Claim Jumper...Draft Beer served at 36-degrees

“I am stuffed!” That is what we were saying as we walked out of the Claim Jumper Restaurant. If you should venture into the Claim Jumper take a huge appetite with you, and even then you will be coming home with doggy bags. We stopped by the Claim Jumper for lunch where each meal was served on a huge platter overflowing with food.

Seriously folks, the oval plate that carried the Frisco Burger I ordered would have ample room to serve your next Thanksgiving Day Turkey. And the Claim Jumper left no unused space on the platter. There were enough seasoned french fries to fill the bottom of a gold prospector’s pan.

The Firsco Burger featured a huge hamburger patty between two large slices of sourdough toast, topped with swiss cheese, 1000 island dressing and pickles. Half the burger was immediately commissioned for the styrofoam take home box before I ever took my first bite.

My wife Heidi ordered the chicken quesadilla which she loved and my daughter Hunter ordered the macaroni and cheese off of the children’s menu along with a Shirley Temple.

I ordered a pint of Fat Tire that was served in a beer glass at 36 degrees. I first encountered Fat Tire beer over 10 years ago on a visit to Denver, Colorado. My wife and I touristed some of the micro breweries and trendy eateries situated around the recently opened Coor's Field. Fat Tire, brewed in Ft Collins, Colorado, was already a favorite among the upwardly mobile turks that spent their happy hours in those same bars. The first sip of the Fat Tire served at Claim Jumper, with it’s dark copper hue and toasty taste, immediately brought back recollections of that wonderful trip.

There is a certain dichotomy in the decor at Claim Jumper. Take a quaint and rustic mountain restaurant, multiply it’s square footage into the size of a church or small cathedral, then have a certified interior decorator sprinkle prodigal touches throughout. Huge wooden beams, deer antler chandeliers and walls constructed with smooth river rock unapologetically mixed with whimsical western artwork, designer lamps hanging from on high over each table, and an open kitchen busseling with gourmet fry cooks.

We ordered fried zucchini for an appetizer which unfortunately came after our lunches were served. Without a word of complaint from our party, the manager came to our table to apologies for the delay and told us there was no charge for the appetizer. Two zucchini squash were quartered lengthwise and deep fried with a parmesan cheese coating. They were served, stacked like lincoln logs is a square cabin, with a side of ranch dressing. We each tasted the fried zucchini, which was delicious, but most of the dish was sent packing for take home.

With the amount of food served you would think we would not order dessert. But we did. I ordered carrot cake. They brought me a gigantic square of the sweetest cake I had ever tasted. Two bites was all I could eat before I sent it to bed under a styrofoam canopy.

While offering a comfortable dining experience, the Claim Jumper, located at 3761 E Broadway Blvd, also has the unmistakable feel of a big city restaurant, complete with beepers to call the patrons in from the sidewalk during peak hours and a six page menu for appetizers and entrees and a separate sixteen page menu for alcoholic beverages and desserts.

When all was said and done we walked out of the Claim Jumper with two large bags of leftovers and three very full stomachs.