Andy Tullis / The BulletinServer Tricia Brown, left, helps patrons with their lunch order at Barney Prine’s Steakhouse & Saloon in Prineville.

I saved the best for last.

When this column featured a roundup of Prineville dining options in late April, it inadvertently omitted Barney Prine’s Steakhouse & Saloon, a longstanding local favorite of Crook County residents.

As it turns out, owner-chef Joe Litzinger’s restaurant — which moved from Main Street in February to its new Fourth Street location — is the best of the bunch. In fact, based upon two June visits, I wouldn’t hesitate to stop in whenever my travels take me in the direction of the Ochocos. For that matter, I might make a special trip from Bend just for the smoked meats.

Named for a blacksmith who settled on the banks of the Crooked River in 1868 and lent his name to Prineville’s first post office in 1871, Barney Prine’s boasts a false-fronted exterior that pays homage to the pioneer spirit of this town of almost 10,000.

The handsome interior is more polished, its copper-topped booths and free-standing tables seating about 60 on hardwood floors. Trophy mounts, along with watercolors and acrylics by Powell Butte artist Ron Raasch, accent the décor. Background music, alternating between classic rock and country-and-western, carries into the adjoining saloon, where the ambiance reflects that of the main dining room.

Solo lunch

From the moment I saw the smoker outside the restaurant, I should have known that the meat would be delicious. The midday menu didn’t wow me — a couple of salads, a soup of the day and 18 sandwiches (burgers, chicken and deli-style) — but when I came for a solo lunch, I settled upon a smokehouse brisket.

It was one of the best briskets I’ve had in a very long time. Slow-cooked overnight (for 13 hours, the menu claimed), it was drenched in barbecue sauce with grilled onions and served with Swiss cheese on a lightly grilled onion bun. Accented with a delicious side of roasted red potatoes, the flavors burst on my palate.

A side salad with my meal cost less than an additional $2, and it was a far cry from the simple spring mix I had expected. Instead, I was served a crispy wedge of iceberg lettuce sprinkled with shredded carrot and real bacon bits. Two slices of cucumber and one of tomato came on the side. The house-made honey mustard dressing was delicious, even though—had I expected a wedge—I probably would have opted for bleu cheese.

Back for dinner

At a subsequent dinner, my dining companion began with that same wedge salad. Hers preceded a Friday night entrée special — a 10-ounce cut of prime rib with a 4-ounce lobster tail for $28.95. It doesn’t matter what town you’re in: That’s a good deal.

A smoky barbecue aroma prevailed in the prime rib, which was served rare to medium rare, as my friend likes it. Creamy horseradish and au jus enhanced the rich flavor. The lobster was a little bit rubbery, which really wasn’t surprising, given that it was flown in frozen from far away, unlike the local beef. But with lemon and butter, it still tasted great.

I began my meal with a cup of clam chowder, which we were told was always the Friday soup of the day. It was creamy and delicious, one of the best chowders that either of us had tasted this far from a coastline. Besides lots of clams, it included bacon bits, red potatoes, green onions, celery and an herb, tarragon.

As an entrée, I ordered osso buco, a classic of continental cuisine. It’s normally made with a cross-cut veal shank. Litzinger’s recipe called for pork. Not only was the presentation great—bathed in a Cabernet wine sauce with onions and capers, the shank towered several inches above my plate—but the meat was so fall-off-the-bone tender, I could hardly tell that it wasn’t milk-bathed veal.

I accompanied my entrée with a baked potato, served in foil with a side of sour cream. Both my companion and I also had a medley of fresh steamed vegetables, including zucchini, yellow squash and broccoli.

Smiling service

Service was excellent throughout both of my meals at Barney Prine’s. We were greeted at the door, comfortably seated, informed of specials, orders taken quickly and accurately, and food delivered promptly. The only minor snafu came during dinner, when our server failed to check back to be certain that our meals were prepared to our satisfaction.

Then again, she probably noticed the smiles on both of our faces. The only things we required, when all was said and done, were take-home boxes so that nothing went to waste. We enjoyed our next day’s lunches every bit as much as we had liked our dinners.

Barney Prine’s was established in 2004 by Axel Hoch, a longtime fixture in the Central Oregon restaurant industry. Hoch renovated a 1930s-era building, then sold it just six months later to Litzinger and another partner. They kept the restaurant on Main Street until Litzinger built and opened his new establishment early this year.

But the name wasn’t going away. The original Barney Prine, after all, was a man ahead of his times. As a blacksmith, Prine salvaged iron from abandoned pioneer wagons and forged it into horseshoes for the horses of cowboys and ranch hands, who drove their cattle and sheep past Barney’s place. He was also a storekeeper and bartender who bought whiskey by the barrel and dispensed it to those same cowboys.

One big difference: He didn’t have the great dinners that his namesake offers today.

— Reporter: janderson@bendbulletin.com