Taste of Bozeman

Reviewed by Craig Dugas.

Matthew, Eric and I ventured over to Dave's Sushi for lunch today.  Sure, the place smelled fishy and the water was terrible, but the sushi was great!  Fresh, made-to-order sushi rolls can be difficult to beat, probably because they're so unique.  I was slightly disappointed that our caterpillar roll did not have carrot antennae poking out the front, but that was forgivable since it was such a treat.  From the selections (which were custom-picked by our guide, Matthew), my favorites went in this order, starting with the best: Phily, Caterpillar, Smoked Salmon, California - although they were all quite good.

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Rating: ■■■■□ 4.5/5 "Very Tasty"

Reviewed by Eric Barnes.

I am in total agreement with Craig's review. The only thing I would change is the order of favorites: I would swap the Philly for the Caterpillar. 

The Caterpillar had a sweet eel sauce that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. We asked our waiter how the sauce is made. Although he was reluctant to reveal Dave's top secret recipe, he did say that the sauce is created by "boiling the crap out of an eel's carcass" and then "adding a ton of brown sugar".

Along with some wasabi and a small side of pickled ginger, it was a great meal that I can't wait to have again.

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Rating: ■■■■□ 4/5 "I'll Be Back"

Reviewed by Craig Dugas.

4-Cheese Mac & Cheese is the only dish I keep returning to at the Naked Noodle in downtown Bozeman.  Why?  Because every time I get something else it's "EH."  And every time I ask someone who's eating something else how it is, they say "EH."  And for the cost markup on pasta dishes you have at The Noodle, you can't be messing around ordering just anything.

I'll admit that spending a bit over $7 for a to-go box of pasta doesn't quite sit well, but this time around I lessened the blow by requesting shredded romano cheese and tomatoes on top - that's right, FIVE-Cheese Mac & Cheese.  If you let the very warm sauce (hot sauce?) settle for just a few minutes, you're left with a thick liquid that rivals alfredo sauce.. similar, but cheesier!  For the record, the dish was not served with macaroni, but with cavatappi which turned out to be a nice substitute.

Buyer beware - this dish is heavy + tasty + filling = dangerous.  I will eat you again, 5-Cheese Mac & Cheese.  I will eat you again.

Reviewed by Eric Barnes.

I love a good curry. There is something about the spicy flavor that really tantalizes the taste buds. Naked Noodle’s Green Curry has great hope of reaching that tantalizing quality, but unfortunately it falls short.

The dish consists of Thai green chili curry served on top of soba noodles with sweet peppers, shitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots. You can also add extra meat or seafood. I requested the addition of tofu, which was slightly fried and delicious by itself. However, the meal as a whole was seriously lacking flavor. I think part of the problem was the curry sauce was too thin, which made it not stick to the noodles at all. Another problem was the sauce was not nearly spicy enough.

The spice level won’t burn a hole in your mouth, but the price may burn a hole in your wallet. The noodles by themselves were $9.25. That’s without a drink.

I’m still going to give Naked Noodle another try though. Does anybody have any suggestions for next time?

Reviewed by Craig Dugas.

Chipotle is one of those delicate, misunderstood ingredients.  Why is it that the smoked jalapeño spice can taste delicious in one food, but offensive in another?  This two-face seasoning often challenges... nay, dares you to try a new food.  Enter Chicken Chipotle soup.

Luck was on our side that day, as this soup tasted neither bland, nor dirty.  It was full of flavor.  Mouthfeel was excellent, nice and creamy smooth with an Hispanic touch.  With that being said - the soup could survive without the chicken.  Yes, I am proposing Chipotle soup.  The chicken is dark, stringy and chewy - none of the things I enjoy in chicken.  In the soup's defense, it probably added to the flavor, and for that I am thankful.  Enjoying the soup for soup's sake and leaving behind a few solids in the cup never hurt anyone.

Complimentary "toppins" include sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla strips.  For some added heat, have them toss in a few jalapeño slices.

Reviewed by Eric Barnes.

Last time I reviewed Starky’s chicken pot pie soup. This time, continuing with the pot pie theme, I decided to try the Soup Shack’s buffalo variety. The beefy taste was not disappointing. It was packed full of meat and vegetables and tasted great with some bow-tie pasta and cheddar cheese as toppings.

However, it doesn’t stand a chance against the addictive qualities of the chicken pot pie soup. The main reason is because it didn’t come with the crust crumbs. The crust is what defines a pot pie. The Soup Shack’s buffalo pot pie is lacking that foundation. As such, they would be better off calling it a stew.

On the other hand, the buffalo soup definitely had a lot more meat than the chicken pot pie. All-in-all, it was a likeable soup.

Reviewed by Eric Barnes (November 20, 2008)

When I ordered the Chicken Pot Pie soup from Starky’s, the man at the counter asked me if it was the first time I had ever ordered it. Upon answering in the affirmative, the man warned me that it would become an obsession. “People get upset if we don’t have that soup,” he told me.

And he was right. The soup is very good.

The picture below doesn’t do it justice. It is thick and creamy, filled with potatoes, peas, carrots, celery, green beans, and other vegetables. What is unique about the soup is they give you a little container of pie crust crumbs, which you can sprinkle on top of the soup. It tastes just like the home-made version your mother would make. Mmmm.

My only complaint would be the lack of chicken. There wasn’t nearly enough meat for it to be like an authentic pot pie.

But you can’t beat the price (especially for Starky’s): the 20-oz soup was $5.75, which includes a side (in my case some classic corn bread).

Hello, sweet obsession…

Are you in the mood for some really bad coffee? If so, you should try Wild Joe's Coffee, the public library's little hole in the wall.

I ordered a 12oz cup of regular coffee. It was nice and hot, but the taste was burnt and poorly filtered (there was a thin layer of coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup). Since I had paid $1.50 for it, I tried to drink it. The photo shows how far I got.