Proudcut Saloon and Steakhouse

Even for the Cowboy State, Cody, Wyoming, feels particularly dressed for the West. It could be the famous rodeo grounds, or it could just be them hamming it up for Yellowstone tourists. We like to believe that it’s because Cody really loves the cowboy culture and its position as one of the last real cowboy towns.

Proudcut Saloon and Steakhouse proudly serves “cowboy cuisine,” but it isn’t gussied up with Western kitsch: There are only about half a dozen animal heads on the wall. It’s a simple cafe restaurant full of locals enjoying what Wyoming does best: juicy, inexpensive slabs of beef that make you feel embarrassed for ever paying for steak in the big city.  

As the name suggests, the steaks run large. We order the petite “Cowgirl” sized flat iron steak, which seems significantly bigger than the menu’s stated 8-ounce size.  It is fire-grilled to a perfect medium, red throughout and warm in the middle with a charred surface. The baked potato served with it is also impressively large. This is the mouth-watering plate you hope to get a steakhouse. 

The Prime — a prime rib sandwicoh that is only nominally a sandwich — is a thin slab of freshly-carved, rosemary-scented prime rib with garlic toast on the side.  Abowl of accompanying savory jus can be used as a dip for the already juicy prime rib. Prime rib is the way to go here, and at most places like this in Wyoming. If you’re hungry enough, get a full steak dinner, and chose this. Make sure to use plenty of horseradish. For a simpler bite, you could try a buffalo burger here. The burger itself isn’t extraordinary, but there is something fun about eating bison after spending a day looking at them on the range in Yellowstone. 

On the side, cowboy potato chips are a bit too thick, meaning that not all of them fry up crunchy, but the baked potato is nicely cooked.