July 17 - 20, 2011
Oh, Missoula! So dear to my heart. It still smells the same. The woodsy, grassy, river water smell in the air gave me more flashbacks than I could even keep up with. I spent time with college friends, walked on the beautiful campus of the University of Montana, hiked up the M mountain, and of course, visited the awesome Good Food Store.
The campus has changed dramatically, with several new buildings filling in the holes, but it still felt all so familiar. It was a little heart wrenching; remembering all the fun college years that now seem as though they were so carefree; flashing back to freshman year living in the dorms and then zipping quickly to the memory of standing in our graduation gowns near the oval getting ready to get our diplomas after 4 super fast years. Still can’t believe that was almost 9 years ago.
Right next to the campus is the “M”. The big white rock structure of the letter “M” sits on the side of a mountain that borders the city of Missoula. It’s a butt burning hike that zig-zags back and forth for about 15 to 20 minutes until reach the “M” and then allows you to walk the entire way up the mountain peak and back down the backside that meets up with the Kim-Williams trail that runs along side the Clark-Fork river that snakes through the city. On Monday, I did make it up to the “M” once again but sadly have never passed it to continue the rest of the trail but will definitely be doing it on my next go around.
On the foodie side of things in Missoula, I stopped by The Good Food Store one of the days. I could spend hours in there roaming the aisles checking things out. It is such a treasure in the city of Missoula if you are looking for a great health food store. It’s Montana’s own little mini Whole Foods Market. Love it! Absolutely worth checking out: www.goodfoodstore.com
Missoula is the Montana city that represents strong local support, natural food, natural medicine (home of The Hemp and Cannabis Foundation, as medical marijuana is now legal in Montana), natural living, environmental consciousness, and outdoor activity. Ok, Ok...it’s safe to say it is a bit of a granola town but I suppose that’s why I love it so much. It isn’t a wonder how I ended up doing my second round of college in Santa Cruz either :)
Although my time was short I still managed to hit up a couple of eats. Missoula has several great restaurants and local food and beverage joints that I will need more time to explore and review.
The places I did go to:
Caffe Dolce is a great little restaurant that I once remember having a small space in the mall but now includes a new beautiful and large establishment on Brooks and Beckwith. They serve traditional Italian dishes, salads, sandwiches, coffee, and gelato and have a unique collection of old world wines. How appropriate as I had just returned from experiencing the real thing. I appreciate places like Caffe Dolce who try to source ingredients from as close to local as possible. Check them out at www.caffedolcemissoula.com
Another great little place, especially if you enjoy world traveling, is a restaurant called The Silk Road, that offers tapas from all over the world. The global cuisine may or may not be perfect in authenticity but it does the trick if you are looking for worldly tastes in Montana. The atmosphere is comfortable, warming, and exotic with brown and red tones and dimmed lighting. Each guest table has a piece of glass on the top, protecting maps and postcards from countries all over the world. A friend and I decided to order a few different tapas and she enjoyed the house sangria while I sipped on a smooth glass of local Ten Spoon red wine. I’m hoping to visit the Winery production site located up the Rattlesnake in Missoula on my next visit. All in all, it was a fun delicious meal, with a great ambiance and wonderful company. Check them out at: www.silkroadcatering.com
***Crab Dip from Northeast USA - Crab cheese dip american style
Taking the beverage angle, one of my last stops in Missoula was to a local brewery, The Kettlehouse, to pick up a couple growlers of local beer to take with me to Whitefish to see family. The Cold Smoke Scotch Ale was recommend to me by a friend and now I know why. I am obviously not a beer connoisseur, able to fully describe beer tastes but instead of just saying “This beer tastes great.” I could say something like: “It’s a darker ale with a coffee-like, smooth, dark but not heavy, flavor and no bitter lingering after taste.” If this “Becky” description doesn’t help you imagine the taste then you just have to take my word for it and taste it yourself. They have other fun beers, such as Olde Bongwater Hemp Porter and Discombobulator Doppelbock, that I never got the chance to try but you can if you stop by their tasting room and check them out. The place smells a bit like an old smelly sock but the bright psychedelic art, bar stools, and old chairs and coffee tables remind you that you are in good ole’ earthy Missoula and about to experience some great local brew. Check them out at: www.kettlehouse.com
I barely scratched the surface on exploring and sharing Missoula with you, so be sure to tune in on my next trip back there cause it’s gonna be exciting! On to Whitefish and Glacier.....
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