Craig eatery offers steak that falls ‘Off the Bone’

CRAIG — From cutting its certified Angus beef, choice-grade steaks in-house to whipping up a creamy béchamel for its macaroni & cheese, Craig’s newest restaurant takes pride in cooking from scratch.

“We try our best to make as much as we can in-house,” said Chef Brandon Irvin. “You won’t find a microwave here.”

Irvin moved to Craig about a year ago when his wife accepted a teaching position in the area.

His scratch kitchen — Off the Bone — is a partnership with Mather’s Bar, 420 Yampa St., and is located inside the bar.

“I researched a lot of places, and this just fit,” Irvin said.

The two businesses are investing in the venture.

A large, walk-in freezer was being installed last week to allow the small kitchen space to be reconfigured to accommodate Irvin’s specialized steak cooking equipment, a cryovac machine.

He uses the machine to cook steak through a process called sous-vide.

Developed in France, sous-vide is a method of slow cooking food with heated water under controlled low temperature using airtight vacuum-sealed bags.

Using this method, Irvin can cook the steak quickly, but in its own juices, which retains and enhances the taste, aromas and soft textures.

Irvin learned the method and earned his title of chef after working about 20 years in restaurants in Oklahoma City. There, he twice held the position of sous-chef (French for second-in-command), including at Stella Modern Italian Cuisine, where Executive Chef Melissa Aust and team turn out award-winning meals.

While Irvin brings considerable skill to his new venture, he’d like his guests to feel comfortable in a modern steakhouse that is “unpretentious.”

Off the Bone is open seven days per week from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner. To view the latest menus visit facebook.com/coloradoscratchkitchen.