When you’re roadtripping to Oklahoma, the non-Cracker Barrel eating options are limited. But as we passed the exit for Stratton, an eastern Colorado town none of us had set foot in, we had a good feeling that this was the place to eat, prepare for the long road ahead and enjoy a cocktail.
Mind you, safety always comes first. Our good friend Saam is a champion who not only let us take his car but also drove the entire way. He had a Coke with his dinner. We had cocktails, with the promise to entertain him over the coming hours. But that’s getting ahead of myself.
We first landed in Stratton, and Annie and I were in need of an ATM. After stopping at a small bank, we wandered down to find the group, perhaps in the American Legion?
We greeted the bartender and asked for two shots of whiskey. And then we asked a gent settled into the bar about the joint across the street, the Eagle’s Landing Sports Bar and Grill, where our friends were.
“The food’s better over there,” he said before rattling off their entire menu by heart.
And so we headed over there to meet Saam, Matt and Jeni. The Eagle’s Landing used to be the Branding Iron, a mainstay since the 1940s, and the interior walls are all still branded with ranch symbols. Trisha was behind the bar and she was very cool, taking our orders and directing us to their new patio in the back.
And the charm was endless. The detail-obsessed Western décor was nuanced and likable – including a bar wall covered with dollar bills marked with Sharpied well wishes. But the plain outside was equally appealing. There was a simple horseshoe pit, some haphazard school cafeteria lunch tables and an assortment of chairs. I asked Trisha why they opened the patio.
“Today,” she said, nodding to a gentleman putting out a cigarette on the bottom of his shoe, “is the first day of the smoking ban.” And so it was.
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Eagles Landing Sports Bar & Grill
230 Colorado Ave. in Stratton; 719-348-5030
Funky: This cozy spot is impossibly lovable, and it should be a part of any passers-by’s itinerary.
Skunky: The American Legion across the street is great too. Grab a drink or shot there, and then head over to the Eagle’s Landing for lunch or dinner.
