Sunday, March 30, 2014

Welcome To The Food in My Home Town - Havre, Montana


I live along the Hi-Line in north central Montana…south of Havre….on a ranch in the foothills of the Bear Paw Mountains.  I am preparing to retire and move permanently to Arizona where my son and his family live. Before I leave I want to reminisce about all the local good eats.

 

Let me tell you about all the good places to eat in Havre.  I especially want to tell you about all the good food to eat.  I am sure that all of us feel like this about the food where we live.  Send me a note and share where you live and all the good food that is just particular to your hometown.

 

When friends from out of state come to visit.  I pick them up at the airport in Great Falls.  As soon as we arrive in Havre….here’s the route!

 

Rod’s Drive-In                      Home of the Ugly Burger

1827 5th Avenue

Havre, Montana 59501

(406) 265-9781

 

There isn’t quite anything like an Ugly Burger.  It is a double patty…and comes with lots of lettuce…and  really juicy with all the condiments…so juicy they put it in a special white paper holder before they wrap it up in the aluminum wrap to keep it warm.  I must say it isn’t the uniqueness of the burger….it is the great taste of the burger.  And…the bun is toasted.  I feel that a really good burger has to have a toasted bun.

 

I always choose curly fries to go with it.  The orders are huge.  They taste best with the fry sauce…so order it…and not ketchup…unless you have to have ketchup on your fries.  I also love the Onion Rings too…so for an extra $1 or so you can get fries.

 

Don’t leave town without trying this great burger.

 

Note:  Another great menu item at Rod’s is the Chicken Strip Basket…three huge pieces of deep fat fried breaded chicken breasts…choice of fries…cole slaw…Texas toast.  ( Don’t forget to ask for Ranch Dressing for dipping your chicken…and Fry Sauce for dipping your fries.)  It is a huge dinner.  Jo Martin and I always share an order for a quick dinner.

 

Don’t even stop to think.  After your burger and fries, drive north on Fifth Avenue until you reach our local Dairy Queen.   Don’t even look at the menu…just order a nut whip.  They come in many flavors.   My favorites are – Hot Fudge Nut Whips, Blackberry Nut Whips and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Nut Whips.

 

Dairy Queen

535 Fifth Avenue

Havre, Montana

(406) 265-7221

 

Nowhere else in Montana can you buy a Nut Whip at the Dairy Queen…maybe nowhere else in the world.

 

Later in the evening  call Nalivka’s and order the world’s best pizza…thin, flakey crust…and the freshest ingredients…homemade sauces…all come together for the best pizza pie I have ever eaten.  My favorites:  Pepperoni,  Polish Sausage and Sauerkraut (sounds not so appetizing but is delicious) and the McNutt – comes with a hot zing at the end of every bite.

 

 

Nalivka’s Original Pizza Kitchen

1032 1st Street

Havre, Montana

(406) 265-4050

 

They also have Homemade Steak Soup packaged to take home.  It is a family recipe in a thin white cream sauce loaded with pieces of ground up steak….and finely chopped vegetables.

 

When you spend a day with me visiting and eating all of these great spots in Havre I call it the “Havre Trifecta”.  It’s a winner!

 

Best steak in town:

 

Andy’s Supper Club

658 1st Street West

Havre, Montana 59501

(406) 265-9963

 

This is a fine example of the family owned long time steak houses that dot the Midwestern slice of the United States.

 

I always order the Half Cut Tenderloin.  You will be served a sizzling steak on a wooden tray with an inserted slotted  metal tray.  Each of the dinners is served with a relish tray, shrimp cocktail, fresh salad, ravioli and garlic bread.  You get your choice of baked potato, fries, hashbrowns or steam rice.  The baked potatoes come with all the garnishments..and it is loaded.

 

I always tell the good with the bad…and my only objection at Andy’s is that they put an extra charge on your credit card if you pay by credit card.  I don’t believe in this.  Accepting credit cards should always be a cost of doing business.  I think this practice cheapens the establishment.  The profit from one drink when ordered from the bar should more than enough pay for any credit card charge.

 

Best Mexican in town:

 

The Guadalajara Restaurant

335 1st Street Suite 104

Havre, Montana 59501

(406) 265-1852

 

Cash and credit cards only – no checks.

My friends and I eat here as often as possible.  The menu is very encompassing…and the food is delicious.

 

Some of favorites:

 

Carnitas de Res – thin strips of beef sautéed with onions, tomatoes and green peppers.  Garnished with guacamole and pico de gallo.

 

Arroz con Pollo – tender strips of chicken breast sautéed in a special sauce with onions and mushrooms.   Served over a bed of rice with melted cheese.  Garnished with onions and tomatoes.  Served with flour tortillas.

 

Steak a la Mexicana – thin strips of beef sautéed with onions and green peppers, covered in the restauarnt’s  own Spanish salsa.

 

Chile Verde – tender chunks of pork cooked and simmered in a light green tomatillo sauce.  Served with rice and beans. You get your choice of two flour tortillas or three corn tortillas.

 

Carne Asada – thin cut broiled steak garnished with guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo.

 

Everything is served with rice and beans.  What I like about the beans is the way the cheese is served and melted on top of the beans.

 

The menu contains a whole page of combinations so you are always able to order tacos, enchiladas, chalupas, taquitos, flautas, burritos, fajitas, et al.

 

I will be describing more of this restaurant’s offerings as I continue to eat there.

 

Best Lunches in Town:

 

If you like soup, you must try the menu at :

 

Henny Penny Cupcakes and Cake Creations

215 Third Avenue

Havre, Montana 59501

(406) 262-7886

Hours:  10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.   Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

 

 

My favorites:

 

Tuscany soup…a light cream broth...loaded with sausage…potatoes and spinach…served with the a huge homemade roll...just out of the oven…loaded with butter.

 

Potato with Bacon – heavy white creamy broth

 

Stuffed Green Pepper – this soup tastes as if you are eating a stuffed green pepper.

 

Creamy Tomato – creamy-type tomato broth complete with tomato pieces.

 

Plus, never leave without trying a cupcake.  You will love them so get your card for a free cupcake after ten.  It is amazing how quickly one gets to ten.

 

My Favorites:

 

  1. Peanut Butter 
  2.  Almond Joy
  3.  Banana Cream Pie
  4.  Coconut Snoball
  5.  Butterfinger

 

Let me know what your favorite cupcakes are.

 

If you prefer a good sandwich…especially accompanied by a cup or bowl of homemade soup then you must stop here for lunch:

 

Grateful Bread, The

Atrium

Havre, Montana 59501

Owners: Rick and Sheila Neuwerth

Rick is the bread baker.  They also serve lunches…homemade soup and sandwiches…on great homemade bread

 

Great place for lunch…this bakery is open until 2:00 p.m.

 

Cash and checks only…no credit cards.

 

Triple Cheese Panini:  Provolone, Swiss and Cheddar Cheese, sweet red bell peppers, Bermuda onions and special sweet mustard seed blend…grilled with a light spread of garlic butter herb sauce…my bread choice:  Cibatta

Soup:  Cream of Tomato

 

I will be adding more soups and sandwiches to this blog as I try them.  I have some really great favorites but I need to describe them to you…such as Chicken Salad, Sheila Style…BLT…

 

I am sure that you will be able to find something to whet your appetite in my home town.  Writing this blog makes me think of all the good restaurants that no longer exist in Havre.  I will write about them in some of my upcoming blogs.

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Cozy Corner Cafe - Fairfield, Montana

I am sitting at home thinking about the good time that I should be having at Freezeout Lake.  Last year about this time we decided to drive into Fairfield so that Jo Martin  could grab a quick bite to eat.  She has to watch her sugar levels.


We decided to try the Cozy Corner Café to see if they had homemade pie.  I have to tell you that homemade pie is my passion...both to bake and to eat.  I will choose homemade pie every day over cake and cookies.


We were told that they only had a few pieces left...one piece of apple and three pieces of blueberry.  Darn!  Neither of those are on my "favorite list".  Okay, Miss Cathy Jamruszka I will have a piece of blueberry just as you are ordering...and of course, "ala mode".    What luck!


This piece of heated blueberry pie loaded with vanilla ice cream had to have been the best piece of blueberry pie that I have ever eaten in my life.   Glad that I tried a piece.  Now I am sitting dreaming about that blueberry pie.  A another piece ala mode would be wonderful.



Friday, March 28, 2014

Choteau, Montana - Snow Geese and Good Food




It is usually this time of the year that I make my way to Choteau, Montana with several of my birding friends –Jo Martin, Carol Reifschneider and Cathy Jamruszka -  for our annual trip to Freezeout Lake to welcome the snow geese  to one of their annual stops on their migration route back to their nesting grounds in the arctic.  It’s also my time to meet college friends Patricia McLaughlin, Glenn Violette, Mary Meister and Doug Anderson for the weekend of glorious early morning liftoffs of hundreds of thousands of snow geese….Ross’s geese…
 
This is a time of good food at the local restaurants in the small town along “the front” up next to the famous Bob Marshall Wilderness.


I like to plan Friday evening dinner at:

Elk Country Grill
925 Main Street
Choteau, Montana
(406) 466-3311
Hours:  Monday – Saturday 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Prime Rib every Saturday night

I am usually traveling with Jo Martin.  My traditional favorite is the Hamburger Steak with baked potato from the Seniors Menu.  It is served with very tasty onions and mushrooms in a brown gravy...and a cucumber coleslaw (I really like because it doesn’t have a lot of dressing on it.)

Jo likes the Ribeye off the Seniors Menu..the very large piece of meat is served about an 1-1.5” thick... she also has the baked potato and the cucumber coleslaw.

We both choose the Seafood Chowder over the salad.  It is a tasty…homemade...thin cream broth with lots of carrots and potato chunks…and includes a small loaf of wheat bread with butter.

Our favorite appetizers include the Fried Dill Pickle… served with a Wasabi-Ranch Dip…it has quite the bite to it,  the onion rings…huge order…served with a dip…almost like a fry sauce, or the Chili Cheese Rangoons…a stuffed type of wantons.

And of course the “must” - Homemade  Coconut Cream Pie…loaded with lots of coconut and the crust is always thin and perfect.
 

We can always be found enjoying an early morning breakfast at:


John Henry’s Family Restaurant
215 Main Avenue
Choteau, Montana
(406) 466-5642
Hours:  6:00 a.m  - 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday 6:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Open until 10:00 p.m. on Friday

Jo Martin, Carol Reifschneider, and Cathy Jamruszka  will traditionally order the  “huge” Breakfast Burrito.  My favorites are either the stack of Two Pancakes and Bacon or the Two Eggs, Crisp Bacon, Crisp Hashbrowns and Rye Toast.


We are known to never miss a meal either at:

Log Cabin Cafe
102 S. Main
Chouteau, Montana
Hours:  11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Tuesday – Friday
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Saturday

Restaurant Motto:  Blue Jean Cuisine

Jo Martin and I like the Patty Melt.  The rye bread tastes almost sweet…the meat patty is loaded with grilled onions and Swiss Cheese.  I enjoy the Tomato Bisque…Jo’s favorite is the Zuni Vegetable.  The French Fries are always crisp and hot.

 Jo and I also have a favorite breakfast served in the log cabin -  Biscuits and Gravy, Hashbrowns, Eggs,  choice of Bacon or Sausage.  The biscuits are soft and perfectly shaped…served  withwhite gravy.  Our choice of gravy... has to be a white gravy with bits of sausage.

This year we will not be making the trip.  Jo and I are both not feeling well…to say nothing of the cold, snowy weather.  Darn!  I am going to miss the great food…to say nothing of the sound of the early morning lift off.  It is like no other sound you will ever hear.


Thursday, March 27, 2014

Goode's Q and Bayou Grill Gone

Cindy Smith and I drove to Great Falls on March 18th.  We would be staying overnight in the city in order to catch the early morning flight to Minneapolis and then on to Washington, D.C.  As always we began to discuss where we would go for dinner.  I asked her, "Have you ever eaten at Goode's Q and Bayou Grill?"  She never had so we decided to have dinner there.  I explained to her that it just the best southern food...BBQ...gumbo...Jambalaya...etc.


I was beginning to hunger for my favorite....the huge bowl of Seafood Gumbo....it was served with very large whole shrimp…and you could taste the pieces of scallops in the juice of the gumbo which was delicious but had a kick to it that only enhanced the whole taste of the serving.  All this...and a big piece of cornbread with lots of butter.


Another favorite of mine was the Pork Platter...the juiciest...tastiest BBQ...served with a choice of two sides.


When we arrived at the restaurant...there was no trace of it ever being there.  What a haunting feeling...had I been trapped in a time machine.  We finally tracked down some people in the bar next door.  They told us that they had moved to Billings.  What devastating news.  I guess I will have to begin looking for the restaurant in Billings.


Great Falls doesn't seem able to keep good eating places.  I spent the evening thinking about all of the really good restaurants had opened in Great Falls...and closed in a very short time.   Here are some of my old favorites....let me know about some of yours that are no longer in business.


The Breaks Ale House and Grill
Bear Grass Grille
Mozart's Bistro
Ristorante Portofino
Sedgies




                            







Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Dinner at the Cafe Dupont - Washington, D. C. - March 22, 2014

Saturday night was a terrible night to venture out for dinner without reservations so once again we decided to try the Café Dupont for dinner.


I chose the Risotto – squash risotto caramelized onions, dried cranberries, pickled Brussels sprouts.  It was delicious.  It had a sweet taste but not too sweet.  The cranberries gave it a delicious crunch ..to the very moist risotto.  It was even more tasty than the risotto that I ate in the town of Bellagio on Lake Como.  It was my favorite up until this meal.


Cindy ordered the Chicken – leek and potato mousse, bread dumpling, brussel sprouts.
 
Café Dupont
1500 New Hampshire Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036

French Brasseries
Executive Chef – David Fritsche


 

Dinner at Estadio - Washington, D, C. - March 20, 2014

Estadio
1520 14th Street NW
Logan Circle
Washington, D. C.
(202) 319-1404


We finished the evening by walking to dinner at Estadio - I ordered Mussels in Garlic, White Wine, Parsley and Lemon…Cindy ordered Grilled Pork Loin, Crispy Kale and Roasted Pears…we split an order of Blistered Shishito Peppers, Olive Oil and Sea Salt (these were wonderful).   Because we sat at the chef’s counter we watched them put the peppers in a fryer…dip them in the hot oil…put another basket over the top of the peppers....blistering the peppers.  These were perfect.


We ordered a House Made Bread Basket…perfect for dunking in the garlic, white wine, parsley and lemon sauce served with the mussels.


They are famous for their  Slushitos – first we each ordered a


Cranberry, Gin and Anise, Cava Slushitos..then a Ginger, Bourbon, Lager and Brown Sugar Slushitos.  We liked the Cranberry one the best...and adult Slurpee!

Spanish
Chef:  Haidar Karoum

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Breakfast at the Cafe Dupont - March 20, 2014

I spent March 19 - March 23, 2014 in Washington, D. C.  I traveled with Cindy Smith to the National Association of Community Health Center Association to attend this organization's annual conference.  We stayed at The DuPont Circle Hotel. 


The most wonderful café was tucked into the hotel named the Café Dupont.  We decided to eat breakfast at the café the morning of March 20th.


We both decided to try the Bananas Rum French Toast with Pecans.  OMG!  We were served two pieces of Banana Bread French Toast.  Between the two thick slices was a mashed banana rum mixture with full pieces of pecans.  It was served with fresh fruit…blueberries…strawberries and blackberries….and slices of crisp bacon.


It was delicious...to die for...and not too sweet as long as you dump all of the maple syrup on the French Toast.

Monday, March 24, 2014

How the blog started

I have always wanted to write a food blog.  My problem...what to name the blog.  So this past week I was in Washington, D. C. at a meeting.  The Montana delegation had attended two Happy Hours.  When the  conversation turned to my food blog, Olivia Riutta from the Montana Primary Care Association,  channeled her Mother.. and immediately shouted out, "Frontier Foodie."  We all liked it...and so the blog was created.


I thought that as I travel around the state and the country that I would write about all of my favorite restaurants and eats that I eat with my friends.   Likewise if anyone following my blog is planning a trip, feel free to ask me about my favorite restaurants and eats along your route.


I thought that I would begin with three of my favorites from Washington, D. C.  Stay tuned.