Orange City restaurant offers three dining experiences in one
By Joanne Fox Journal staff writer | Posted: Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Blue Mountain Lodge Passport Club and Smokehouse Grille chorizo and cornbread stuffed pork dish at the eatery in Orange City, Monday Aug. 4, 2008. (Sioux City Journal, Jerry Mennenga)
ORANGE CITY, Iowa -- It's a sure bet the three dining presentations that make up a culinary emporium here are hitting the trifecta.
The Blue Mountain Passport Club, Smokehouse Grille, and Lodge are located on Highway 10 East in this Sioux County town. Each restaurant offers patrons a distinct dining experience, courtesy of Clayton and Deb Korver, owners.
Clayton Korver began his entrepreneurial days in college when he started an antique business and renovated an old building into a pub. He also created Santa Claus statues and had obtained a distribution market of 30 stores in six states.
"But I always envisioned a place like the passport club," he confided. "And I guess that was the birth of Blue Mountain."
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, the 6'9" Korver was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, but ended up playing for a Hawaiian team. His desire to explore and see the world led him to Africa, where he considered a career in leading tours. Those plans were set aside when he met his future wife, Deb, in the late 1980s. After marrying, the couple decided to settle in Orange City, following Clayton's dad and his business, MED-TEC, from Dallas to Paul Korver's hometown of Orange City in 1989.
"Dad wanted to retire so he sold the business to me in 1996," recalled Korver who served as CEO of the company until "retiring" in 2003. At that time Korver and his wife, Deb, also an executive with MED-TEC, announced they wanted to pursue other projects and passions and thus, Blue Mountain was born.
The Passport Club
The restaurant, set in the hayloft of a renovated Iowa barn, has an artfully designed interior, global furnishings, and Midwestern chic food.
"I've always been a collector and a pack rat," said Korver. "I wanted to display the neat stuff I'd found over the years in a restaurant setting."
As a semi-private club, the atmosphere offers patrons rich visuals, substantial furnishings and delectable foods to help guests "relax the body and enjoy the spirits," Korver said. The Passport Club is filled with art, artifacts, and antiques from six continents -- from treasures of ancient Asia to tapestries from Turkey to fossilized trilobytes from prehistoric Africa.
The club features a selection of fine wines, import beers, and high-end liquors, along with a menu of tasteful hors d'oeuvres, luscious entries, wood-fired pizzas, and decadent desserts.
A humidor stocked with fine cigar brands from around the world -- and a secluded smoking room -- satisfy the cigar aficionado while keeping the main seating area and bar smoke-free. One of the cornerstones of the Elephant Room in the Passport Club is the 1,000-bottle wine "cellar." Surrounded by beveled glass, the 150-square-foot temperature-controlled room features custom-built mahogany shelving.
The Smokehouse Grille
Three unusual areas are located in the lower-level of the barn. The areas have oversized, themed booths in an antique dining atmosphere; a market area featuring housemade artisan meats, secret ingredients, heirloom garden seeds and more; and a European-style conservatory and covered garden piazza.
"The whole place has been created to make conversation and much of the credit goes to Clayton," said Deb Korver. "Clayton had a great vision for this place. He could see and feel exactly what he wanted."
That includes "a scratch kitchen," Deb Korver added.
"Which means all of our vegetables and herbs and smoked meats are created on the premises," she said. "And we make all of own bread and cheeses."
Rhubarb, a staple in pies and cobblers, has taken on a twist, added Deb Korver.
"We infuse it in our vodka and it appears in our homemade barbecue sauce," she explained.
The Lodge
Connected via the piazza -- or with its own private entrance -- is the third dining presentation. The Lodge is a far more casual and relaxed atmosphere with an open-style kitchen that features an all-charcoal grill. Diners can enjoy the large stone fireplace and flatscreen TVs either at the bar or at a table.
Bison burgers are a favorite, as is the unique Jamaican style jerk chicken. However, the Lodge's signature burger is the Jalapeno Papa which combines cream cheese, jalapenos and a raspberry chipotle sauce.
The Lodge also sports a fully-stocked bar, including Blue Mountain Brewery's seasonal craft beer. Housemade root beer and vanilla cream soda make for great floats. Really thirsty folks may want to consider the Bob Marlin Bowl, a Jamaican inspired drink served in a half-gallon fish bowl.
If you haven't read the adjectives "unusual" and "unique" used in the same breath as "Blue Mountain," consider "Cool Runnings," the 1939 four-door, bright-yellow, Ford Taxi. It's part of the new "grille to go" that delivers the pizzas or barbecue right to your door.
"We wanted to create a destination that's different," Clayton Korver explained. "This has really turned into a labor of love for us."
And despite the three-pronged approach to fine dining, Deb Korver added that their goal is "every customer is given the same attention and the same quality of food."
Details
The Blue Mountain Passport Club is open from 5 to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday. The club is semi-private. More information can be found at www.passportclub.net.
The Blue Mountain Smokehouse Grille is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and for dinner from 5 to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday and 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Visit www.smokehousegrille.net.
The Blue Mountain Lodge is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday and for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday.
The Blue Mountain Passport Club, Smokehouse Grille, and Lodge are located on Highway 10 East in this Sioux County town. Each restaurant offers patrons a distinct dining experience, courtesy of Clayton and Deb Korver, owners.
Clayton Korver began his entrepreneurial days in college when he started an antique business and renovated an old building into a pub. He also created Santa Claus statues and had obtained a distribution market of 30 stores in six states.
"But I always envisioned a place like the passport club," he confided. "And I guess that was the birth of Blue Mountain."
Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, the 6'9" Korver was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, but ended up playing for a Hawaiian team. His desire to explore and see the world led him to Africa, where he considered a career in leading tours. Those plans were set aside when he met his future wife, Deb, in the late 1980s. After marrying, the couple decided to settle in Orange City, following Clayton's dad and his business, MED-TEC, from Dallas to Paul Korver's hometown of Orange City in 1989.
"Dad wanted to retire so he sold the business to me in 1996," recalled Korver who served as CEO of the company until "retiring" in 2003. At that time Korver and his wife, Deb, also an executive with MED-TEC, announced they wanted to pursue other projects and passions and thus, Blue Mountain was born.
The Passport Club
The restaurant, set in the hayloft of a renovated Iowa barn, has an artfully designed interior, global furnishings, and Midwestern chic food.
"I've always been a collector and a pack rat," said Korver. "I wanted to display the neat stuff I'd found over the years in a restaurant setting."
As a semi-private club, the atmosphere offers patrons rich visuals, substantial furnishings and delectable foods to help guests "relax the body and enjoy the spirits," Korver said. The Passport Club is filled with art, artifacts, and antiques from six continents -- from treasures of ancient Asia to tapestries from Turkey to fossilized trilobytes from prehistoric Africa.
The club features a selection of fine wines, import beers, and high-end liquors, along with a menu of tasteful hors d'oeuvres, luscious entries, wood-fired pizzas, and decadent desserts.
A humidor stocked with fine cigar brands from around the world -- and a secluded smoking room -- satisfy the cigar aficionado while keeping the main seating area and bar smoke-free. One of the cornerstones of the Elephant Room in the Passport Club is the 1,000-bottle wine "cellar." Surrounded by beveled glass, the 150-square-foot temperature-controlled room features custom-built mahogany shelving.
The Smokehouse Grille
Three unusual areas are located in the lower-level of the barn. The areas have oversized, themed booths in an antique dining atmosphere; a market area featuring housemade artisan meats, secret ingredients, heirloom garden seeds and more; and a European-style conservatory and covered garden piazza.
"The whole place has been created to make conversation and much of the credit goes to Clayton," said Deb Korver. "Clayton had a great vision for this place. He could see and feel exactly what he wanted."
That includes "a scratch kitchen," Deb Korver added.
"Which means all of our vegetables and herbs and smoked meats are created on the premises," she said. "And we make all of own bread and cheeses."
Rhubarb, a staple in pies and cobblers, has taken on a twist, added Deb Korver.
"We infuse it in our vodka and it appears in our homemade barbecue sauce," she explained.
The Lodge
Connected via the piazza -- or with its own private entrance -- is the third dining presentation. The Lodge is a far more casual and relaxed atmosphere with an open-style kitchen that features an all-charcoal grill. Diners can enjoy the large stone fireplace and flatscreen TVs either at the bar or at a table.
Bison burgers are a favorite, as is the unique Jamaican style jerk chicken. However, the Lodge's signature burger is the Jalapeno Papa which combines cream cheese, jalapenos and a raspberry chipotle sauce.
The Lodge also sports a fully-stocked bar, including Blue Mountain Brewery's seasonal craft beer. Housemade root beer and vanilla cream soda make for great floats. Really thirsty folks may want to consider the Bob Marlin Bowl, a Jamaican inspired drink served in a half-gallon fish bowl.
If you haven't read the adjectives "unusual" and "unique" used in the same breath as "Blue Mountain," consider "Cool Runnings," the 1939 four-door, bright-yellow, Ford Taxi. It's part of the new "grille to go" that delivers the pizzas or barbecue right to your door.
"We wanted to create a destination that's different," Clayton Korver explained. "This has really turned into a labor of love for us."
And despite the three-pronged approach to fine dining, Deb Korver added that their goal is "every customer is given the same attention and the same quality of food."
Details
The Blue Mountain Passport Club is open from 5 to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday. The club is semi-private. More information can be found at www.passportclub.net.
The Blue Mountain Smokehouse Grille is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and for dinner from 5 to 8 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday and 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Visit www.smokehousegrille.net.
The Blue Mountain Lodge is open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Saturday and for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday.
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