A Little Corner in Windom Plays Host to a Sports Bar and a Country-Fried Steak House

As of October 2010, the space at 6042 Nicollet Ave. S. has become the Cattle Ranch Steak House, much to the chaigrin of those in search of a Persian meal. The home of the old ,  it's next door to a neighborhood mainstay for Windom-ites and sports fans. Both are owned by Bahman Razmpour, who is hoping that his new steak concept will put this corner back on the map with diners.

At the moment, the Windom eating scene is fairly slow, as up the street closed, and the only other thing nearby is a . Basically, the recent gas line rupture and subsequent explosion near 60th and Nicollet Avenue is the big news here lately, and not the steak or bar options.

Razmpour would like to change that. He has remodeled the old Shiraz space into a modern, yet comfortable cowboy-themed steakhouse. There's plenty of wooden touches in the interior and a small fireplace, plus an array of cowtown props — wagon wheels, boots, saddles and a huge painting of a cattle drive as you enter.

But people are still adjusting to the change. General manager Michael Juarez told Patch, "Since we've changed it, we get a lot of people who don't even realize it. They get all the way up to the host stand and ask, ' This isn't Shiraz, is it?' "

Shiraz featured the food of Razmpour's birth country, Iran, and caught the attention of local foodies like Heavy Table and the Star Tribune's Rick Nelson. He owned Cintia's of Mexico as well, which previous to Shiraz, stood on this spot for 22 years.

Now, the space has been reimagined as Cattle Ranch Steak House with a mid-range menu of steaks, burgers, ribs and the usual sides, which run from $7.95 for a basic cheeseburger to $21.95 for a 10 ounce filet mignon. They've also got wings, salads, steak sandwiches, BBQ chicken, walleye and a kids menu ($5-7). They boast a full bar as well. We tried the large margaritas ($7) interestingly made with orange juice to wash down our Rustler burger ($8.25 with jalapenos, sour cream and pepper jack and fries) and 7 ounce filet mignon ($17.95 with two sides). Both were pleasant, but not overwhelming (as expected at these prices).

It was fairly quiet when we visited Cattle Ranch on a Monday night, but next door, Tailgate Sports Cafe was hopping. It was, of course, March Madness, but not yet the final round, and the parking lot was packed. According to Juarez, the sports bar takes care of itself. It's a regulars kind of joint and mostly attracts people from the neighborhood.

The fare at Tailgate is more casual and the kitchen cranks it out until 1 a.m. every night. Jameson ribs, BBQ minis and pizzas are popular, not to mention the cadre of 10 chicken wing choices, which make for a happy bar crowd. We tried the Jerk dry-rub wings, which were a bit salty, and definitely cause for a drink.

And does this place have drinks. The cocktail menu covers shots, 'tinis, 25 ouncers, brews and even winter drinks. They dare you to try something called an Everlasting Bullfrog which has melon, Stoli Raz, Stoli Orange, peach schnapps, pineapple juice and a whole can of Red Bull for $9.25 (Needless to say, we didn't).

It's hardly craft cocktailing, but the prices are reasonable and specials abound, with 2-4-1 happy hours every day. Rotating daily deals like pizza and a pitcher of Miller Lite for $15 on Wednesday and Sunday nights, plus karaoke on Tuesdays and Saturdays, keeps 'em coming back to this friendly, everybody-knows-your-name tavern.

So if you're planning on heading to Nicollet between West 60th and 61st Streets to hang out with your Windom neighbors, here's a few tips about eating and drinking on Bahman Razmpour's block (he owns the tire company next door too):

Cattle Ranch Sundays - Kids eat free

Cattle Ranch Mondays - $11.95 all you can eat ribs

Tailgate's 2-4-1 happy hour - Monday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. & Daily, 10 p.m. - midnight

Tailgate's 10 year anniversary party - April 1, 8 p.m. - 80's costumes and trivia

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COMINGS AND GOINGS...

on West 50th Street closed March 6th. We'll miss the old record player.

Cars R Coffins has their last day as a coffee bar (the bike part of the equation lives) on March 25, although Bull Run is slated to open in CRC's stead (at 34th and Lyndale) in April.

, as mentioned above, closed a few months ago.

opened on March 21 for breakfast and lunch at 4600 Nicollet Ave.