Lunchtime: Â The only reason CST gets 2 stars is because my burger was GREAT! Â My husband loved his burger as well. Â Service, eh no so great. Â I understand that larger parties take longer to serve. Â Also, I understand that folks sometimes have personal issues that arise. Â I had to flag down the waitress to get refills for 4 people in our party and she never came back. Â We had to go to the bar to get someone to give us our bill and then track someone down to take our payment. Â Oh, and can we say freezing! Â The heater was on (really? Felt like Antarctica to me and my family) and the fire was burning (on the bar side) so that was the best we could do. Â Overall, I think CST needs better management that can have ample employees working so that these types of problems don't happen. Â Other than the heat not working well, if there were enough staff to assist w/ more customers, things would have been good.
PS:  We went for drinks the night before and the bar scene is good for a small town  . ;)
We were rolling through town on a sleepy Sunday afternoon and weren't expecting to find any restaurants open at all when we happily noted the Cold Stream Tavern was open. Â The exterior and atmosphere were upscale for a mountain town, but still cozy with it's home-town decorations and historic photographs from the area. Â Megan gave us fantastic service and was bubbly and attentive, but not invasive at all to our enjoyment or conversations. Â She's got that balance down. Â The Chef even came out to make sure that we were enjoying our burgers, and to make sure that his version of "rare" was my version of "rare." Â Sure was! Â I'm used to restauranteurs either cooking meat they way they want to regardless, or barely cooking it at all, as if in protest, but this was the largest, juiciest, and most flavorful burger I've had in years...and perfectly cooked! Â Did I mention it was huge? Â And served on artisan buns with a great side salad. Â Really a yummy, filling meal at a great price. Â Cold Stream Tavern and it's staff are a gem in the rocky mountain town of Fort Jones. Â We'll be back!
Review Source:OK, first let me say I am reviewing the restaurant part, not the bar. If you go there for lunch, you'll probably be OK if you are not in a hurry. If you're in a hurry, FORGET IT. The sliders are good, the nachos are good, the loaded potato skins are good (you must eat them with your hands as a steak knife will not cut through them), but pretty overcooked (3 occasions). The marionberry cobbler is good. If Sean (Shawn?) is your waiter, your experience will be wonderful as he is very attentive. The patio is nice when it is wamr or hot out.
However, if you go for dinner, you can expect to wait forever, even if you are one of two tables in the whole restaurant (experienced this twice). We went recently. Here is our experience: Waited 8 minutes for the server to stop gabbing with another  table. Finally asked an off-duty server if she could help us. She said the other server was having a "bad day." 2 of us ordered tea. It was served lukewarm with no tea pot. Needed sugar and waited over 5 minutes for a server to stop by. Ordered an appetizer: overcooked. Ordered 5 meals. Salad was served 20 minutes after ordering. No refills on soda were offered, nor was there a server to ask. One plate came, which was a rib eye. Guest waited for 4 other plates to arrive. Meanwhile, it was cold enough (when served) that the butter pat on top of it would not melt and it was served less than rare, not med rare as requested. It was returned. Second diner's plate arrived OK.  Three minutes went by and finally diner 3's plate was served, but only part of it. Then diners' 4 and 5's plates were served OK. Several minutes later the partial dinner (diner 3) became complete. 20 minutes later, after 4 of us had finished, the rib eye had not returned. At that point, my spouse got up and went into the kitchen (no servers anywhere) and told them to cancel the steak order. (it was barely started and only cooked on one side at that time.) A few minutes later, we got our bill with the rib eye taken off. No one apologized, nor did the manager stop by the table except to take our $$. BAD BAD experience. By the way, if you order the manly burger, be sure and ask them to grill the buns so you still have an intact bun 1/2 way into your uber burger. The fried egg on the manly burger came after the diner was well into his burger.
Plate 1 was a Manly Man Burger. Â The bun couldn't hold its contents making for a mess. Â The meat was unseasoned and tasteless. Â
Plate 2 was rib eye steak. Â It was barely warm, under-cooked (less than rare instead of medium-rare), sent back, and then delayed to the point of cancellation because other guests were FINISHED with their dinners and still the second steak, second side(I peeked) hadn't seen the flame by the time of cancellation. Â Dinner salad was forgotten and when reminded, served with main dish.
Plate 3 was potato skins. Â They were improperly cooked and poorly seasoned.
Plate 4 was an Ortega burger. Â It was fine, but not noteworthy.
Plate 5 was kids spaghetti, tasted right out of the can.
Server 1 should be fired.
Server 2 should get a raise.
Kitchen staff should have done better.
Manager should be fired for failure to acknowledge or correct problem.
Delay was extreme and without excuse. Â
E.g. two servers and two tables and still wait? Â Our server was poorly trained, without virtue, and detracted from the dining experience.
Ownership appears clueless to what is going on or otherwise is uncaring.
If there is nowhere else, then give it a try, otherwise, try somewhere else.
Got to see the 2007 Green Bay Packers go 5-1 at this establishment.
A great place to kick back and enjoy a pint or two, which is exactly what I did. Two pints of Etna Brewery's Old Grind Porter while I watched the glory unfold on the high definition TVs that surrounded me.
Lots to do here: Billiards, Darts, and Pool Tables, just like River City.
Great service as well...
Great long bar in a classic old western building smack dab in the middle of downtown Fort Jones. Â I bellied up to the bar here and ordered a "Coors Fat", which not all bars carry. Â Most just carry "Coors Skinny" and I just hate The Bullet. Â I also spotted a tap handle for Etna Brewery's Old Grind Porter, which is a fabulous local brew, but it was a summer day and I just had to have a domestic "lawnmower beer". Â The beers here are good and cold and the bartender was extra attentive. Â He even had my next Coors at the ready before I had completely finished my first!
I am told they have big plans to expand the food offerings at this bar. Â More restaurant seating and a steakhouse menu will be part of the upgrade. Â In their current setup, I loved the fact that they had a separate game room area that offered real darts (not plastic-tipped electronic dartboards, but the authentic British pub style) and a ping-pong table! Â I also remember spotting a banner outside advertising Tri-Tip Sandwiches, which I will have to try the next time I am passing through this part of the State of Jefferson.
Unlike your typical small-town taverns, this place is clean, well-lit and a real class act. Â The mostly glass facade and doors at the entrance offer great lighting and a view of the outdoor activity on the main drag in the "big city" of Fort Jones.
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