10th Hole Restaurant opens doors to public

 

 
RICEVILLE - Over 100 people attended the first two meals – dinner on Dec. 28 and lunch on Dec. 29 at the 10th Hole Bar & Grill, the new restaurant located at the Riceville Country Club. Since then, business has been bustling at the new establishment.
“We were very pleased with the turn-out,” added Deanna Eastman of 10th Hole LLC, the group that is in charge of the 10th Hole building.
The restaurant got its start with a soft opening before having its first full day of operations on Friday and remaining open through New Year’s Eve weekend. The public was invited to help count down to the new year on Sunday (Dec. 31) and enjoy a prime rib special. More recently, the restaurant offered a chicken nachos special last Friday (Jan. 5).
The establishment currently employs about 25 people, including cooks, bartenders and wait staff, both full-time and part-time. Bradley Ringhofer, an Osage native, oversees the goings-on in the kitchen. He noted he has wanted to be a baker or chef since he was about three years old.
After his 2010 graduation from Osage High School, Ringhofer went to Wartburg College for one year before going on to culinary school, then Le Cordon Bleu. Since graduating, he has worked in restaurants and hotels, doing cooking that ranges from high-end dining to bars and grills.
“Bar and grill is my passion,” he said. “Anyone can make a hamburger, but to make a good one is challenging.”
He got his start in management around 2014, working as a sous chef with other cooks in the Twin Cities. “I got to see the opening of the Red Cow [restaurant],” he said.
From there, he moved to the Seattle area, where he worked on a food truck, making Israeli food with locally-grown vegetables. He then moved to San Juan Island and cooked in a high-end hotel. 
That ended in late 2017, when locals reached out to him about the opening in Riceville.
“I was already looking at returning to the Midwest,” he said. “The opportunity arose, I said ‘Why not?’ and here I am.”
Ringhofer returned to the area just before Thanksgiving and has enjoyed his work so far.
“It’s fun. It’s a unique lifestyle,” he said. “It’s nice being back, seeing the community and seeing people enjoy what you are doing.”
When he arrived, 10th Hole LLC knew they wanted the restaurant to serve Midwestern food. Ringhofer’s job was to critique and refine the menu.
The menu features a variety of items, including hand-patted hamburgers, sandwiches, steaks, appetizers (particularly beef fat fries), homemade soups, a salad bar, chicken, pulled pork, BLT sandwich, grilled cheese, fish, pasta, desserts, Coke products and a kids’ menu. Customers can also enjoy homemade sauces, dressings, seasonings and home-flavored mustard.
“We cut and patty our own meats and have our own seasonings,” Ringhofer said. “The food is more handmade than off-the-shelf.”
Eastman suggested customers try the shrimp scampi and prime rib, describing both as “delicious,” although every item on the menu is said to be tasty!
Ringhofer also recommends the shrimp scampi, which is made with shrimp from Windy Fock Shrimp farm near Lime Springs. The dish is flavored with lemon, butter and garlic sauce and is creamy during colder winter months. 
“We want it lighter in the summer,” he said. “The vegetables will also change seasonally.
In addition, guests can try a wide selection of wines, including imported ones, as well as the more local Boones Farm wines. There are golf-themed drinks, including the Sand Trap, Broken Down Golf Cart and Foreplay, along with classic drinks. Blue Moon, Redd’s and Bud Light beers are on tap.
Along with delicious meals, customers can enjoy lovely views as the windows to the north and west look out over the rolling fairways, hills, bunkers and greens of the golf course.
Much of the work on the building was done by area craftsmen. The bar in the front of the restaurant was designed and built by Jim and Dan Lohuis, and stonework was done by Dan Hockens. Kelly Minnis built the wood cabinets, and an area craftsman is currently constructing the bar top.
The party room will be in the basement of the building and will seat about 150 people. There is a bar downstairs, and the goal is for the room to be completed by the beginning of February. The restaurant has already been booking late holiday parties and a couple weddings. Ringhofer noted one party has inquired about renting the entire building, restaurant and hotel for a wedding next year.
There are hopes for promotional events on special days, such as the Sunday of the NFL championship game, the Daytona 500, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and others throughout the year. A party to kick off the golf season is planned for a date to be determined, and ladies days and couples nights are also goals.
The restaurant will be open from 4-9 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to closing Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday. with lunch and dinner being served. A prime rib special will be offered Thursday through Saturday.
Orders to go may be made by calling 641-985-2447.
“We have a good crowd following us,” Ringhofer said. “Hopefully, they keep coming.”
Those who have supported the construction of 10th Hole hope to see many members of the community at 10th Hole Bar & Grill and anticipate they will bring their friends and family members as well!

Cresco Times

Phone: 563-547-3601
Fax: 563-547-4602

Address:
Cresco TPD
214 N. Elm Street
Cresco, IA 52136

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