Highlands Ranch Restaurant

Decided to take the wife to Lassen NP to celebrate the 29^th anniversary of our first date. As she is the true chef and foodie, I let her choose dinner. She chose HRR and I couldn’t be happier! Great location with a beautiful view. The staff was very friendly, fast and courteous. We tend to be pretty boisterous and love to have fun… everyone we encountered there got into the game, had laughs to share and personality to spare. I had the filet, extra EXTRA rare please and they nailed it. Garlic mash and wasabe mash potatoes were excellent too. Wife had the big eye salmon and it was very tasty. Loved it so much we came back the next night for another great go round. Went tapas style, ordering three appetizers and then splitting the salmon for dinner. The carpaccio was very good and worth having again although a purest might squawk at the thickness of the cut. The chipotley (their spelling) honey shrimp was good, not great. Loved the bourbon pork belly too. We’ll be back to Lassen as the season warms up and you can bet we’ll return to HRR as well.

This review is in regards to the dining experience, not the accommodations of Highlands Ranch near Mill Creek. After 3 separate experiences for late lunch, I’m reluctant to give anything higher than 3.5 stars. Although this recently renovated ranch style setting is idyllic and woodsy, don’t judge a book by its cover. On every occasion we’ve eaten at this establishment we have walked past Wendy R (who happens to be part owner, manager and hospitality front woman) only to be snubbed and treated as persona non grata, or unwelcome. In stark contrast, the simple yet local «Waganupa Brewing Co», «Tantardinos» and «The Red Onion» within the Lassen area treat a non-​local with sincere kindness and hospitality. In alignment with past reviews, on our 2^nd visit to Highlands Ranch the restaurant was out of the Salmon and on our 3^rd visit they were out of ‘pizza dough’. What chef doesn’t know how to make dough? Plus, some review stated that the «Ranch» imports their Ahi tuna from Hawaii? I haven’t verified this but if they do, it will be the last time we order the Poneolo, the «Hawaiian Cowboy» version of a seared Ahi tuna burger, bacon and BBQ sauce. Personally, for an Ahi burger I would skip the bacon and ditch the BBQ sauce for an aoili sauce. Despite the Ahi being cooked very well, the chef deep fried the vegetable on the Ahi burger. Other deep fried choices on the chefs menu are the Mahi Mahi fish tacos, calamari (extra deep fried), and chipotle honey prawns (although they claim to be Panko crusted). The menu does not indicate that most choices have deep fried food in them so best to ask for grilled, i.e. grilled fish tacos… etc. Of note, all 3 visits have been after wonderful days spent on Mt Lassen, a short 15 minute drive. After a phenomenal backcountry snowboarding day at Lassen, the «Ranch» has potential for THE Apre Ski destination. Highlands Ranch has a nice selection of local beers, great wines from Napa and Sonoma and a full bar. In closing, this is now $ 20 Apre drinks, instead of an $ 80 lunch. Suggestion: less fried food and more local fish .It’s as if the «Ranch» is a mediocre eatery masquerading as a high end restaurant.

Here is my 400^th Unilocal and I ponder on where to begin with this monumental disappointment.
I was super excited to go out and have an extraordinary dinner at this beautiful new lodge and restaurant. I downloaded the menu days before, pondered over the mouthwatering menu and knew exactly what I wanted.
Then poof, my dining experience went from bad to worst as the evening progressed.
Should I go with a list of things that were wrong and then go into detail or visa versa? Oh snap I will go for a list and describe as I go.
1. Semi confused Hostess checking us in with reservation: Could not find it on single sheet
2. Blank Menu page: Missing ½ the dinner menu as 1 page was blank
3. Only 2 other tables there: Staff was very busy folding napkins as we waited for 15 minutes for waitress to come back. Aren’t customers in the present more important than inanimate napkins? Oh yes, when the waitress did return, we had to ask for water which created a longer delay.
4. Oil candle on table was not lit: None were that I could see. Why have them?
5. I asked the waitress how she was, as she seemed preoccupied. In a nutshell, she went on about the crazy hours she had worked: 14 hours the day before and was going on hour 5 with 9 more hours ahead. (Please do not have your staff work so much as they burn out).
6. We asked about any specials. They did not have any. In fact they were out of salmon, cowgirl ribeye, and burgers. Burgers? Really? Could they not run to Holiday Market in Chester for some Ground Sirloin or Costco in Chico for whatever quality they need?
7. No soup of the day. They were having a party that night and their focus was on that. Our thoughts were, really? It is 15 degrees out and you have no soup?
8. Here I am on number 8: If you are going to be open for regular service, then live up to your menu and keep standards. Here I have not began listing the actual prepared food!
9. To start, I ordered the Champagne Pear Salad. It sounded simply lovely. Upon arrival, it was sparse for 9 dollars but figured the taste would make up for it. I dove right in with a fork full of greens. As the dressing hit the back of my throat, I involuntarily coughed from an autonomic reflex reaction due to the pure acidity of extremely strong vinegar. No shakey the dressing in this kitchen? It was PURE Vinegar… like a high acidic white balsalmic! *Cough cough* (This burning feeling stayed with me the rest of the evening). The menu says it has candied walnuts in this salad. NOPE, NO candied walnuts. Just plain old raw walnuts! Here I was hoping for some of those old candied walnuts that Grandma makes but not here. The pear was sort of sad looking and since I was still recovering from the vinegar with gulps of water I had to take a break. Now for the blue cheese: maybe there was a ½ teaspoon sprinkled on the side. I feared to taste it. I just did not have it in me to touch the salad, pushed it away, far away and sent it back on it’s way OFF the table. This was NOT the salad they advertised on their menu!
10. Dinner comes out on one of those iron platters with a wooden type holder. The iron has an amazing ability to hold heat if properly heated. Guess what? The plate was DEAD COLD! So was the dinner. Why does this surprise me?
11. Cold mash potatoes. Yep, PLAIN mash potatoes. The menu said «Garlic» mash potatoes. There was not even a hint of «garlic» in these babies. Ugh. The mushrooms were ok: but they did NOT look like wild mushrooms. They looked like the run of the mill sliced baby portabello mushrooms which are common in every supermarket… yep very common indeed.
12. Duck was as cooked as advertised medium rare and cold. Nothing like cold duck with raw cold fat. I could not De-​cypher any balsamic marinade. What happened to that? Then there was suppose to be balsamic reduction. There was zero point zero of that, nope none and obsolete from this plate! Hey they did have 3 blackberries in the corner. (When I read this dish on the menu, it reminded me of a reduction I make of red balsamic/​blackberry syrup. I was really looking forward to someone else s!). Actually this is probably a good thing there was NO balsamic, as I had enough balsamic vinegar in that one bite of salad earlier!
13. Lucky number 13, the broccoli was cooked perfect. If you can properly cook broccoli then you are a Rock Star in the kitchen! This gave me reason to give this whole review 2 stars but you know what? I am changing it back to 1 star. In reality, it was zero point zero experience here. Sorry I had to write this as there were so many fails from start to finish. The only thing that got me through was a tasty 45 dollar bottle of wine. It really is amazing the above cost me 120.00 dollars of hard earned money (partner had fishchips with a caeser).
This had to be one of the most disappointing meals in a very long time!

My husband and I stayed at the Highlands Ranch Resort for three nights and had the pleasure of eating at this amazing on-​site restaurant (it’s actually called Artisan’s View Restaurant). The rustic décor is gorgeous, the views of the meadows and mountains are stunning, the staff is very warm and friendly, and the food is absolutely delicious!!! Before our dinner arrived, we were treated with warm brown and white bread with a side of lavender infused butter. The bread is already delicious on its own, but the lavender infused butter brought it to a whole new level! We would be so full after our meals, but we couldn’t stop eating the bread and butter. It’s that good!
Over the 3 nights we were there, I ate the following:
Breakfast: Spinach and Mushroom Omelet (twice), Texas Scramble, muffins, and yogurt
Lunch: Caprese Grilled Cheese
Dinner: Chipotle Honey Prawns (I am a huge seafood fan and this is definitely one of the best prawns dish I ever had. The prawns were huge and very filling. I ate this for dinner 3 nights in a row — haha!)
Dessert: Lavender Crème Brulee and Chocolate Mousse (both of them — WOW!!! I shared these with my husband and we tried to eat it slow to savor the flavors)
The hubby had:
Breakfast: Texas Scramble (twice), Two-​Egg Meal (came with bacon or sausage, potatoes, and choice of toast)
Lunch: Chipotle Honey Prawns
Dinner: Cajun Chicken Fettuccini (LOVED the sauce), The Cowgirl Ribeye with a side of garlic mashed potatoes (lots of garlic, how we like it. The best garlic mashed potatoes I’ve ever tasted), Bruschetta, Mini Mac N Cheese.
Although we both ordered different things, we tasted each others meals. We were not at all disappointed with any of their appetizers, meals, sides, or desserts. Every single thing we tasted was fresh, delicious, cooked to perfection, and arrived in a timely manner. The portion sizes were good and very filling too. We enjoyed the restaurant so much that we had breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert on our last full day there. My only regret was not staying a few extra nights at the ranch so we can try more of their food. This is definitely one of the best restaurants we have ever been to and we look forward to coming back again.
Big time KUDOS to the Chef!!! :)
THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL AND DELICIOUS MEALS!!! :)

We decided to go again Sunday evening, had a wonderful dinner my partner took the pear salad and I got the 8oz filet mignon with bake potato and season vegetables, now that was perfect ! The filet was so amazing the taste wow. Thank you

Everything was absolutely delicious. We arrived in between lunch and dinner service so we ate off the bar menu; If it’s any indication of the sit down options, your in for a treat. Mushroom pizza, short rib tacos and garlic fries with pesto aioli were all great, but the calamari with the spicy honey dip was the highlight. If I am ever in the area again I would definitely make a trip for a meal at this restaurant again.

We have been fortunate enough to visit Highlands Ranch Resort several times since they opened the doors earlier this year. We frequent the area for camping, hiking, fishing and generally just getting away from the rat race — so we have been able to watch this beautiful site take shape over the last couple of years.
I have to say that despite all of our excitement and expectations leading up to the opening — we have been blown away by the attention to detail, quality and service.
To start, we decided to stay in one of the larger cottages during one of our trips to the area. We stayed in «Lavender», and were amazed by how huge it is! All 6 adults in our group slept comfortably with room for 2 more on an additional sleeper sofa! The beds were top of the line and the linens were seriously the most cozy and comfortable I have ever experienced. Two full bathrooms were a huge plus as we all got ready for our day the next morning.
As for the restaurant… the construction and attention to detail are incredible — the huge timber structural elements are a feature you just don’t see anymore.
We have sat with Rio the bartender a couple times while in the area — he is awesome and has come up with some delicious cocktails. I recommend the blackberry bramble or any of the local beers.
We have eaten at the restaurant several times and have always been amazed. We have had the chance to meet chef Joe when he came out of the kitchen — he is definitely doing something right back there, we have enjoyed each dish we have tried (our favorites are the blackened ahi appetizer, fish & chips, country fried chicken and the short ribs).
All in all, this is our new go-​to place when we need to get out of town.

Sadly, this place has gone DOWN HILL and it’s only been open a few months! This is the second time we have eaten here. The first time we were rather shocked by how small the portions were, but the food was decent. I had the Muscovy Duck that comes with garlic mashed potatoes. The potatoes were only luke warm and were very, very dry. The Duck was great. My husband ordered the Short Ribs, he only got ONE rib! His mashed potatoes were the same as mine, very dry and luke warm. The other couple we were with got the Fried Chicken and the Fish and Chips-​the fish was WAY overcooked, but they both said it tasted good.
So, this time we were with a group of 8 people. We had reservations-​so it’s not like they didn’t know there would be a large group. Two of us ordered the Highland’s Ranch Burger, the others ordered Fried Chicken, (2) Fish and Chips, Cajun Chicken Fettuccini, Top Sirloin and Silver Salmon. Two of us also ordered salads, which do not come with dinner and are extra. I ordered Caesar Salad and the other ordered a house salad of some sort. The Caesar Salad is just some chopped lettuce, a little bit of parmesan cheese and a dressing, that while good, does not taste like it is made at the restaurant-I’m guessing it comes in a bottle and it was $ 9!!! It took FOREVER to get our food. When it finally did come, both of our salads came at the same time as the rest of our food! What the heck? I told the waitress it would have been nice to have it before the meal came and she said, «I know, I’m sorry». Granted-​I guess it wasn’t her fault, it was the cooks fault. Which leads me to why I say cook, and not chef. Only two people were happy with their meals-​the one who ordered the Cajun Chicken Fettuccini and the one who ordered Salmon. One hamburgers was luke warm, the other was cold and RAW. The person who got the luke warm burger was hungry and opted to eat it anyway, but complained about it. The Top Sirloin came out cold, not even luke warm. The Fish and Chips were very overcooked, and the fries were cold. The Fried Chicken was a very small portion of chicken (not the airline breast and two legs it says on the menu) which was also only luke warm and his mashed potatoes were dry and cold. It is supposed to also come with corn-​there was not one single kernel of corn on his plate! He only ate a few bites of potato, the rest he left. When the waitress came back to the table I told her to take my burger off the bill and take it away, I wasn’t eating it-​of course I told her why. The person who got the cold Top Sirloin also sent hers back, but she just wanted it cooked more, and to be hot. When the waitress brought back her plate, she looked at us all and asked, «Does this look like a 12oz piece of meat to you»? We all had to agree that no, it did not She cut into the meat and it was RAW! Just like my hamburger. We could not believe it! Especially since she ordered it medium well. We had to call the waitress back over and the other couple said they did not want the meat, and were not paying for it. The waitress was so flustered and embarrassed. We all told her we understood it was not her fault.
The waitress said something to the owner, who had her bring two free desserts to our table, but appallingly did not come over to talk to us or apologize in person. The owner also insisted that myself and the person with the Top Sirloin get another one free of charge, which we took home with us-​here is the kicker though… The couple with the Top Sirloin took it home, having not touched it and they weighed it when they got home… It was just over 7 oz! The menu says it is a 12 oz piece of steak!!! I do appreciate that the owner gave us the hamburger and Top Sirloin to take home, however, I believe she should have come talk to us.
I don’t believe most of us will be going back. Which is a shame, and this is a small area where word gets around. My boss ate lunch there one day and had a similarly bad meal. He tells people all the time how bad it was, and sadly so will we now.
I do hope they get a chef, instead of the cook they have now, and that it gets better-​otherwise the restaurant is doomed.
The restaurant is in a beautiful area, the building is fantastic. The one truly bright spot is the bartender. He makes WONDERFUL DRINKS. I can’t remember his name, but he is a gem. My recommendation would be to go there for the beauty of the place and surroundings and have a drink at the bar, but DO NOT EAT THERE!

Beautiful Autumn Monday post supermoon. Took a drive to Lassen park and to visit the new Highland Springs Ranch Resort in Child’s Meadow. Gorgeous construction and peaceful views of meadow and Lassen Park. Calamari small plate was delicious with two dipping sauces — I liked the chipotle honey! For lunch the fish and chips (best batter and moist fish) and the hamburger (out of pizza so busy on Sunday). Burger cooked to perfection on a great roll with savory pile of fries. Topped it with a bottle of Michael Pozzan «Annabella Platinum» Cabernet Sauvignon. Service was attentive. Ahhhh, lucky to live at the lake and have a new outing destination.

I have been following this plan for awhile and have been very excited to check it out so we drove up this Saturday to check it out and the drive is well worth it! We went for lunch but can’t wait to return for dinner or maybe even a stay.
We pulled in and the resort and the surrounding views are amazing! The attention to detail in the building is awesome, you can see that someone really took pride in every aspect of this property.
We walked in and were seating immediately, being a new property I would have thought it would have been a little more welcoming and informative by the staff. The property sells itself but it would have been nice to hear about the place even a little bit. You have a wonderful opportunity to tell every guest about this place yet not one person bothered. Even when it was apparent that we were there to check it out.
After looking around and picking up a brochure
we ordered lunch. We ordered the fish and chips, turkey club, prawn appetizer, and an ice tea. Service is slow! But so relaxing it doesn’t matter. We sat on the patio and it was beautiful! Perfect light music and great views.
Our lunch and appetizers came together even though I specified we would like it as an appetizer… oh well the views are great:). Still no ice tea and empty waters but we still love the place.
Fish and chips were perfect, I would have put a wedge of lemon on the plate instead of thin wheel garnish but I made it work. Turkey club was a turkey club, might have to step it up a notch on this. Even toasting the bread would have helped but it surely could have been better. The prawns are meh, typical shrimp in sweet chili sauce.
Our check came and we paid it, not sure if they offer dessert but none was offered. I asked about brunch and dinner but was never offered a menu to look at so I will check online before we return.
A few minor issues but nothing to keep us from returning, the place is awesome!

Great food, excellent wine selection, local beers from Lassen Ale House, beautiful views, excellent staff, and the owners are friendly and engaging! :-) Couldn’t ask for more than that! The walnut bar top is impressive as is the rest of the wood work throughout the facility!