CARIO — Ol’ Ironsides Barbeque and Banquet Hall in Cario was the runner up in the second annual Tournament of Taste, hosted by Central Nebraska Today.com.
The Tournament of Taste featured 64 different central Nebraska restaurants and eateries that had been nominated by residents through a vote.
A bracket was set up and those businesses with the higher number of votes moved ahead. In the end, it came down to The Loading Chute of Hampton and Ol’ Ironsides Barbeque and Banquet Hall of Cario, with The Loading Chute taking the “Chompion” spot.
Cario is a village located in Hall County, with a population of 785.
A trophy was delivered to Dave Baasch, the owner of Ol’ Ironsides, on Thursday, April 17.
Baasch said it was 18 years ago when he bought his first smoker and invited some friends over to try some smoked brisket. The smoked meat made an impression and Baasch was asked to cater graduation in the area and the idea for a restaurant with a wedding venue grew from there.
Baasch is a Cario native and an opportunity to pursue his dream came up in 2023 when he purchased a plot of land on the northwest side of town on Highway 2 where a salvage yard use to be.
Ground was broken on April 5, 2024, and after five months of construction, the joint restaurant and event venue opened in September 2024.
Baasch said the community reception to Ol’ Ironsides opening was positive and noted he has been learning along the way with some tweaks made to the food and those improvements have made a difference.
He noted that restaurants in small communities help to bring in revenue and helps keep communities on the map by bringing in visitors.
“At Ol’ Ironsides, our mission is to provide a one-of-a-kind experience for our customers by offering exceptional service and a friendly atmosphere for our guests to relax and enjoy great barbecue and entertainment with their favorite drinks,” according to Ol’ Ironside’s new website.
Baasch said they work to provide the best barbeque food by smoking their own meats in-house on a daily basis.
The menu features appetizers and entrees that include barbeque sandwiches, burnt ends, pork belly bites, rip tips, steak burgers, country fried chicken sandwiches, taco salad. There are also soups and salads, al carte options and meat by the pound.
On the banquet hall side, Ol’ Ironsides offers an open floor plan with flexible space to host events with up to 299 people. There are two full-service bars available and outdoor venue space.
“Our outdoor venue is a quarter-acre area under grass and features a two-tier flowerbed with a platform that is ideal for outdoor wedding ceremonies and concerts from early spring through late fall. We currently have the capability of seating approximately 500 people in our outdoor venue area,” according to the Ol’ Ironside’s website.
Ol’ Ironsides is located at 608 West Highway 2 in Cario. Their hours are Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
During the Tournament of Taste, Ol’ Ironsides went up against Lo Mejo De Michoacan, Texas T-Bone, Wave Pizza, Kitty’s Roadhouse and Winchesters.
When asked about his thoughts as the tournament progressed, Baach said it was “amazing” and greatly appreciated the support everyone showed Ol’ Ironsides during the Tournament of Taste.
Baasch said the tournament that it was a great recognition for the small-town restaurants, he added it was a great way to help get their names out.
Baasch said he was pleased Ol’ Ironsides made it as far as it did to the final, he added that while they finished runner up, he hopes to be right back in the mix next year.
