Taste of Bozeman

Rating ■■■■□ 4.4 / 5 "An impressive scone!"

Reviewed by Craig Dugas

Rating: ■■■■□ 4.5 / 5 "Like fire in your mouth"

Reviewed by Eric Barnes

I was in the mood for something Asian, so I ordered a custom dish with yakisoba noodles, Korean barbecued beef, and sesame garlic sauce topped with green onions. Much to my surprise, it was the tastiest meal I have had from the Naked Noodle to date. The beef was very tender and spicy--very much true to Korean bulgogi style. The flavorful sesame and garlic sauce went hand-in-hand with the beef. The only downside was that when I finished eating the noodles, I was left with a plate of watery sauce. A spoon was required.

I'm definitely going to order this again. Sometimes the best things in life are custom-made.

Rating: ■■■■□ 3.75 / 5 "The Frank's Experience"

Reviewed by Jane Crites

Most people wouldn’t think “fine-dining” upon viewing the modest building that holds Frank’s Custom Catering and Deli. Tucked away in the basement of this local favorite sandwich shop was a whole new world for this foodie. Frank’s Deli is known for its tasty sandwiches and the sassy disposition of its proprietor by day, but hopes to be known soon as fine eatery by night. Walking into the establishment you immediately see the fast-order counter below a large sign filled with the various mid-day offerings. A large refrigerator holding various bottles and cans of your typical lunch time beverages stands on your left and dead ahead is a small bar complete with barstools, napkin holders and condiments. Walking through the open kitchen between the cart full of chips and snacks, posters advertising local events and stacks of dishes you head to the top of the stairs which leads down to the dining room. Upon first glance you become somewhat anxious as to what sort of ambiance awaits you on the lower level. If the journey is any indication as to how the final destination will be some adventurers might turn around and never turn back, however we ventured on.

Much to my surprise at the bottom of the stairs awaits an elegant dining room. The room is cozy with light green colored walls with a large horizontal mirror that stretches along the East side wall. Various artwork is splashed about the room which gives it a very warm, welcoming feeling. It reminds me very much of those small French restaurants that locals go to that are off the beaten path. The subtle sound of jazz plays in the background to complete the atmosphere.

Looking over the menu, it is exciting to see a unique and delicious selection so much so it is difficult to decide what to enjoy. It is obvious that Chef Frank Winkler has a passion and love for culinary creations. His twenty years of experience shines through in his unique combinations. Since we were with friends we decided to order several things and share.

Although I mention all the menu items that we decided to sink our teeth into I won’t go into detail of each one instead I would rather focus on my favorites. We started off with the Forester Wood-fired pizza which had roasted garlic, wild mushrooms, fontina and mozzarella cheeses topped with fresh arugula and shaved parmesan. Wow! It was absolutely incredible. For me, I can always tell a good pizza when I want to eat the crust. The wild mushrooms had beautiful earthy flavor wrapped with the subtle taste of roasted garlic. The cheeses were perfectly melted on the wood fired crust. The arugula was a refreshing little addition that tied in some very nice texture.

The next course we went with two appetizers -the Sautéed Maryland Crab Cakes served with remoulade and the home-made wild mushroom ravioli tossed in a fresh herb white truffle broth. The crab cakes were nice, a little small but it was an appetizer shared by four people. Plus, they were rather rich, unlike other restaurants in town that serve crab cakes these were 90% crab meat. My favorite here was the home-made ravioli. It was one of those pasta dishes that was rich and full of flavor but wasn’t heavy which is sometimes difficult to accomplish. The ravioli was a hearty helping – it could have easily been served as an entrée for most people. Our salads were rather basic but nice. I wasn’t really expecting something extraordinary but wasn’t disappointed by any means. Our main courses arrived shortly after we finished our salads. We went for the Osso Bucco with truffled polenta, Chicken Picata with a lemon-white sauce and capers served over fresh angel hair pasta and the Swiss Style Veal with Spaetzle. (For those of you that don’t know Spaetzle is basically the equivalent of a southern dumpling only it is the size of a piece of macaroni). The Swiss Style Veal with Spaetzle was earth-moving, ground shaking and overall life changing-ly incredible. I found myself going back several times to delight my taste buds with this dish. If I could break down what I think about this dish in two words they would be – ORDER IT! It was I have to say, Bad-ass. Of course there are those who don’t like the idea or taste of veal, in which case go for the chicken picatta. It was quite good as well but I make something similar at home that I enjoy just as much if not more. The Osso Bucco was not my favorite but the accompanying truffled polenta was tasty. The night was finished with the home-made tiramisu – dense creamy goodness- and a cup of decaf.

For those who don’t mind spending a little coin on a nice meal (entrees range from $18-25) I would definitely recommend Frank’s. If you want to watch your pennies you may want to consider sticking to Frank’s by day or ordering a wood-fired pizza (~$14) to take it home for something that can satisfy without hurting the pocketbook. Also, I should mention that the service was stellar! Overall, I do believe that Frank’s fine eatery is just what this town needs for a night on the town that is off the beaten path - for locals to enjoy and adventurist visitors to discover

Rating: ■■■□□ 3.0 / 5 "Bar burger"

Reviewed by Eric Barnes

From the flashy graffiti on the building's wall to the myriad of signs and posters inside (including the debate-provoking sign reading "Free Beer Tomorrow"), the Haufbrau is a bar with a unique style. It's the sort of place you would expect to see crowded, blaring with loud music and billowing with smoke (at least in the days before the anti-smoking laws).

When we went there last Tuesday for lunch, the place was almost completely empty. It was strange to see that type of environment so quiet and—dare I say it—peaceful.

In the tranquility, I ordered the bacon cheese burger. After a respectable preparation period, I was served a tray containing the burger, the standard condiments, a small salad with your choice of dressing, and french fries. The fries were perfect: crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. These weren't something that had been sitting under a warming lamp for hours. They were fresh and hot.

The burger, however, falls short. The meat was well-done, but without too much flavor. The bacon was crispy, but I otherwise barely noticed its presence. The thick slice of cheddar was placed on top of the bacon and was barely melted. Nit-picky stuff aside, it was still a decent burger, just under $7.

Besides, you're at the Haufbrau. It's more likely you're there for the beer anyway. The burger is almost an afterthought.

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Rating: ■■■□□ 3.5 / 5 "Lanny means barbecue sauce"

Reviewed by Craig Dugas

The burger was very average, not bad, not great, although the fresh toppings (lettuce, onion, tomato, pickles) were above average. What stood out were the fries, which were well above average.  They used fresh cut potatoes that were cooked nearly perfectly and unsalted. The salad, although fresh, was below average since it was simply small chops of dark green lettuce, and nothing more.

All-in-all, it was a decent meal for a decent price — plus the free water was definitely filtered, which is a huge plus as it's easy to pick out tap water in the city of Bozeman.

         

Click here to download:

Burgers_at_the_Haufbrau.zip (2697 KB)

Rating: ■■■□□ 2.7 / 5 "Death by Grease"

Sweet Pea Bakery is an outstanding bake shop, emphasizing their use of local ingredients to create baked goods, pastries and desserts.  The other day, I picked up one of their oatmeal-blueberry muffins at Lil Sherpa Java in the downtown area. While this might be considered less elegant than many of their creations, it had superb flavor and mouthfeel. Although a bit crumbly, it was definitely enjoyable from top to bottom.

   

Click here to download:

Oatmeal-Blueberry_Muffin_by_Sw.zip (6624 KB)

Reviewed by Eric Barnes

■■■□□ 3 / 5 "I love Heebs"

In celebration of their grand re-opening, Heeb's East Main Grocery is having a "celebration sale" and free barbecue (until 2:00pm today) in their parking lot. They are serving either a beer baron or hamburger, with your choice of a Reser's macaroni or potato salad, chips and salsa, and a soda. 

After a quick wait in line, I asked for the hamburger. They had a convenient self-serve condiments bar complete with lettuce, tomato, American cheese, etc. The burger, while it's not going to win any awards for greatness, was tasty. The lettuce and tomato were fresh and the meat was cooked well-done.

Thanks, Heebs!

         

Click here to download:

Free_Burgers_at_Heebs.zip (1621 KB)