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Service Station Dining Don and I arrived in Butte just in time for lunch. How could we resist a dining place with Mobil Oil's pegasus images and green service station doors. Side Entrance We walked towards the side door from the parking lot. I liked the old brick building itself. The green and red neon sign and old Texaco lamps were an added treat. We were very hungry and excited to have found a place that looked inviting. A Truck Inside On the way to being seated, I couldn't help but notice the green truck and a number of old gas pumps. Brought me back to playing "Gas Station" with my brother. "Filler up with regular!" I loved to announce from my pretend driver's seat. The Truck Bed Table I didn't notice until later that there was a table in the back of the 1949 Chevy pickup. If I'd known, I would have requested that table. Dining in the bed of a truck is something I've never done. By the Window We ended up with a cozy wooden booth and a view of a dining deck, which overlooked lower Butte and distant mountains. But I didn't look out the window much. There was too much inside. Lots of Metal Old metal decor with signs, bicycles and and pedal cars is really nothing new. They've been cluttering up restaurants with old memorabilia for decades now. But there was something extra fun about the fact it was in a warehouse like building that really housed a service station at one time. Old, But Clean I liked the way they refurbished oil and paint cans into lighting fixtures. It's always good to see old junk put to good use. And there was a lot of old stuff in this place. Oddly enough, everything looked surprisingly clean. When I mentioned this to the hostess, who had worked at Sparky's for a number of years, she laughed. She said her boss often reminded, "Some lean and some clean." They were not allowed to sit around and lean. When there was a lull, they were told to dust and clean. Time to Eat Our eating utensils were cleverly wrapped in a red shop cloth. It looked like what a filling station attendant might have used to wipe his hands after checking your oil. The food was reasonably priced and hit the spot. Don got the lunch special of half price buffalo wings. I had a piping hot onion soup and a crispy salad. The crumbly corn bread and sloppy cheese, made me need about 10 of those red rags! No Time for Casinos There was no time to hang out in the large bar or the casino towards the front of the building. I did peek into the dimly lit casino and stopped myself from taking a photo. There was just one customer and she must have been 90 years old. She hunched over a slot machine with her braided white hair pinned up on her head. Her walker was neatly folded beside her. If only I'd spotted her earlier, I might have asked her to join us for lunch. That would have made for a very interesting dining adventure, I'm sure.
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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! 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!
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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
November 2023
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