small entree paired with a salad or soup.
Entrées
As a not-so-huge fan of pork chops, I would happily order this Carlton Farms Double Cut Pork Chop again. Cooked over an open flame, it delivers a somewhat smoky flavor reminiscent of a meal rustically cooked over a campfire. Served over a tomato coulis, this juicy pork chop is topped with crunchy kale that’s more than a garnish—a complete side, if you ask me.
Not many restaurants can flawlessly execute a tail-on fish dish, but this Idaho Rainbow Trout is an absolute delight. Topped with Swiss chard, fennel, and citrus, the trout is cooked buttery and flaky and served atop carrot puree. Rich in flavor, but light in texture, the rainbow trout can be shared or devoured solo post-salad course.
While on the topic of flawlessly executed seafood, the Pan Seared Scallops can’t go unmentioned. In fact, they are a highlight on the entrées menu. Perfect searing creates a gentle crust on the outside, preserving the buttery texture on the inside. The only thing that makes these scallops better is the hearty serving of risotto under which they’re served.
Dessert
The lightest way to seal the meal off with a sweet kiss is the Mascarpone Blueberry Tart. The pastry team at Black Butte Ranch creates a petite tart filled with mascarpone and white chocolate pasty cream and dolloped with lemon meringues and tart blueberries. Pair this with a dessert cocktail, decaf coffee, or an espresso martini.
Without a doubt, this is the grand finale. There’s something really special about the Sourdough Chocolate Cake. Not only is it properly prepared by allowing the sourdough to ferment the batter overnight, but it’s made using Black Butte Ranch’s inhouse sourdough starter.
Drenched in a chocolate glaze and topped with a chocolate mocha cremeux (that’s fancy for chocolate crème anglaise), this chocolate sourdough cake is plated alongside a berry coulis and vanilla chantilly for your choice of flavor varieties.
Aspen Lounge
To really get views from the top, enjoy or nightcap or pre-dining cocktails upstairs at the Aspen Lounge. Here, you’ll get an unobscured view of Black Butte Ranch and miles of tree-lined forest leading to the Cascade Mountains. Curl up around the fireplace in the heart of the lounge, or snag a seat looking out over the lake.
Sure, you can hang out at the bar while the mixologist makes your martini. However, the real treat is the outside deck of Aspen Lounge. Lined with glass walls for the ultimate panorama, you’ll feel like you’re floating above the trees and water as you sip on a Par 5-Lemon or Glacier Lily cocktail.
Could there be a better nightcap experience than watching the sun go down, cocktail in hand, overlooking the Ranch? Still, those who choose to sit inside the bar area will catch a glimpse of Black Butte herself. With fine attention to every detail, the Aspen Lounge was designed with the butte in mind. Not only is the Lodge built to mirror the exact slope of Black Butte, but the lounge offers a similar view with windows crafted to align with direct views of the butte.
Visit The Lodge Restaurant at Black Butte Ranch
There’s only one way to truly grasp the gravity of The Lodge Restaurant and its beauty—to see it for yourself. Luckily, the restaurant is open to guests and visitors, with reservations strongly recommended. However, the Aspen Lounge is first come, first served. Consider a pre-dinner drink at Aspen Lounge, followed by an array of courses downstairs at the restaurant. Or, lounge in the in-restaurant bar adjacent to The Lodge Restaurant dining room.
Make reservations for The Lodge Restaurant and see why People Magazine and Open Table have dubbed Black Butte Ranch’s upscale dining facility in The Top 50 Most Beautiful Restaurants in America. And, why we think it’s among the top fine dining restaurants in Central Oregon.
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