Missoula, Montana Trip

Good morning, readers and happy Friday Eve! I hope that your work week has gone by quickly and you're eagerly looking forward to the weekend as I am!


Last weekend Nate and I escaped from 90+ degree with humidity Raleigh, North Carolina to beautiful Missoula, Montana for his little brother's college graduation! Nate has visited him once before but this was my first time being that far West and North in the United States and I've got to say I'm a fan. Also, buckle up because this post is going to be a long one.


After some travel mishaps (a 3 hour layover in Salt Lake City that was spent drinking Wasatch Brewery beers and eating nachos), we were finally deposited in our hotel room to sleep for a glorious 4 hours before our bodies decided we needed to be awake.

Our beers at the Squatters Pub Brewery located in the Salt Lake City International Airport

Day 1

Our first stop was Paul's Pancake Parlor. This Missoula institution has generated quite the reputation for itself, as evidenced by the seemingly permanent line out the door. The restaurant was founded in 1963 and the interior décor definitely reflects the times.


Décor: The restaurant itself is located in a strip-mall (2305 Brooks, Missoula, MT) between a book store (which seems to mainly draw business from the crowd of waiting diners) and a home improvement store. The restaurant itself is long and narrow with about 12 tables ranging from 2-tops to 6-seaters. However, you're going to feel a little squished. I felt slightly sandwiched in at our large table next to the register. The walls are adorned in University of Montana memorabilia, vintage advertisements and pictures of such icons as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe.


Food appearance: Paul's serves up your classic diner fare with a few twists. Don't come in here expecting Michelin Star level plating, it's just not that kind of place. But food all looks appetizing and smells divine.


Food taste: I couldn't go to a place with "Pancake Parlor" in the name and not order pancakes. It's sacrilege! I opted for the 3 Rolled French Pancakes with Cointreau Butter (I told them to hold the cream cheese filling and whipped cream) and a side of hash browns. The hash browns had a great crisp crust on the outside and were moist and tender on the inside. BUT THE PANCAKES THOUGH. My pancakes had about 3 heaping scoopfuls of Cointreau Butter dolloped on top and came with a surprise side of strawberry topping (which I used sparingly). The Cointreau Butter contained all the great orange-y flavor of Cointreau plus fresh orange zest. It was magnificent! The pancakes themselves were a thickness between crepes and a traditional pancake and not nearly as sweet as your traditional pancake (probably because a sweet pancake, plus Cointreau Butter, plus whipped cream, plus strawberry topping and cream cheese filling would result in an instant cavity).

Nate ordered the Chili Omelette with pancakes and it looked like a hot mess. He said it was delicious though.

Come here hungry because the portions are massive.


Service: Since the restaurant is consistently busy, the servers there are slightly robotic in my opinion. Our server seemed to be annoyed when any of us lingered or stumbled on placing our orders - in our defense the menu is more expansive than you would expect and we were all pretty hungry by this point so everything looked delicious.


Cleanliness: Tables were turned over quickly to accommodate the crowd out the door and the restaurant appeared to be clean.


I would recommend a stop to Paul's Pancake Parlor but don't come when you're hungry to the point that your stomach is imitating whale calls. We waited about 30-40 minutes to get a table, waited 5 minutes to get a server, and another 20-30 for our food. By the time my pancakes arrived I was getting ready to munch on the particle board table we were sitting at.


After some tourist sight-seeing (mall, campus, etc.), we attended a departmental graduation ceremony for Nate's little brother during which we met some professors, ate off some veggie trays and cheese plates and mingled while letting Sam soak in the moment.


Our next stop was Kettle House Brewing's Myrtle Street Tap Room. After some confusion as to the location of the tap room (602 Myrtle Street, Missoula, MT 59801), we came upon a non-descript building with horrible and confusing signage -- but some tasty beers.


The brewery itself was JAM PACKED with almost-graduates and their families plus the Friday after-work crowd. I've begun a new trend at breweries - if I haven't had any of their beer before, I order a flight. It's really the best way sample many beers at once, plus flights are usually around $5 for 4-5 4 oz beers! Since at this particular brewery I had no knowledge of their beers period, I let the bartender pick for me. She poured me the Fresh Bongwater Hemp Pale Ale (didn't taste much different than any other pale lager to me), NE IPA (extra hoppy on the nose but not much bitter or hop flavor, easy drinking), Cold Smoke Scotch Ale (probably my favorite of the ones I've tried! Delightfully bitter and malty) and a Sour (tasted like fresh-squeezed lemon juice, but in a good way!).

From left to right: Fresh Bongwater Hemp Pale Ale, NE IPA, Cold smoke Scotch Ale, Sour

After we had our few beers at the brewery, we were all feeling a little hungry. Unfortunately the brewery doesn't serve food. So Sam took us to a brewery/restaurant he couldn't wait to show Nate called Tamarack Brewing Company. I've got to say, one of my favorite things about Missoula was it's walkability! A short 5-minute walk from Kettle House and located in the heart of downtown Missoula, is a 2-floored casual brewery and restaurant that overlooks an adorable park.


Sam immediately ordered Nate a 10-beer flight containing all of their mainstay beers. The flight holder took up the majority of the table space and we came up with creative solutions for holding other items such as an empty keg for the condiment basket and a high chair for various food items.


Décor: We opted for the seat-yourself downstairs bar, we grabbed the first table we could find which happened to be a 4-person high-top. The décor was your typical sports bar regalia - team schedules, multiple TVs tuned to different games, a number of different-sized tables and a large U-shaped bar.


Food appearance: Food was served in extra large quantities on white ceramic plates and paper-lined baskets. Once again, not gourmet plating but does that matter in a sports bar?


Food taste: Unfortunately for us, we didn't know that the portions of each dish were enough to feed a small army and WAY over ordered. As an appetizer, we started out with a basket of BBQ wings which was served with French fries, carrots and celery and some of the creamiest house-made ranch I've tasted AND a 1/2 order of nachos. Unlike your typical nachos, these had cheese and toppings running throughout and not just piled on top. If you've ever been the unfortunate recipient of a tortilla chip sans cheese and toppings, you understand why this is extremely exciting.


I can't believe I was even hungry after these nachos but I ordered their Sweet Potato and Chickpea sandwich. The patty itself was thin and griddled, resulting in a delicious crust, then topped with red pepper aioli, a mountain of sprouts, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers housed in a brioche bun. I ordered a side salad with huckleberry vinaigrette for my side. After the nachos though, I only ate my side salad and saved my sandwich for the next morning.


Service: Our server was definitely overwhelmed but she was attentive and on top of our table's needs.


Cleanliness: The table we sat at, due to the fact we had to grab it before someone else did, wasn't clean but in the dog-eat-dog world of seat-yourself establishments that's often the case.


I would definitely go here again for the giant mountain of nachos and the Sweet Potato and Chickpea sandwich. The restaurant was very vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian friendly with a variety of options to please every palate. However I'd maybe opt to sit in the upstairs dining room to avoid being crammed into a small table just because it's the only one available. You may be wondering, why are there no pictures of this food? Frankly, I forgot to take them and my phone was unreachable.


If you can even imagine it, after dinner we went for ice cream. I know what you must be thinking - does this woman weigh 500 pounds?! How can someone possibly eat that much in one day?! Well, to answer you no, after 3 days of eating almost exactly this decadently I came home with only an extra pound and a half (which as of this morning I am 4 pounds below the weight I left home with).


We wheel-barrowed ourselves over to Big Dipper Ice Cream located at 631 S. Higgins, Missoula, MT 59801. Before we left for Montana, my wonderful Aunt Bev told me that she had visited Missoula once before a number of years ago and discovered a homemade ice cream shop that served up the most spectacular huckleberry ice cream. I wonder if this was the place she went?


The shop itself is small with a few picnic tables set up outside. Out of the 2 times we visited during our stay, there was a line both times. Luckily for us, this allowed us to slightly digest our bar fare before adding ice cream to our bellies. The shop has a variety of standing flavors ranging from vanilla and chocolate to locally sourced coffee and vanilla Resee's; they also offer 3 special flavors daily. You can get your ice cream in a cone (sugar, cake, waffle), a cup, a milkshake, a sundae, dipped and probably a bunch of other ways I didn't even notice.


I ordered a kid's size (easily any regular ice cream shop's single-scoop) of huckleberry in a cup. The flavor was incredible! Fresh, fruity  and the ice cream was creamy and rich. I'm so glad I ordered a kid's scoop because Nate went for a double that was easily the size of 2 softballs.

Don't mind me, I'm just shoveling huckleberry ice cream into my face-hole.

Day 2

Since our bodies were still 2-hours ahead on Raleigh-time, Nate and I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6:00 AM. We decided to take advantage of our gorgeous surroundings and take a hike up Mt. Sentinel. The hike was beautiful and difficult. I'll let Nate elaborate on all the technical stuff as to elevation and grade and whatever else. All I know is about 3/4 of the way up the steep ridge, I wanted to mutiny and contemplated pushing my husband off the side of a cliff for making me do it. However, I soldiered on to the top and was rewarded with some gorgeous views that pictures just don't do justice.

View from about 3/4 from the top

View from the top - post mutiny

We made the roundtrip hike in about 2 and a half hours. After cleaning up at the hotel, the whole family went to the farmer's market. I wished I hadn't flown and could take some of the delicious produce back home with me! There was everything from spinach and turnips to sun chokes and flowers! There was also lots and lots of food.


After making an initial lap, we stopped at a vegan doughnut stand and ordered 2 of the most decadent doughnuts I've had in quite awhile. Mine was matcha-iced with freeze-dried raspberry dust and black sesame seeds (excuse me while I drool) and Nate's was a chocolate coated and cookie dough filled. I must say, his was slightly under baked, leaving the center doughy but mine was perfect.

After all the richness I needed something tart to wash it all down - Huckleberry Moonshine Lemonade to the rescue! The lemonade was fresh and sour, the huckleberry was a syrup and flavored the moonshine as well, plus booze! It was refreshing and I intend to recreate the experience in the near future.

After the actual graduation ceremony, (it was absolutely beautiful to see Sam's parents swell with pride, by the way) the family and friends of the graduate met up at  El Cazador, a Mexican restaurant at 101 S Higgins, Ave, Missoula, MT 59802. The building the restaurant was in looked vintage with some white tile exterior and a glass façade.


Décor: the restaurant is broken up into 3 dining areas with a small (4-seat) bar. We sat in the largest dining area which is separated by a brick-lined archway. The décor is about what you'd expect from a family-owned Mexican restaurant, pictures of Mexico, plaster fish, Corona drink trays.


Food appearance: the plating here was also standard, brightly colored plastic plates, paper napkins, non-alcoholic beverages served in Pepsi-brand cups.


Food taste: After sampling the salsa and chips (chips were light and crispy - definitely fresh made, salsa was just ok), we ordered several bowls of guacamole. The vibrant green color was enough to send my heart a flutter! The guac was excellent! Creamy, citrusy, perfectly seasoned! AH! SEND ME GUAC!


I ordered the Shrimp Fajita Salad and was most definitely not disappointed. My shrimp (of which there were about 30) were crisp and seasoned in a smoky and slightly spicy sauce. The veggies were tender and flavorful and it was served alongside a fresh pico de gallo (plus more guac!) I could've easily done without the shell though. The tortilla was overly greasy and the sautéed veggies made it soggy anyway. Skip the shell and just use chips.

Service: our server was fantastic! She was attentive, friendly and definitely on top of our needs. Despite the large table (9 people), no one went without drink refills or to-go boxes.


Cleanliness: everything was clean and organized.


After dinner, Nate and I took a quick solo detour to the Montgomery Distillery, 129 West Front Street, Missoula, MT 59802. Unfortunately for us, we didn't realize they closed at 8:00 PM, and it was already 7:45. Our server however said we could order 2 drinks each at once, or order doubles. We opted to get doubles. The distillery tasting room is modern with nods of vintage. There is a huge mirror behind the bar and the tables are unfinished woods and dark metals. There's also a large copper still displayed in the window facing the street.


In addition to selling their own alcohol for purchase in drinks or bottles, there is a small corner dedicated to local craftsmen. You can purchase art, jewelry and perfume made with their Whyte Ladie gin.


Nate recalls visiting this distillery during his first trip to Missoula and tasting the only two spirits they offered at the time - Vodka and Aquavit.

In 3 years they've expanded to include Gin, Rye Whiskey and Single Malt Whiskey.


Nate ordered a double of their rye, which smelled so much sweeter than it tasted. I didn't personally care for the liquor, but I also don't really like ryes...or my whiskeys neat.


I opted for the Go Gingerly cocktail made with gin, ginger, basil and grapefruit. It was delicious and refreshing. I also bought a bottle of gin to take home! Oh! I just realized I also have all the ingredients of this cocktail at home - be right back while I fix one up!

After we were kicked out at 8:00, we returned to the hotel to gather around the fire pit with the family and enjoy each other's company.

Day 3

Day 3 began with another hike, this time up Blue Mountain. After a 45 minute drive up sometimes concerning terrain (washboard roads, snow, mud, narrow two-sided roads, steep drop offs, unleashed dogs), we finally came upon a truck that was about to fall off one of the drop offs and decided to go ahead on foot.  Nate and I wandered around the ridge while everyone else went up to the observatory, which was still buried in a few feet deep of snow. After reconvening about 30 minutes later, we made our way back down the mountain.

As none of us had really eaten anything yet and spent awhile exercising, we were hungry again. We decided to check out Bridge Pizza, this adorable little pizza joint offering dine-in, delivery, and carry-out options has a number of specialty pizzas, salads, sandwiches, burritos and pasta dishes to please any guest.


Décor: there is not much by way of décor. The restaurant has a large wall of windows to allow plenty of natural light and a few pieces of art on the walls. There are 2 picnic style tables set up outside and a number of small tables in the restaurant.


Food appearance: it's truly difficult to make pizza look unappetizing.


Food taste: We ordered a basket of Teriyaki wings, a small Spinach Salad (spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese, fresh apple, candied walnuts and poppy seed dressing) and 2 pizzas - The Orange St. (vegetarian) and the Russell St (non-veggie).


The salad was amazing and since I wasn't partaking in the wings, I didn't have to share it! I do love a good spinach salad, don't you?

The pizzas were both very thin crusts and HUGE. The Orange St. was topped with feta, roasted peppers, artichoke hearts and fresh oregano leaves on a white sauce. My only issue with this pizza was it was desperately craving salt. The feta and the artichoke alone weren't enough to stand up to the white sauce. I think the addition of kalamata olives would've put this pizza over the top.

Orange St. Pizza

Russell St. Pizza

The Russell St. was bacon, chicken, red onion and pineapple on BBQ sauce. Obviously I didn't try it so I'll let Nate explain how that was.


Service: the restaurant is one where you walk up to a counter to order and they deliver the food to you. The girl behind the counter was nice enough. She was a little forgetful though and asked us to repeat our order several times. Food was brought out hot and fresh.


Cleanliness: As there were no servers per se, the guests are responsible for cleaning up after themselves, which can often lead to tables remaining dirty.


If you like interesting pizzas for a reasonable price, check out Bridge Pizza.


After lunch we made our second trip to The Big Dipper, this time I ordered a kid's scoop of El Salvador Coffee (I actually GOT Espresso Heath) with a chocolate dip. The line was especially long and the kid taking our order may or may not have been on a certain illegal substance that makes you forgetful and absentminded. The Heath turned out to be a good addition to the chocolate dip, but I wish I had gotten my coffee ice cream instead.


We got our second wind around 5:00 PM and us youngin's headed over to Big Sky Brewing Company's Taproom at 5417 Trumpeter Way, Missoula, MT 59808. As we forgot that this was a Sunday, the tap room closed at 6:00.


Once again, I ordered a flight. My flight included a huckleberry flavored wheat beer (fruity and refreshing, think shandy), a lime flavored wheat beer (tart like a sour but not as abrasive), a watermelon and cucumber concoction (I took one drink and almost spat it out) and an imperial stout (definitely my favorite of the flight). I ended up ordering an 8 oz stout before the taproom closed.

Top: Huck It; Middle-Left: MerLimeRWeisse; Middle-Right: Watermelon Cucumber Summer Ale; Bottom: Ivan the Terrible

Still feeling like being out and about, we mosied over to Highlander Beer at 200 International Drive, Missoula, MT 59808 to keep the party going! The expansive Taphouse had a number of tables inside, a large U-shaped bar, a kids corner (low key I judge you for bringing your kids to a brewery though) and a beautiful patio alongside the river. Since it was beautiful outside, we were on the patio. And once again, I got myself a flight. My beers included the Strawberry Wolf Point Wheat (fantastic and light), Mount Jumbo Northwest IPA (bitter and hoppy), Grapefruit IPA (like drinking alcoholic grapefruit juice), and the Fortress Rock Imperial Stout (rich, malty, chocolately). The Stout was my favorite, until I stole a sip of the Americano Dark Mild, which was just like drinking a cup of morning coffee! It was excellent! It was wonderful to get to know Sam and his girlfriend a little bit better and in a relaxed setting.

From left to right: Strawberry Wolf Point Wheat, Mount Jumbo Northwest IPA, Grapefruit IPA, Fortress Rock Imperial Stout
Side note: HOW ADORABLE ARE THESE GLASSES?!

In addition to the beer, the Taphouse offers pizza and typical bar snacks.


By 8:00 PM, Mama and Papa Hart were hungry so we picked them up and headed over to The Montana Club, we visited the location at 4561 Reserve, Missoula, MT 59808.


Décor: the interior of the restaurant evokes visions of a log cabin. Light wood exposed ceilings and support beams, stone fireplaces, and portraits of wild horses and open landscapes.


Food appearance: this is definitely the nicest restaurant we ate at all weekend so you can bet there were no plastic plates and paper napkins here. Every dish was plated precisely and elegantly.


Food taste: the menu is expansive with sea food and steaks to burgers and salads. The group ordered the Gryo Mini Taco appetizer, which I didn't partake in, but I tried the Tzatziki Sauce, which was creamy and full of dill.


As I was still full of beer, I ordered from the so-called "Small Plates" menu. To call my Chipotle Salmon small is a joke. This fillet (easily 3 oz) was topped with Chipotle Sour Cream, house made Pico de Gallo and served with a salad, I also ordered a side fries with ranch well because fries with ranch. I think even had I not been filled with liquids I would've been completely satisfied with this dish.

Does this look "small" to you?

Huckleberry Martini - not my style, way too sweet

Everyone else at the table ordered steaks, crab legs or lobster.


Service: We were a tad confused as to who our server was because one girl took our drink order, another took our food order, the first came back to serve us and the second cleared our plates. They were both nice enough and attentive though.


Cleanliness: everything in the restaurant was clean and tidy, as to be expected from a chain restaurant with 6 locations throughout Montana.


I would recommend this restaurant but it feels too..chain-y for my taste. I feel like Missoula had so many adorable little local spots that it almost seemed a shame to give up a chance to go to one of them to go here. But this trip was definitely not about me and I appreciated that Mama and Papa Hart took me anywhere. (THANKS MOM AND DAD! I'M ABSOLUTELY IN NO WAY COMPLAINING)


Monday morning was back to reality. We flew back to Raleigh with no delays or issues, rested up and Tuesday was back to the office.


Stay tuned for some more great reviews, jokes and recipes and as always, thank you for reading!