Description: Buffalo Bill built the Irma and named it after his daughter. The very popular restaurant still has
the original stamped steel ceiling and the grand bar Queen Victoria presented to Buffalo Bill. The
last two times we ate there, the buffet had expanded to every night from weekends only.
The first time we ate at The Irma, I ordered buffalo steak, as I had never eaten buffalo. We were
not impressed--it was tough and chewy. Later we came to like buffalo meat a lot by learning
how it should be cooked and sticking to properly cooked dishes. Buffalo is almost totally fat-free,
so it has no fat to internally baste it and keep it moist while cooking. There are three ways to deal
with this: (1) always have buffalo cooked rare so it doesn’t toughen up; (2) only order dishes
that include a lot of liquid, like buffalo chili or something with a sauce to add moisture; or (3) stay
with buffalo burgers, because a little extra fat is mixed into ground buffalo, making it about as fat
as extra lean ground beef. So, unless you want your buffalo steak bloody rare, head for the
buffet.
The Irma buffet is deservedly popular. Everything we’ve tried is good to outstanding, except the
fish of the day, which is about as fresh as you’d expect in a place 800 miles from the nearest
ocean. On the other hand, the salmon dishes are, except for the problem of freshness, quite nicely
done. Roast beef is the star of the show, and desserts also come off very well. Salad offerings are
a little limited; this is meat-and-potatoes country after all.
The hustling service staff has been on the verge of being overwhelmed every time we’ve been
there, and we only go in the slower spring or fall season. Management definitely needs more
bodies on the floor.
Don’t forget to wander around the halls and rooms of the hotel to get a flavor of what a real Old
West hotel was like.
The main entrance to the restaurant is on the main street. The hotel entrance is on the intersecting
side street, and it is a grander approach to the restaurant, although you may not get noticed for
awhile if you come in this way. Use the hotel entrance and then cross the restaurant to its front
door to get seated.
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