Bonanza Steakhouse Moose Jaw SK (2014)

Flashback to 2014 and we’re exploring out near Moose Jaw Saskatchewan. Ahead and to the left…a childhood memory…a Bonanza Steakhouse? Steakhouse? That’s a stretch. It’s been at least twenty years since we’ve seen one and we thought them extinct in Canada. Remember: you’d pair a shoe-leather slice of Chuck and a mushy baked potato with an all you could eat salad bar. Here we thought they went belly up a long time ago, so imagine our surprise when this one came into view.

Thinking back to the Bonanza of old we knew as a child, and of sister chain Ponderosa (which were exactly the same), they really were awful…yet good. It’s a contradiction for sure and we can’t help look back with a bewildered fondness. It fit the times, but in a more modern world they seem really out of place.

Bonanza regulars knew the drill. Bulk up on the salad bar because entrée portions were small. They had all three kinds of 70s dressings, Kraft French, Italian or Thousand Island. Tough choice there. The steaks mimicked a slice of baloney and were so terribly thin that if held to the light they were practically transparent. They always came too well done (no matter how you asked them to be prepared) and were tough as Kevlar.

We’re sharing memories of a lousy restaurant from our childhood and we hate that we actually liked the place. This one had just closed for the night on this visit, so maybe just maybe, we’ll drop by next time we’re in the area. As it turned out, the business closed before we could make it back. Let’s hang our head in a moment of silence at this loss. To quote another: “Bonanza was too beautiful for this world.” – Zach Tennent.

This is an old post lost to a database crash, and reposted here as new. The photo is from a simple snapshot camera and not anything special, yet it means so very much.

Hello Saskatchewan…
Prairie Sentinels: Coderre Saskatchewan.
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Date of adventure: May, 2014.
Location: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

The Bonanza in Moose Jaw SK (2014 – gone now).