Montana/Utah/ Idaho restaurants ?

[Rosie]

Any restaurant recommendations for Bozeman, Helena,Great Falls, Kalispell, Whitefish, Missoula, Dillon Montana; Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Salt Lake City Utah for dinner would be appreciated. Enjoy gourmet dining as well as places that locals dine at. Price not a factor. Thanks.

[Gogirul]

For Whitefish MT (haven't ventured to Bozeman, planned for next year though ,and ID) you must try Tupeloe's. Authentic creole/cajun dining. Very good and the owners are from LA if I remember correctly. Reasonable too. Hope this helps!

[Gogirul]

One more I thought of: Pollo Grill Rotisserie. Great escargot, foul, and seafood and good selection of wines. I am not sure if either of these are open, but they were good a couple of years ago.

[Rosie]

Thank-you. Keep 'em coming.

[Tha Groovin' Gourmet]

Any restaurant recommendations for Bozeman, Helena,Great Falls, Kalispell, Whitefish, Missoula, Dillon Montana; Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Salt Lake City Utah for dinner would be appreciated. Enjoy gourmet dining as well as places that locals dine at. Price not a factor. Thanks.

Can't say much for the Montana part of your question...traveled there a bunch, but nothing really memorable.

Idaho Falls you might try Jaker's. Standard steak and seafood kinda place, but more than decent.

Your opportunities open up once you get to Salt Lake and environs. On the way in from the north a meal at Maddox is always in order, either the sit-down restaurant or the drive-in. Brigham City area...pretty famous place.

Best Mex in town is Red Iguana just west of downtown on North Temple. More regional/interior style as opposed to Americanized. The do a bunch of different moles and do them well.

Bambara in the Hotel Monaco in downtown Salt Lake is considered one of the best in town...we just wish the chef would cut loose a bit more.

We really like Cafe Med with it's pan-Mediterranean menu and affable chef.

If you have a hankering for seafood, the Market Street operations (2 near downtown, 1 in the Cottonwood area) offer solid cooking, quality ingredients and good service.

Same parent company (Gastronomy) runs Cafe Baci on Pierpont St, offering "metro Italian dining". It's upscale Northern Italian fare in a gorgeous room. Skip the company's Cafe Pierpont...the only weak link in the chain.

If you are in town on Sunday, brunch at the Grand America is an absolute must. Quite possibly the finest brunch we've yet to experience. The food offerings are copious and quite broad in scope, with New American leanings that are unusual for this type of setting. Service is top notch and the hotel itself is stunningly gorgeous.

[Rooney]

I can help you out in Salt Lake but need to know your interests, price constraints etc.

[Rosie]

Rooney--First of all welcome to eGullet. Thanks for the recommendations. Will only be in Salt Lake City two nights. No price restrictions. Like to try local food and/or gourmet restaurant. Wine list is a must. Log Haven is a James Beard restaurant. Have you been there?

[Rooney]

Thanks for the welcome to the board. My thought on your dining decision is that you ought to focus on combining what is unique, i.e. canyon dining, as opposed to picking a restaurant downtown. That is not to say that Groovin Gourmets recommendations were not right on, they were (although I would add the New Yorker in the Gastronomy group), but what makes this place special is the geography. So if you are willing to drive, I would certainly endorse the selection of Log Haven, which is up Millcreek Canyon, Silver Creek (up Big Cottonwood), the Shallow Shaft (Big Cottonwood), or Ruth's Diner (truly a local's place in Emigration Canyon). There is always Park City, but I personally think the restaurants there are overpriced and overrated. I would be happy to give more detail if you're interested. And there is always La Quaille if you're yearning for a french country estate geese in the pond waitresses with busooms kind of experience.......

[Mabelline]

Also, when in Helena in particular, look for the politicos walking around and ask them for the best. They will know-especially if they're a lobbyist.

[Mabelline]

I wish you were coming to Billings as well. We have quite a few top quality places despite being one of Queen fifi's flyovers!!!

Edited April 28, 2004 by Mabelline (log)

[mckayinutah]

Rosie,

Being a foodservice professional in the Salt Lake Valley, I can comment on some places in Salt Lake City.

Log Haven just won best restaurant in Salt Lake for the 2nd year in a row, although I have heard that one of the editors of the Salt Lake magazine is an investor. Other than that I have eaten there on 2 occassions, once about 3 years ago and last Thanksgiving. Food was alright, nothing spectacular, although the desserts didn't fit the bill ( they are made by a sous chef - don't do enough business for a pastry chef - I know, being one and having inquired in th epast.

Bambara is also good ( I worked there briefly about 2 years ago, with the old exec. chef) but they have a new one, formely exec. sous chef at Emeril's in New Orleans, so it may be worth a try.

Another one to consider is Metropolitan, although they are on their 4th chef in 3 years. My wife and I ate there a few years back. Food was good, I was impressed with the desserts as they don't have a pastry chef either, although there was maybe a total of 15-20 people total eating at the time we were there ( which was 6:00 on a Saturday ) - only open for dinner though.

A little cheaper on the wallet are some of the Gastronomy restaurant group restaurants. Ate at Market Street Grill, in a converted fire station, ( very nice and the busiest of all their restaurants) this past winter with the wife. Very large portions ( not good for a pastry chef trying to sell desserts ) but good food, desserts needed some help though.

Just to add. La Caille is VERY expensive, and by many people, not worth it. I haven't been there, so this is only a suggestion. Very nice grounds though.

Hope this helps,

Jason

[Rosie]

These are great. THANK-YOU.

Rooney--What do you mean by " if you are willing to drive?" We are willing to drive for a great meal. How far is the drive. I think we are staying near the airport in SLC as we arrive in late. Will sightsee the next day and the day after that drive to the Tetons.

We are serious diners. When we went to The French Laundry we made our restaurant reservations first and then got our plane tickets!

[mantee]

There is a roadside PIE place on the highway outside of Jackson when you are coming from Utah. It's not far from the cross intersection where you'll make a right. (That's the windy mountain road that drops you in Jackson). It's full of lonely ranch hands, mugs of coffee and a long list of homemade pies. The name might be Betty's.

[Rosie]

There is a roadside PIE place on the highway outside of Jackson when you are coming from Utah. It's not far from the cross intersection where you'll make a right. (That's the windy mountain road that drops you in Jackson). It's full of lonely ranch hands, mugs of coffee and a long list of homemade pies. The name might be Betty's.

Thanks. Love local places. Sounds delicious.

[HKDave]

Not sure if you saw this, I did a SLC mini-report in the forum a few months ago:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=38408

[Rosie]

Saw your posting HKDave. Thanks.

[Rosie]

What about Idaho Falls? Any recommendations?

[Rosie]

Leaving soon. Any other recommendations?

[Rooney]

One more suggestion. If you're driving from Jackson to SLC I would suggest that you take the route that goes thru Bear Lake and Logan. It is a gorgeous drive. In Logan, stick your head into the Bluebird Cafe to go back in time many decades (the food probably sucks, though, but just go in and look). And in Brigham City, there is a restaurant that is legendary for downhome Utah cooking called Maddox. Probably no liquor service. Save room for pie (the cocomut cream pie is incredible). They raise their own cattle, and the fried chicken is great.

On your drive, if you go through Star Valley (in Wyoming) stop at the cheese factory. Their ice cream is terrific.

[Bicycle Lee]

got to the Metropolitan...the "new" chef is really good...he has very clean and interesting flavors and is a nice guy to boot... I know, I work there.

Edited June 28, 2004 by Bicycle Lee (log)

[Rosie]

Having come home from driving 2700 miles thru Utah, Wyoming, mostly Montana and Idaho I can tell you that in my limited 3 week experience these states are culinary wastelands. However, this was not a "food" vacation but a visual one and these states are magnificient. The scenery, wildlife, wildflowers, snow capped mountains and hiking made the the trip memorable. Love being able to drive 100 miles with a 75 MPH speed limit and not see anything but the plains and mountains.

Enjoyed dinner at Log Haven in Utah although the chef puts too made flavors on one plate. Had fabulous dinners at Corner House Grille, Whitefish Montana, Scotty's Table in Missoula, Montana and a very good lunch at Sweetwater Restaurant, Jackson, Wyoming. Otherwise forget about it!!

Dinners at the National Parks (Tetons, Yellowstone and Glacier) tasted like frozen entrees that had been reheated. At the Tetons Lowell ordered a buffalo burger medium rare and was told that the National Park Service will only serve the burger well done. Actually we found even when we ordered our meat/fish medium rare it always came out well done.

The food at Hong Kong Tea House in Salt Lake City was barely edible.

But like I said this was not meant to be a culinary vacation. Thank you all for your suggestions.

[Richard Kilgore]

Having come home from driving 2700 miles thru Utah, Wyoming, mostly Montana and Idaho I can tell you that in my limited 3 week experience these states are culinary wastelands.

What? Plenty of more than decent food in SLC and surounding areas. Robert Redford's restaurant at Sundance was memorable when I was there.

I have not been, but Russell Chatham's Livingston Bar & Grill should be more than edible.

Speak up, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho. Defend your culinary selves.

[mckayinutah]

Having come home from driving 2700 miles thru Utah, Wyoming, mostly Montana and Idaho I can tell you that in my limited 3 week experience these states are culinary wastelands.

What? Plenty of more than decent food in SLC and surounding areas. Robert Redford's restaurant at Sundance was memorable when I was there.

I have not been, but Russell Chatham's Livingston Bar & Grill should be more than edible.

Speak up, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho. Defend your culinary selves.

The Tree room at Sundance is on their 2nd chef since Jason Knibb has left ( which has only been a few months ), so they aren't up to where they used to be.

The Grand America , built primarily for the Olympics, is on their 3rd GM, 3rd Exec. Chef, and 3rd Exec. Pastry Chef, all in a span of 2 1/2 years. So no stability in the food there.

Utahn also do not seem to be appreciative of good food. They rather load up their 10 to 12 kids and hit the local buffet.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, having lived in other areas of the country besides Utah, I think the tough alcohol laws really hurt the more upscale dining destinations here.

I also think that Utah doesn't attract the 'better" chefs that it could ( those that are good generally have left ) primarily because of a certain religious group that has a strangle hold on everything here.

If you cough the wrong way you get weird stares

The mountains are great as is the skiing, but don't expect SLC to become a dining mecca anytime soon.

Jason

[Richard Kilgore]

Sorry to hear about The Tree Room. I hope it stabilzes with a good exec chef and pc. I was there a few years ago and I am sure that things have changed, but the menu that day was very, very good and the room was stunning. I don't know who the chefs were at that time.

[chow guy]

I just got back from SLC and found some good chow. The Red Iguana was great for mole. The waiter let me try all 6 varieties (the black and the yellow were my faves). Don't miss Ruths' Diner out in a nearby Canyon for brunch outside on their shaded patio. It's well worth the wait for a table. Hires Big H for burgers is also a good choice. We stayed in Park City and had some good meals there too. Kampai for sushi, Washau (sp?) Brew Pub at the top of the hill had great pub fare and house brewed beer. There is also a pricey Pan Asian place on the main drag whose name I can't remember.