Back to the West!
Bye bye, cannoli; hello, chicken-fried steak!
I was still savoring the memory of two weeks in Sicily and a few days in Barcelona, considering how best to share the experience in this newsletter when suddenly there I was airborne once again en route to Bozeman, Montana. Sad life to be forever traveling—but someone has to do it!
My husband Jeff had driven to a travel conference in Cody, Wyoming, shortly after our return, and I had reluctantly agreed to meet him a week later in Bozeman.
As beautiful as I know this southwestern Montana town just 90 miles north of Yellowstone National Park to be, I wasn’t ready to travel again quite so soon. I wanted to try cooking some of those Sicilian specialties I’d been tasting, return to a daily routine—and to sensible eating (whatever that might be!). Too many helpings of gelato, cannoli, pasta and pizza, followed by generous samplings of tapas on the Rambla de Catalunya was doing a number on my waistline. No matter how many “steps” I logged daily, it would never be enough to burn all those extra calories!
But there I was stepping off the plane at the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, staring out the plate glass windows at the stunning mountain scenery (this is really one of the prettiest airports I’ve ever seen, though, sadly I didn’t take any pictures!) and thinking, “No, Ruth, you’re not in Palermo anymore.” And of course when my husband came to pick me up, his first words were, “Wait ‘til you see this cafe. I had the BEST grilled cheese there. It’ll blow your mind.”
Okay, putting aside that Jeff never met a grilled cheese sandwich he didn’t like (though I know he’ll dispute this statement!), shoveling down more calorie-laden fare wasn’t what I had in mind—though, of course, I gave in, because what else are you going to do when you’re traveling?
The name of the restaurant is the Western Cafe, and the building it inhabits is more than 150 years old—nothing, I know, when compared to the antiquities we saw in Sicily, but considered quite old in these parts! It began life as a family home (on land purchased for $49!), becoming a restaurant called Nickel Lunch in the early 1930’s, then assuming its current moniker in 1956. The sign out front carries a proud play on the Montana slogan, though I’d venture to say there are a few historic cafes around that would dispute it.
When we returned a day or two later, Jeff ordered the “Best in the West” breakfast special: chicken-fried steak, biscuits with sausage gravy, two fried eggs, French fries, and a dish of huckleberry ice cream to cap it off. Good news folks: he’s still alive!
I had a very large blueberry pancake—and a lot of bites of what Jeff had. I was surprised to discover that chicken-fried steak, the subject of a lot of curiosity, bad jokes and even a T-shirt, is actually delicious, and, despite the name, doesn’t include chicken. It’s basically a cube steak, or other tenderized piece of beef, breaded and fried in the manner of traditional fried chicken. Aha! It’s joining the list of future recipes I hope to attempt, assuming I ever return to my kitchen! Anybody got a good recipe?
Bumps (and worse!) in the road
As I write this, we’ve arrived in the town of Victor, Idaho, just across a mountain pass from gorgeous Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, which we visited last year and hoped to see again. Unfortunately, there has been what local transportation officials term “a catastrophic failure”—a road collapse compounded by a mudslide that makes the highway impassible for the foreseeable future. Luckily, no one was injured. There is a way to get to the park, but it takes at least an hour and a half longer, so we’re hanging out here. There’s a lot to love about this side of the Tetons—including a wonderful little place famed for its huckleberry milkshakes that I wrote about last summer. You can read about it here:
Meanwhile, here are a few photo highlights (mostly not food-related!) from our trip so far.
There’s a beautiful hike to an “M” in the hillside above the city of Bozeman, created to represent Montana State University. It’s not too difficult, and there are plenty of scenic places to rest.
At an exhibit at in the Albright Visitor Center at Yellowstone National Park’s Mammoth Hot Springs, we learned that millions of wild bison once roamed the American west in the 1800’s and were slaughtered by buffalo hunters. In 1902, Congress funded a bison restoration program. According to a recent article in the New York Times (for free access, click here), the bison at Yellowstone now number about 5,000, the country’s largest herds on public land, though nowhere near their peak once upon a time. With bison burgers and chili being so popular around here, I doubt you’ll ever see the masses of yore.
We really needed more than a day to take in the wonders of Yellowstone National Park, America’s first national park. Created in 1872, it is said to contain almost half the world’s active geysers. We only had time to see a few, but we made the best of it and managed to visit Mammoth Hot Springs and Old Faithful, undoubtedly the most famous geyser in the world, its name deriving from its regular eruptions. When we were there, they were happening about every 100 minutes, and we were lucky enough to witness one along with about 400 other people in a rock concert-like setting—it was quite a sight.
Pièce de Resistance: The Crazy Brakeman
And finally, here in Victor, dinnertime found us once again giving in to temptation with a visit to yet another all-American eatery, The Brakeman American Grill, which as its name implies, had a railroad-themed decor and menu. Jeff, on a quest to for eye-popping images for his Photowalks TV YouTube channel, ordered what our server Alma told us would be the most photogenic burger, “The Crazy Brakeman,” a half-pounder topped with bacon, grilled onions and mushrooms, and jalapeños, smothered in melted Colby-Jack cheese, served with lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo in a bun from a prized local bakery.
The burger arrived just as the skies opened, lightning cracked, thunder boomed, and a huge volley of rain, then hail poured down, sounding like retribution.
Even, reducing the meat to a quarter-pound, the burger looked almost impossible to get your mouth around—but somehow he managed, and it was demolished in short order, along with the skinny, hand-cut fries, as we stared through the steamy windows at the growing puddles and hail outside and hoped never to leave.
And that’s it from Idaho, now overcast with the sun playing peek-a-boo in the clouds. I’m feeling sad for the many workers who live here who will have to begin their week with two-hour-plus commutes (compared to 45 minutes before) to and from their jobs at the resorts, restaurants, shops and parks in Wyoming. For us, the issue isn’t so difficult. Do we stay and attempt the long detour to see the wonders of the Tetons from the other side or just stick around town for another huckleberry shake—and maybe a long curl-up with a good book? I’m afraid the answer is obvious.
Next stop Park City, Utah, hoping for good roads and not so many tempting eats!
P.S.: I haven’t forgotten about my promise of a Sicily Foodie Tales, Part 2. Look for it in late June once we’re back in L.A.
As always, thanks so much for your likes, comments, shares and subscriptions. Also, a very special welcome to new subscribers. I’m so glad you’re here.
Until next time!
Ruth
Once again I am late reading this post. Sorry 😞 but better late than never. I agree with everyone—your photos are always so nice, and convinces me to put Montana on my places to visit. I went to Idaho once but I wasn’t super impressed; maybe I just went to the wrong place. At any rate, Yellowstone is one of those “places I must visit before I die” kind of places. Thanks for highlighting it, Ruth! 👏🏻
I’m salivating over the huckleberry ice cream, one of my all-time favorites. Keep the summer travelogues coming, Ruth! You’ll have time this fall to cook…