Ponderosa Saloon

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By JEFF KORBELIK / GZO

WESTON — The Ponderosa Saloon’s owners assumed a 47,000-square-foot dance hall would attract people for wedding receptions, special events and such.

But they weren’t sure if people would come to the restaurant/dance hall just to eat.

So far, they’ve been pleasantly surprised.

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Offering the two known dishes, Ponderosa Saloon head cook Ginger Shenk holds a one-half pound burger with fries and a 16 ounce ribeye with a choice of french fries or a baked potato and Texas Toast "prepared the way you want it." The Ponderosa Saloon is also known for it's full pound burger. (Cody Duty)

“They’ve been coming from all over,” co-owner Todd Jansa said. “We’re becoming recognized as quite a steakhouse. We’ve had great response to our steaks.”

So much so, the Ponderosa now has added prime rib to its menu.

Beginning tonight, the restaurant is making 12-ounce cuts available on Fridays with choice of potato, salad and garlic toast for $11.99.

Ten-ounce ($9.95) and 16-ounce ($13.95) ribeyes also are sold on Fridays and Saturday and Sunday nights.

Opened by Jansa, Doug Bartek and Jerry Irons, the Ponderosa celebrated its first anniversary last month.

It’s located in downtown Weston, a town of 300 people about 35 miles north of Lincoln in Saunders County.

The saloon is rather unique. The owners turned a former bar, built in 1904, and an opera house next door, built four years later, into a multi-use facility.

In addition to the bar and dance hall, which is used for overflow seating on busy Friday and Saturday nights, the saloon features a double-decker bus in its beer garden and a 4,000-square-foot upstairs VIP room with a private bar and small kitchen.

The decor is cowboy- and outdoor-themed. The owners have used some of the old beer signs from the former bar on the walls.

The menu boasts typical bar food on Tuesdays through Thursdays, with burgers and various fried appetizers (onion rings, jalapeno poppers, etc.).

The weekend is when Ponderosa steps up its food selections. Fish (carp and cod) is fried on Fridays and chicken on Sundays.

The fried chicken recipe is Marie Hakel’s. She and her husband, Jim, ran a restaurant on Nebraska 92 for a number of years.   

Steaks, of course, are the draws Fridays through Sundays.

I stopped in last Sunday. Unfortunately, the ribeyes weren’t available because the bar was hosting a special event in the dance hall. So I went with the fried chicken and was not disappointed. I ordered a two-piece, white-meat dinner ($6.20), which came with mashed potatoes or fries, a vegetable, salad and dinner roll.

My companion enjoyed the  burger (around $6) and fries. The one-pound hamburger, called “The Hoss” from “Bonanza,” was hand-pattied and seasoned. She had trouble finishing it (actually, I finished it for her).

We enjoyed our visit. Part of that was because of the scenic drive up and down Nebraska 77. The crops along the way are coming into their own and the views enhanced our experience.

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.