Kelly Green didn’t have plans to open a restaurant. After years of working in the hospitality industry and raising two daughters, “It was never in the stars,” she said.

That was until an opportunity arose a few miles outside the heart of Prineville.

Green opened the Blue Duck Saloon in February 2023 to the tune of the “Lonesome Dove,” a 1989 Western miniseries that follows two former Texas Rangers on a cattle drive in the late 1870s.

References to the series are peppered throughout the restaurant with larger-than-life photos of Gus McCrae (Robert Duvall), Woodrow F. Call (Tommy Lee Jones) and the Blue Duck (Frederic Forrest) affixed to the walls along with quotes from the series, such as, “We don’t rent pigs.”

Storylines are also printed on the menu’s front page, flatbread pizzas are named after characters, and the restaurant’s name is inspired by Blue Duck (although no duck is currently served). The character chases herds of buffalo for no rhyme or reason other than that when life offers an opportunity, it’s best to chase after it.

The ethos mirrors Green’s reasons for opening the restaurant.

“When you’re handed a chance in life, you just go for it,” she said. “That’s kind of what we did. We’re gonna do this sink or swim.”

Culinary inspirations

The Blue Duck limits entrance to those 21 years and older and is intended to be a date night spot. It boasts all the hearty meals of any respectable pub, but its beauty is in the attention to detail.

“We’re definitely not the conventional kitchen,” Green said. “We cultivate a lot of creativity.”

Green’s daughter, Cassie Floyd, 21, cooks in the kitchen, runs the social media accounts for the restaurant and concocts a new special every Tuesday.

Floyd said she sometimes finds inspiration for specials in the ingredients on hand. Other times, it’s through social media trends (like the chicken Caesar pizza). Two weeks ago, Floyd had extra pork belly on her hands, so she put together a pork belly tostada with garden cherry tomatoes and cilantro. The saloon runs the specialty item on occasion, along with others such as the weekend breakfast “waff-cuterie,” which, just like it sounds, is a cross between waffles and a charcuterie board.

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Peanut butter and jelly burger

The five-page menu is loaded with appetizers, pasta dishes, entrees and seven variations on the cheeseburger. Green said she and Floyd have found culinary inspiration from Florida to Prineville and everywhere in between.

The Scottsdale burger ($15.95) has become a pub favorite, although its ingredients aren’t those typically found on top of a hamburger. It’s presented open-faced on a board embossed with the restaurant’s name, served with two meaty strips of bacon laid across a patty enveloped in white cheddar.

The other side of the toasted bun is decorated with a delicate star-shaped pattern that mixes the peanut butter and grape jelly. The flavors make sense, as the peanut butter melds with the fats from the burger for that classic burger taste.

One of the newer dishes added to the menu is a Caprese-stuffed salmon ($26.95). It involves a salmon filet rolled and stuffed with mozzarella and tomatoes which are breaded and finished with balsamic and pesto. The salmon is then sliced open for an eye-catching presentation and served alongside rich fettuccine with roasted cherry tomatoes.

Coming soon

Green’s vision is to source all ingredients locally.

She partners with Fisher’s Red Rock Meet Company and said she is planning to purchase all produce from vendors of Prineville’s Crooked River Open Pastures Farmers Market.

After surpassing the first anniversary of operations, Green continues to make improvements. She’s on the cusp of launching an outdoor patio space complete with a full-time bartender, a place to play horseshoes and a gazebo.

A lottery room is in the works, where a photo of a regular customer who goes by the name of Cowboy Dan hangs on the wall.

Next to it is a lighted Hamm’s beer sign, as according to one of the servers, Dan is the reason the Minnesota beer is served.

Green and her team are creating an experience,

one in which she invites everyone 21 and over to partake.

“We start everything from scratch, start to end. It’s all made to order, and we love what we do,” she said, adding that she prefers The Blue Duck’s off-the-beaten-path location.

“We want to be that destination place.”

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Details

What: Blue Duck Saloon

Location: 3770 NW Lamonta Road, Prineville

Contact: blueducksaloon.com

Hours: 11 a.m.-close Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon Saturday and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday

Price Range: plates range from $6-$26.95 or from $14.95-$16.95 for sandwiches, flatbreads and burgers