Friday, June 30, 2000

The Shed’s steaks, prime rib are worth the drive

By Glenn Dromgoole
Special to the Reporter-News

The Shed is a contradiction of the idea that location, location, location is essential to the success of a business.

The Shed sits in the middle of nowhere, near but not in the town of Wingate. It’s a 30-40 minute drive southwest of Abilene on Highway 277 toward San Angelo. And even when you finally get to the sign announcing the restaurant turnoff, just past the exit sign to Wingate, you’re still 2½ miles from the place.

But that’s OK, once you’re inside and feasting on the succulent steak, prime rib or barbecue.

You forget about location, location, location. You’re thinking ovation, ovation, ovation!

In truth, the location is actually part of the restaurant’s charm. It’s a relaxed setting with nothing but farmland for miles around. The drive just whets your appetite for the feast down the road. And along the way there or the way back, you may get to experience a magnificent West Texas sunset as an appetizer or dessert.

Meanwhile, there’s the main course. On our recent visit, we were singing the praises of the 10-ounce ribeye ($10.50) and the 10-ounce prime rib ($11.95). We also tasted the pork ribs and found them quite tasty. The steaks were lean, tender and delicious, well seasoned and cooked just the way we ordered them.

The meal began with a trip to the salad bar, included a hot loaf of homemade sourdough bread and a pitcher of tea, and concluded with a helping of apple crisp. Service was courteous and attentive.

Owners Hollis and Betty Dean established The Shed in 1989 and enlarged it several years later to accommodate demand. Now they’ve expanded with restaurants in Winters (1013 N. Main) and Sweetwater (710 E. Broadway).

“The plan for our restaurant,” the Deans say in a statement printed on the menu, “has always been to give our customers the same quality food that we would feed our own family and friends, try to take care of them as quickly as possible and hope that no one goes away hungry.”

The Shed is open Thursday through Sunday for limited hours each day. Thursday and Friday it’s open from 5-9 p.m., Saturday 5-9:30, Sunday 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

The hours in Winters and Sweetwater are different (see box).

Daily specials include catfish ($6.25) or shrimp ($8.25) or combo ($7.95) on Thursdays, prime rib ($11.95-16.95) and steak and shrimp ($14.95) on Friday and Saturday, and beef tips ($6.75) on Sunday. Barbecue plates at the self-serve buffet start at $6.25 and go up to $9.95. Ribeyes range from $10.50 (10 ounces) to $30.50 (32 ounces!).

We’ve added The Shed to our must-visit list of places to take folks from out of town — both for the atmosphere (location) and the food (ovation).

Glenn Dromgoole is an Abilene author who has eaten in restaurants all his life. For previous restaurant reviews and a complete directory of Abilene restaurants, visit www.EATabilene.com.

IF YOU GO ...

The Shed

Near Wingate, off Highway 277 toward San Angelo

The restaurant turnoff is 32½ miles southwest of Abilene, using the Winters Freeway/South 14th intersection as a starting point.

As you get near Wingate, go past the exit for Wingate, Winters and Sweetwater for about half a mile until you see the sign for The Shed. Turn left and go about 2½ miles to the restaurant.

The Shed is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday lunch.

For large groups, it’s a good idea to call for reservations (743-2175).

In addition to the original restaurant, The Shed operates in Winters and Sweetwater. The Winters restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday, featuring breakfast and lunch. In Sweetwater, the hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11-3 on Sunday.