Rock Ranch is like the mythic Isla de Muerta of Pirates of the Caribbean fame.

You remember, right? The speck of land that can't be found, except by those who already know its location? Well, unless you're already aware of the Pine Bluffs restaurant's reputation, there's no reason you'd pick it out from the surrounding cluster of gas pumps, convenience stores, auto parts and gravel lots. Even the dim entrance hardly bodes well.

Yet visitors who skip Rock Ranch in favor of more familiar names, like the neighboring Subway, truly miss out on a local treasure.

The kitchen turns out an array of popular burgers: some plain, others decked with bacon, cheese, searing Southwestern condiments or even the crispy-sweet bite of onion rings. Their chicken fried steak is pounded paper thin--well, more accurately cardboard thin--and wrapped in a beautiful golden brown crust. Then there's the prime rib…

That's right, a slab of glistening beef, rare and dripping with rendered flavor. Granted, my cut shared more with choice rib-eye roast than rich and delicate USDA prime. No matter--it's a thoroughly satisfying cut of meat, and well worth the drive.

The accompanying jus seems timid. But a portion of shredded horseradish is right on the mark: bitter and prickly, yet restrained enough in nature to drape the prime rib rather than cover it over.

Really, that's an indication the kitchen thinks things through.

A soup of the day option one evening further supports this theory. Chicken and rice seems remote, almost nondescript at first. Then a rugged, smoky heat sneaks across your palate.

Nice.

Still, there are moments with Rock Ranch falls short. To begin with, an expansive menu influenced by Mexico, Italy, traditional American and so on means weak spots will appear--building jambalaya around pasta, for example, or potato skins piled with the same care shown by, say, a group of ravenous cowboys after a night of rodeo.

Fortunately, Rock Ranch is remarkable enough to excuse a few flutters. Indeed, the restaurant stands as one of the regions true destinations--if you know where to look.