JACKSON — Table 10 at the Snake River Grill has seen many famous diners in its 30-plus-year history: MVP athletes, Oscar winners, a U.S. president, and on many occasions, the most famous Wyomingite in modern history, who died earlier this week.
Dick Cheney periodically dropped into the grill for dinner whenever he spent time at his home in the area.
Though he became one of the most powerful politicians of his era, the former Wyoming congressman and vice president is remembered as an easygoing diner who was easy to appease.
Without fail, Cheney placed the exact same order every time he dined at the restaurant: a New York strip steak with whatever potato side he was in the mood for and a glass of wine, said Katie Cooper, managing partner of the Snake River Grill.
“He was definitely a meat-and-potatoes type of guy," she said.
Dick Cheney, the former U.S. vice president and Wyoming congressman, died this week. He was a familiar face at the Snake River Grill in Jackson over the years, where he'd sit at Table 10 and always order a New York strip steak and potatoes. (Courtesy Snake River Grill) 
A Wagyu New York Strip, left, and ribeye served at the Snake River Grill. (Courtesy Snake River Grill) 
Dick Cheney, the former U.S. vice president and Wyoming congressman, died this week. He was a familiar face at the Snake River Grill in Jackson over the years, where he'd sit at Table 10 and always order a New York strip steak and potatoes. The grill specializes in steaks, like the strip and this ribeye with sides. (Courtesy Snake River Grill) 
A bone-on ribeye and crispy potatoes. (Courtesy Snake River Grill)
Table for Four
Though the staff pondered whether Cheney might veer from his signature, high-cholesterol dinner after receiving a heart transplant in 2012, they were somewhat bemused to see that his fondness for a medium-rare steak never wavered.
“Maybe he started with a salad after that sometimes,” Cooper said, adding that the change might have come at the urging of Cheney’s wife, Lynne.
Though it’s been a few years since his last visit, Cooper said the restaurant never had to guess who was coming for dinner because they always had a heads-up: Cheney sometimes called personally to make the reservation, often requesting a table for four so he and Lynne could have a casual dinner with friends, she said.
“He didn’t really require any special attention, which is always appreciated,” Cooper said.
Secret Service In The Kitchen
But during his eight-year stint as vice president, Cheney’s visits to the Snake River Grill did necessitate some special accommodations.
Prior to his arrival, members of his Secret Service detail would sweep the restaurant, and one of them would be posted in the kitchen to oversee the preparation of Cheney’s meal, Cooper said.
Though she couldn’t recall whether the Secret Service member on kitchen duty had to taste the dish before it was served to Cheney, Cooper said that person was thrown into the thick of things during the dinner rush with the rest of the kitchen staff.
“The chef would have to say, ‘I am now preparing the vice president’s steak,’” Cooper recalled. “I’m sure it caused a little bit of stress during that time.”
Cooper also recounted a story from one of the restaurant's long-time servers.
On one visit, Cheney and his dining partner were having a good-natured squabble about paying the bill until that server stepped in, looked at the other man and said: "Well, he is the sitting vice president" and handed the check to him.
Former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney talk over dinner in the White House. (Getty Images) 
One of the dining areas at the Snake River Grill. (Courtesy Snake River Grill) 
Dick Cheney, the former U.S. vice president and Wyoming congressman, died this week. He was a familiar face at the Snake River Grill in Jackson over the years, where he'd sit at Table 10 and always order a New York strip steak and potatoes.
Famous Diners
For more than three decades the grill has been a pillar of fine dining and service in the West, Cooper said, and Jackson attracts famous folks from all walks of life who make their way to the restaurant, which sits kitty-corner from the almost equally famous elk antler arches in the town square.
Since Cooper began working at the restaurant in the late 1990s, she’s helped coordinate a visit from Bill Clinton while he was president (“that was really exciting”), and she’s been on hand when other high-profile diners have come, including Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady and then-wife Gisele Bündchen, Chelsea Handler, and Sandra Bullock.
Many of these diners have also sat at table 10, which offers a bit more privacy than others in the restaurant. And though Cheney always came to dinner “dressed up a bit” and wearing a jacket, he didn’t want too much attention — even if he sometimes received it.
“I always respected that people gave him his space,” Cooper said, adding that occasionally other diners approached the former vice president to say some nice words. “He was really genuine and accepting of that.”
Anna-Louise Jackson can be reached at: Jackson.Anna@gmail.com
