Rural Missouri - July 2011 - (Page 15)

O U T O F T H E W A Y E A T S When ordered, the cut is then finished on the grill to the customers’ preference. If you like prime rib, you’ll love the prime rib sandwich, along with the freshly ground hamburgers made from the trimmings of the choice Angus cuts. The menu also includes a variety of salads and seafood, including a fresh grilled salmon fillet that is a favorite among many regulars. Another staple at Pin Oak Hill practically since its inception has been allyou-can-eat hot wings served on Thursday nights. The chicken drumettes are deep-fried then tossed in a mixture of Louisiana pepper sauce, butter, habanero powder, cayenne pepper and just a touch of maple syrup. “The sweet balances out the heat,” explains chef Jerry Osbon. “We serve anywhere from 140 to 190 pounds of wings every Thursday night.” If you don’t make it to Pin Oak on a Thursday, the hot wings can be ordered any time as an appetizer. This spring, Jerry created an entire Italian menu that is offered on Wednesday nights only. From chicken Milanese and eggplant Parmesan to cheese tortellini and Tuscan-style red snapper, Jerry offers a taste of both northern and southern Italy. “The north is known for its white sauces and the south for its red sauces, so I’m cooking a little bit of everything, staying away from the stuff you make at home,” he says. “I make it all from scratch.” Though it may be cliché to say it, be sure you save room for dessert. Pin Oak Hill offers a handful of homemade favorites, including fruit cobblers and New York-style cheesecake. Jerry’s Ultimate Bread Pudding is by far the most popular dessert, however. He begins with pieces of French bread, to which he adds custard made of milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. The final product is drizzled with a homemade caramel sauce flavored with Baileys Irish Cream liqueur. “People that don’t even like bread pudding love this bread pudding,” says Scott. Another seasonal dessert that can’t be missed is Jerry’s pecan pie, which is usually on the menu during the holiday season in the fall. The creation is so delectable that at last year’s Brunswick Pecan Festival, it was the unanimous winner in the pie contest. Although Scott didn’t start out with the intention of transforming his gun club into a destination restaurant, he wouldn’t change a thing about the journey he’s taken during the past 18 years. “I don’t get to hunt as much as I would like,” admits the entrepreneur, “but I love what I do. When you’re here on a Friday night and you’ve welcomed 140 people through the door and the phone’s ringing off the wall, it keeps you enthused. “My customers come back every week,” he adds. “They are what makes me want to be here.” he Luetticke brothers have always enjoyed cooking for their buddies. In the early 1990s, when Scott and Doug founded Pin Oak Hill as a private gun club, the pair would grill steaks on Friday nights for the boys in the sporting clays league. But a steak dinner for six to eight friends soon grew into something much bigger. “The next thing you know, it’s up to 25 guys and then we had people calling ahead for steaks,” explains Scott. “It just kept growing, so by 1999 we decided to open up to the general public.” At one time, the club threw more than 1 million clay pigeons each year on its trap and skeet range and sporting clays course. While world-class Join editor Jason Jenkins shooting on his visit to Pin Oak Hill amenities in the online edition at and hunting www.ruralmissouri.coop. opportunities are still offered today, a full menu of steaks and other homemade favorites attracts most patrons, some of whom drive more than an hour on a weekly basis for dinner. “Because we started out as a gun club, the atmosphere here is very casual,” says Scott, who is now the sole owner of the business, which is served by Farmers’ Electric Cooperative. “You’ve got to be accustomed to someone walking in wearing camouflage or blaze orange.” The restaurant, with its large covered patio, sits up the hill from a pond stocked with fish. If you bring your rod and reel, Scott is happy to let you wet a line while you wait for a table. Inside, the entire dining area feels like a hunting lodge. Dozens of trophy white-tailed deer, elk and waterfowl adorn the walls. Framed bullet boards and other hunting paraphernalia fill the spaces in between. As he always has, Scott is still cooking for his buddies — he just has more of them. Beefsteaks remain king on the menu at Pin Oak Hill. Scott hand cuts all the meat himself. “We serve nothing but choice certified Angus beef, fresh never frozen,” he says. A local favorite is the house sirloin, which is sold in 8-, 12- and 16-ounce portions and served with a house salad, bread and your choice of potato or vegetable, as are all entrées at Pin Oak. Another favorite is the 20-ounce rib-eye. “It’s an inch and a half thick,” Scott says. “It’s quite a steak, enough for anybody.” On Friday and Saturday evenings, Pin Oak offers prime rib, which comes in either a 10- or 14-ounce cut. The meat is seasoned and baked in the oven until it reaches rare temperature. T by Jason Jenkins jjenkins@ruralmissouri.coop Pin Oak Hill Where outdoorsmen love to dine Pin Oak Hill began as a private gun club in 1993, but along the way, owner Scott Leutticke found that people enjoyed his menu of hand-cut steaks and other homemade favorites as much as his world-class shooting amenities. Pin Oak Hill Specialties: Hand-cut, certified black Angus steaks, prime rib, pork chops, hot wings and bread pudding. Bogard • Price: Appetizers starting at $5.50; sandwiches and burgers from $5.50 to $9.50; entrées from $13.95 to $29.95; desserts from $4.95. Cash, checks and credit cards accepted. Details: Open Wednesday and Thursday, 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday for dinner, 4 to 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday for lunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. No smoking. Seats 66 inside, including bar; some seasonal outdoor seating. Reservations recommended on Friday and Saturday evenings. Directions: Located at 13396 Highway Z in Carroll County, 16 miles south of Chillicothe or 9 miles north of Carrollton. Contact: 660-745-3030 or www.pinoakhill.com JULY 2011 15 http://www.ruralmissouri.coop http://www.pinoakhill.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - July 2011

Rural Missouri - July 2011
Table of Contents
Comments
Columns
Raising the Great White Arabia
Now showing: rural broadband
Missouri snapshots
Out of the Way Eats
The changing tide
Pyrotechnic pros
Hearth and Home
News Briefs
Sting of relief
Harmony
Marketplace
Around Missouri
Neighbors
Just4Kids

Rural Missouri - July 2011