I’ve never had a Rocky Mountain Oyster, nor do I ever intend to. [:I]

http://tinyurl.com/mz4kb

Bruce’s Bar owner leaves a legacy
written by: Tom Johnson for The Coloradoan

Created: 8/25/2006 10:45 AM MST – Updated: 8/25/2006 10:45 AM MST

SEVERANCE – The death of Bruce Ruth, owner of Bruce’s Bar in Severance, marks the end of an era when Northern Colorado was dotted with dusty cow towns.

Ruth, who suffered from declining health in the past six months, died shortly after noon on Wednesday. He was 73.

A man described by somber employees Thursday as "stern but fair," Ruth put the small Colorado farm town on the global map by introducing curious, sometimes mortified, visitors to Rocky Mountain oysters.

In 1957, the oysters – deep fried bull testicles – probably saved Ruth’s young restaurant from failure. Struggling to make monthly rent payments, he came up with the idea of collecting free bull testicles from area packing plants, deep frying them and serving them as free appetizers to area ranchers and farmers on weekend nights.

"The idea blossomed from there," said kitchen manager Dennis Guffy, who has worked at Bruce’s since 1974. "People came from everywhere to eat them."

Operating under the motto, "Where the geese fly and the bulls cry," Bruce’s Bar gained national media attention and, eventually, worldwide fame.

"For years, the restaurant kept a guest book," Guffy said. "There were entries from everywhere – Russia, China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Germany – people came from every country in the world to eat here."

The restaurant has hosted its share of celebrities, too. Employees proudly point to a photograph on the restaurant wall of Ruth with John Elway, taken during Elway’s rookie season. John Wayne, George W. Bush and Julia Roberts have all visited Bruce’s for a taste of the restaurant’s famous dish.

Bruce’s gained a reputation as the perfect stopover for goose hunters and has long been on the list of "must-sees" when Front Range residents entertain leery visitors from the East. While Bruce’s was a relic of the Old West, it was more than a gimmick. It defined a community, a region and an era.

"Bruce’s Bar withstood the good and bad times and it’s still here," restaurant manager Bary Brim said. "Schools, liquor stores and grocery stores have all come and gone, but Bruce’s is still here after 51 years."

Until recently, employees said, Ruth came to work at the restaurant every day. He was a fixture in the community, too, having served on the town council in past years.

Guffy said Ruth’s passing was "devastating."

"Bruce was Severance," Guffy said. "He supported the town for quite a few years with his business. He meant a great deal to the town and the people who live here."

So far, the restaurant isn’t planning any special events in recognition of Ruth’s passing. Employees expect a lot of regulars will come in to pay their respects.

Brim said Bruce’s will carry on under the management of Bruce’s son Steve, a London-based businessman.

Each day, Guffy and five other cooks will continue to roll bull testicles in cracker meal, deep fry them and serve them up with cocktail sauce to customers – some squeamish, others full of bravado.

But it likely won’t be the same without Bruce Ruth.