Lady Music and I rolled into Bryce Canyon in the afternoon as we decided was our preference. Hiking late in the day brings cooler temperatures and almost guarantees smaller or no crowds. We chose to hike Fairyland Point. It was highly suggested by some locals. The initial view told us we made the perfect choice! Unbelievable hoodoo's for as far as the eye can see. A hoodoo is an irregular shaped rock spire. See the pics below!
We wandered and wondered down the trail, deeper into Fairyland Canyon. By the time we made our way back up, it was dark! Ya know what happens at dark in little towns? Yep, everything shuts down and by then, we were very hungry. Turns out the only restaurant in town that is open past 9:00, is Ruby's Inn Cowboy Buffet and Steak. And it just happened to be attached to the BW hotel we were staying at!
Since it was the only restaurant open, there was a very large line to get a table. Luckily there is a great big gift shop in the complex too. Lady Music and I bought some shirts and stickers and stuff and got back to the restaurant just in time to be seated. They had a pretty decent menu with steaks, fish, a few shrimp dishes, burgers, sandwiches, soups, etc... Main course prices ranged from $15 to $30. Lady Music wanted something light and decided to try the Coconut Shrimp @ $18. I wanted a something a bit more substantial and went for the buffet @ $26. Choices included baked salmon, steak, pork chops, BBQ chicken and a host of sides including rice pilaf, mashed potatoes & gravy, mac n cheese, a few veggie dishes and desserts. Both our meals came with a full salad bar. The salad bar was average and we both agreed it had enough to make a good dinner salad. The highlights were sliced beets, olives and the homemade croutons. Lady Music got a huge plate with 8 or 10 very large coconut shrimp, asparagus and a baked potato. She very much enjoyed her dinner. She shared some coconut shrimp with me and I liked it a lot. A great meal for the money too. I had a nice piece of the salmon. It was moist and fresh. The top was nicely seasoned. I had a small bbq chicken breast too. It was really good. Moist and fresh as well; the bbq was good too. I tried a little mac n cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy, rice pilaf, sliced carrots, and steamed broccoli. Everything tasted good and was definitely freshly made. Nothing canned or premade. For desert, I tried a little piece of chocolate cake. It was pretty good. But then I saw the soft serve ice cream machine! We asked the waitress if it came with all meals and she graciously invited Lady Music and I to help ourselves! We loved it! I had a little chocolate and vanilla as the Lady stuck with vanilla. There were some toppings, but we just wanted the cold, sweet cream on our tongue. All in all the dinner was good and definitely reasonably priced.
But the saga is not over! A free breakfast buffet came with the Best Western room that we stayed in. And where was that? Yep, the breakfast buffet was also in Ruby's. Now this is where they shine. Big fluffy fresh made scrambled eggs. Yummy, thick, fresh made pancakes. Bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, biscuits & gravy. There was a fruit bar although most of the fruit was canned, with yogurt or cottage cheese. They had oatmeal with all the fixins and some cereals too. There was homemade, warm red salsa to go with the eggs as well. It was a little less than medium in heat, but tasty. I had a nice pile of scrambled eggs smothered in the red, A stack of pancakes, and a little sausage. It was really great! Coffee, orange juice, apple juice, cranberry juice and sode are included. I asked if they allowed patrons that didn't stay at BW to dine. They said sure, it's $12 a person. Wow, that's a great deal! The food is nothing fancy, just good ol American fare at a good price.
- Mr. Music review
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