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Not a Roadside Diner On our 4-week road trip out west, Don and I had many a meal at cafes and diners, with vinyl booths and tile floors. I do love small town eating, but I was ready for a new look... like Medieval, maybe! The Big City! We spent almost a week in Montana last September and this was our first stop in a city. The Main Street was classic and classy, with retro buildings, cute shops, nice cars and interesting looking people. But my eyes went straight to the Hotel Baxter sign! We were sad to learn it is no longer a hotel, but they did have two dining options! Ted's Montana Grill had a great buffalo sign, but an expensive menu, so we went for the Bacchus Pub. They had a nice sidewalk cafe, but I was eager to get a look at the inside. Old Lobby I was drooling over the ornate lobby with grand chandeliers, painted beams and dramatic mezzanine. Clearly this historic hotel has been brought back to good use in recent years. Ted Turner owns the upscale restaurant and hotel rooms have been renovated into lovely condos. But to a person who adores staying in historic hotels... I was in pain knowing I could never spend a night here. A Beast The whole style was more European than Western ranch, so it made me laugh to see the sweet buffalo staring down. I felt for a moment like I was back in Texas. The Pub The casual pub was bustling on Labor Day at lunch. I loved the sort of Gothic feel of the place right away. We rushed to grab the only table that seemed to be left. The Best Spot Of course the coziest spot was already taken. Two young sisters were hovering over their coloring books at the table right in front of the fireplace. Actually our seats were more comfortable than the pews that went with their table. I kept wondering who the girls belonged to. There must have been parents at another table. And then I became intrigued with how well behaved they were. And I loved the fact they were amused with coloring and not their own I-pads. Other Little Faces The most memorable thing about our lunch was enjoying all the little hooded faces staring down from the beams! These carved and painted heads are said to be the faces of real monks from a British Monastery. It's a lucky thing these little guys are still around. The pub transitioned many times since it first opened. It was a Mexican themed cafe/bar at one time. It's lucky they didn't get remove the little monks. Maybe they just covered their caps with tiny sombreros. Faces and Glass I'm not totally sure if this British style pub was a part of the hotel when it opened in 1929. But I know the carved monks and the lovely stained glass have been here for a very long time. I kept wishing there was a little history write up on the back of the menu. The staff looked too young to have much knowledge or interest in the bar history. Beams and Faces I obviously liked these characters. Each was different and I wondered if the staff had their favorites or even names for these guys. I would have asked, but our cheery server was so energetic, she never stopped long enough to ask silly questions like, "Which monk do you like best." Instead, we just named her. Hummer seemed like an appropriate name. She flitted quickly from table to table, as effortlessly as a tiny hummingbird. And her expression almost gave the impression that she was humming as she worked. Food On top of all the fun decor, the food was excellent. I could have ordered some real pub fare, but I was hungry for salad. My spinach salad was more hearty than any Shepherd's Pie! Don's Neptune Sandwich with tuna and shrimp salad (and fries) was hefty and yummy as well. Perfect, Except...
If we hadn't been on the road, we could have indulged more. A glass of wine would have made for an ideal lunch. After all, Bacchus is the God of Wine!
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Boulder, Montana The sign for Windsor Bar is an intriguing one. The 1935 silver dollar lights up at night and so do the words, "packaged goods" and "KENO"! We spotted the sign last fall, as we rolled into the small town of Boulder. The Town We arrived at about 3 pm. The town has a population of about 1,000, so there wasn't too much to see. We were headed to the historic Boulder Hot Springs Hotel, a couple miles outside of town, past a big rodeo arena and a Youth Detention Center. We knew the hotel offered no dinner options, but we'd heard the Windsor Bar did. Checking it Out I had Don pull over. It certainly didn't look like a place that would serve anything besides liquor. It also didn't look like a place I would normally go to for a glass of wine. But earlier, I had been surprised to read decent food reviews, on TripAdvisor! It was too early for dinner, but I decided to go in for a peek. I was confused about which door to enter. How about the one with the faded barber pole painted beside it? I decided to go for the door near the corner, where I felt welcomed by the neon "OPEN" sign, which glowed from the glass block window. Hello? There was no one in the room with the long wooden bar and knotty pine walls. However, I heard voices through the window opening in the center of the bar. I walked around and found the bartender, James in the second room. He was serving a man with a white ponytail, enjoying a beer and a basket of popcorn. James and the Birthday Boy The man at the bar was having a beer in celebration of his birthday. I wished him a happy one and then asked a few questions. I told them both that I had heard about the great steaks at Windsor Bar. The birthday boy raved about James and his rib eye cooking skills. I had to laugh when I noticed the built in grill, sharing space with liquor bottles, beer mugs and cooking utensils. James warned me that I might want to reserve some meat, if we were coming back. He studied his list of call-in-orders and announced, "We're limited tonight. I only have one rib eye left. We have all fresh meat, hand cut daily." Back at Six Don and I checked into the hotel then returned at 6:00. The popcorn smell I had noticed earlier was replaced by the smells of sizzling steaks. James was rushing around finishing up some ribeye orders for 3 couples at a nearby table. His shift was ending, but Soja, (who is the daughter of owner, Rusty) was starting up for the evening. She was full of fresh energy as she teased James who had been working since early morning. She laughed with locals and slammed the dice cup down on the bar, alerting anyone who might be interested in playing Once a Day Rolls. Don and I were the only non-regulars, so I felt a little guilty when we were the only winners of a free drink. But we made up for the freebie by ordering a ribeye dinner for $32.00. Watching the Food It was pretty wild, sitting on the old swivel stools watching Soja toss on the 24 ounce slabs of meat, then twirl around with giant mugs of beer, then toss potatoes into the microwave, then laugh with a customers over the dice game. She was young and energetic, but tended to the food, drink and customers like an old pro. Dinner is Served We sat right there at the bar sharing a big platter which held our massive rib eye and steamy baked potato. Another plate held stacked up slices of garlic toast. The meat was as juicy and mouthwatering as the reviews had claimed. Soja made sure we were pleased and then left us to our feasting. Jim This is Jim, who came in after a bit and sat down near Don. At one point, he noticed me snapping photos in the other half of the bar, so he followed along and shared some stories. I pointed above the bar and wanted to know what that boat-shaped, polka-dotted thing was. He said it was half of the original top of the old "Silver Dollar Bar". Drinkers could have their silver dollar placed into one of the circular holes and then their name would be etched beside it. Why Are Coins Missing? Jim said when he was a boy, there was a town robbery. Someone broke into the bar and used a screwdriver to remove a couple rows of silver dollars. Then the crook moved down to the bank where he stole the entire safe. They called in lots of help to search the land around Boulder, including Jim's boy scout troop. Jim and his buddies were the first to spot the discarded safe in the brush. They called for help and sadly learned that the only things left inside were some coins and checks. Great story. I hope it's true. The Art of Connie Smith Next, Jim pointed out some large pieces of Western artwork, mounted to the knotty pine walls. I was told that CJ Smith did basically two things, paint and drink. "Connie pretty much paid for his liquor with his art. He lived a block from my house when I was a kid. He was old and cranky and most of the kids were scared of him. But I didn't mind him. Sometimes he wouldn't make it all the way home after a big night drinking at the bar and I'd see him asleep under our willow tree in the morning. My dad would go out and help him get home. " Heading Off The owner Rusty appeared when we were finishing up our meal. I guess Soja must have mentioned to her dad that there were some out-of-towners at the bar. (As if he couldn't tell) Pretty soon she came down our way, saying her father would like to buy us drinks. The whole idea of someone offering you a drink is just fun. It happens in movies and to cool people... not a regular thing in my world. Unfortunately, I'm also one of those people who can only drink about 1 beer, so that kindness is sort of wasted on me. But we ended up having a great chat with Rusty who seemed pretty surprised when I told him we had heard about their good food from the internet. He handed us each a Windsor Bar poker chip on our way out. I'm holding the chip in the photo. I decided it could be my tangible reminder, so I wouldn't forget to add another good TripAdvisor & Yelp review. "Surprisingly yummy food in a surprisingly friendly atmosphere!" Good-Bye We just missed a lovely sunset as we headed for the hotel. And we didn't have time the next day to check out the Free Enterprise Health Mine, as advertised on the side of the building. Evidently, you can relax and heal in the old mine tunnels with a little radon. But our time had not been at all wasted at the Windsor Bar. Good memories!
Love a Good Cafe This past September Don and I spent a couple nights enjoying some rustic lodges in Glacier National Park. Those 100 year old lodge dining rooms can be iconic, but I love a cute cafe. I'll always remember two that we enjoyed. One was near where we entered the park and the other where we exited. The Park Cafe This cottage like diner has been sitting here since 1952. We stopped for a light lunch before entering the park. Evidently the same family still owns the cafe, but the very young staff seemed a little clueless. I didn't push for cafe history. What's Important? Obviously the pie is important, since the menu shows an oozing slice of blueberry pie with words beneath...THE POWER OF PIE!" But Don and I were just eager for a light lunch and a glimpse of this cute little place. Sharing Food Sharing food is what the penny pinchers and old people do. I guess Don and I are both. When you're on a 1-month road trip, it gets costly eating out all the time. We also get tired of eating. I never thought I would hear myself say, "I'm not that hungry. Wanna share a plate?" That seems like what old people say. And now we're old. But the cheeseburger and fries were pretty good. Pie? Another day. Atmosphere I love a place that dares to not change. The diner chairs, counter and stools are all original. I love the red and I love seeing through to the kitchen. And I loved seeing the firefighters or policemen seated at the counter. Wait those guys rode in on motorcycles and they are not in uniform. But the look was right. Bathroom I decided not to take a photo of the bathroom, but it is worth mentioning. Guests in need of a restroom must take a little hike down a pathway to a shed, with plywood doors that lock with metal hooks. The soap dispenser was resting on the floor. I should have saved the restroom for the gas station. West Glacier Restaurant This trim little restaurant with flowers and flag was where we stopped for breakfast after leaving the park, two days later. It was built in 1938 near the park entrance. The place closed during WWII, and was bought by the Lundgren Family in 1946. They owned it until last year. Updates We walked through a good sized gift shop into the main dining room. There's nothing too special about it. It was last renovated in the 1970's and the old ice cream counter and pie cooler gave hints of the past. But really it was a chat with Karen that was the most memorable. Pancakes and Chatting Karen noticed me taking photos of Don's huckleberry pancakes and fried ham and that started up a conversation. The woman of about 60 had been working at the restaurant for 14 years. She said she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be staying. She said she used to work as the cashier and customers came to her at the counter with their checks. "Things have been changing. Now the servers act as their own cashiers. I ring up an occasional item at the gift shop and I just wander around and kind of oversee things." That sounded like a good thing, but she didn't like all the changes since the business was bought by the big organization that runs the National Park Lodges. "They're going to rip up the carpet and put down tile. They're going to move the ice cream counter to the front. And they'll probably be lowering my wage." She admitted. But then she smiled and admitted a good thing. "But guess what? I lost 14 pounds since I'm not just standing behind the counter all day." Change Both places have resisted change for a long time. I'm glad I got to enjoy a burger and some pancakes before much more renovations or even closings. Change often is a good thing, but I can easily relate to Karen and her woes. Can't we just leave things as they are?
Liquid Lunch? Last month, Don and I found ourselves driving through Great Falls around the lunch hour. I did a quick search on TripAdvisor in search of food. Suddenly I laughed out loud. "What!!" The O'Haire Motor Inn Sometimes you have to make a quick change in plans when an opportunity just leaps out at you. Don and I forgot lunch and headed for a retro motor inn, built in 1962. As it turns out, they do have a decent cafe, but we were headed for the lounge with the curious name, Sip-n-Dip. In recent years, we have developed a thing for kitschy lounges, especially Tiki themed. We couldn't pass this up. Where? The pleasant woman behind the lobby desk said the lounge was indeed open. She pointed to a door and we headed upstairs. This seemed very silly. Since 1962 There were no customers when we entered the dimly lit lounge. We walked past the piano bar, which was carefully covered with cloth, waiting for 81 year old "Piano-Pat" and her next performance. Marcy, the bartender seemed a little surprised when we decided to sit down and have cocktails. Mermaid Images Don and I were pretty giddy over the bamboo ceiling and shell decor. We've visited a few iconic Polynesian style places in California and Las Vegas, but none of them had quite this focus on mermaids. Not only were there mermaid lamps and mermaids painted on black velvet... there were "real" mermaids! Where? Sadly there were no mermaids performing on Sunday afternoon. However, we got to see the glass windows behind the bar where the mermaids swim... on the nights that Piano-Pat is not performing. Tropical Drinks If we'd been on a cruise ship or a beach in Mexico, it would have made more sense to be sipping a Blue Hawaiian and a Mai Tai around noon. We weren't even watching mermaids perform. We were basically watching Marcy clean up the bar from Saturday night. But Marcy was a good sport and took our picture and then her husband came upstairs from the restaurant and joined us for a bit. Learning the History Marcy's husband Donnie looks a little weary in this photo. He has been the hotel's bar and restaurant manager for 13 years, so he should be tired. But actually it's just bad timing with my camera. He was actually pretty animated and enthused as he told us stories about the lounge. Colorful Place Donnie said the tiki themed lounge has stayed pretty much the same since the motor inn first opened. The pool wasn't built for shows, but for motel guests. The windows just happened to look through to the bar area. They added a mermaid show about 20 years ago, but guests are still welcome to swim when there are no shows going on. "Sometimes guests have to be removed from the pool if they do anything inappropriate." Now that was a bit of a creepy thought. I didn't ask any more questions about that. The Pool Donnie took us up the stairs to see the enclosed pool. It was hard to see the underwater windows, so I wonder how many guests have gone swimming, unaware. Supposedly there are signs warning you, but I didn't see them. Donnie said they usually have 4 mermaids per show and they take turns just swimming around for 4 hours, in their special mermaid tails and bikini tops. "We have to lock them in this pool area when the show starts. You gotta keep out the crazies." Posing With... The Window Macie invited us behind the bar for a photo. That was sort of silly since there were no mermaids to pose with, but we ended up hearing more stories. Marcy said years back, Daryl Hannah and Nick Nolte were in town filming, when they stopped by the lounge. Daryl recreated her mermaid role by trying on a tail and swimming in the pool. Both signed the glass, but their autographs were lost a few years later when the glass had to be replaced due to a crack. Luckily the pool was drained before 22,000 gallons flooded the lounge. What a Hoot! Don and I were tempted to change our road trip route and stay a night at the motor inn. If we could have enjoyed Piano-Pat and Mermaids in one evening, we might have gone for it. We'll put it on the Next Time List. Who knows, maybe we'll bump into David Letterman if he gets really bored with retirement. Donnie said he hasn't shown up yet, but now and then he leaves his nearby ranch and comes to local ballgames. He might show up. Don and I have noticed, retirement makes people try odd things!
Saturday Night in Small Town Montana Last month, Don and I spent one night in the quiet community of Lewistown. We were disappointed to learn our hotel restaurant had closed, due to difficulties in keeping a good chef. Then we were sad to learn our desk clerk at the hotel had no suggestions for dinner. (We declined her offer to share the soup she had heating in a crockpot) Then, much to our relief, a gentleman checked into the hotel who knew all about Lewistown! The Local Drive In! Duncan grew up in Lewistown and he had fond memories of The Wagon Wheel, (or is it the Dash-Inn? It seems to have 2 names) He was in town to attend some kind of function that included dinner, but he admitted he had already made a stop at the Drive In. He seemed like a pretty decent guy as he talked about all the changes in the town since his youth. He almost seemed embarrassed that the places he wanted to suggest, were closed now. Duncan did light up when he described the burgers he loved, pressed and heated between 2 slices of white bread. He admitted no trip home would be complete without a stop for a couple of wagon wheels. Waiting in Line I was kind of glad there was a line of cars. It made the Saturday night outing more entertaining. Plus, we needed lots of time to study the menu. How could this tiny building house a kitchen that offered 19 different kinds of burgers? And besides burgers, they had shrimp and mini tacos, halibut sandwiches, fried chicken and turtle sundaes! So Many Signs There was more to read than just the menu! There were separate signs listing all the options for Smoothies and Cappuncino, Arctic Swirls and Flavor Burst Cones! The Order Box We could have easily been intimidated by all the bold messages. And I'm pretty sure we were the only customers who needed to read anything at all. We pulled up to one of the white and red order boxes. Don shouted into the holes of the box, "Two wagon wheels and an order of tots!" Whew! I was relieved Don said it in the correct order, since there seemed to be a proper routine for this. We were amused by the HONK reminder. Unlike a drive-up bank, there was no buzzer for alerting the workers, if we needed to change the order. We didn't hear a single honk, so we could tell we were in a line up of non-wishy-washy-regulars. Since 1952 I love a place that is older than me. 1952 means this place is super old and I like the way they proudly announce it. We should all be that way. And I like their other sign trivia. One sign reminded us that it was our last chance for a Wagon Wheel stop in 26,000 miles. The sign included an image of the globe with arrows encircling. That amused me. Eat in the Car? Our order came fast and we pulled under the shelter where folks can park and feast. I ran back to the "walk up window" with a question for the young man using the little pressing machine (think panini) for the Wagon Wheels. O'Riley The friendly guy was sad to say they did not sell tee-shirts, even though he was wearing a nice purple "Dash Inn" shirt. I told him how excited we were to be trying Wagon Wheels for the first time and could I possibly take a photo or two? His boss chuckled that O'Riley should clean some of those crumbs before the photo. We chatted while he tidied the machine a bit and then pressed the already cooked pattie between two slices of bread. He was a good sport while I clicked photos of him trimming off the crusts before removing the steamy wagon wheel. I said "Thanks, Riley!" and offered a tip. He corrected me politely and then laughed to let me know I'm not the only one who fumbles with his name. Good Attitude All those signs sort of worried me that this was a no nonsense place that didn't have time for friendly banter. But the final sign I read reflected the attitude of the few I chatted with in the window. I'm glad I made use of that walk up window! What a fun little visit. Our Feast We didn't end up eating in the car. We made the one-minute-dash to the hotel since Lewistown is pretty small. We took our bag to the room, where local Montana beers were chilling. I'm glad to say we enjoyed the iconic Wagon Wheels and tots. It's so fun to find out about a food that locals love, from a local. On top of that I had a fun time with the locals who cooked our local treats! That was a pretty good dinner and experience for about $8.00!
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The Dining Blog
This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food. Below, you can read how this started. On July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year! (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to join me, on some unusual dining adventures. I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise. Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining. I have continued blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned along the way! Locations and types of dining adventures, are listed further down. Archives
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