I just spent a vacation in Montana, and as I always do, I try to avoid chain restaurants and eat at local places. I also try to eat all the local treats . I know I will make a few enemies, but I did find a few things and will point them all out. Montana is a red state as in red meat. There were not a lot of fresh fish options, but bison and elk were available. Here are some of my discoveries from my trip.

Huckleberries- sweeter than a blueberry and lacking the tartness. We tried it in chocolate, white chocolate bark, and popcorn and found it almost cloyingly sweet. Give me Maine blueberries.

Bullwinkles’- Great food. I had the elk lasagna. The place was packed, and the service was OK. They have a large menu and seemed to be one of the hot spots in town. They had the largest menu.

Firehole BBQ – This place is a BBQ shack that has appeared on Food Network. I had the brisket and buffalo sausage and, they were cooked perfectly. One of the top 5 BBQ brisket places I have ever eaten at. A great find.

Slippery Otter West Yellowstone – the Bison Meatloaf was very good for game meat, very moist and flavorful. This is not a regular menu item. They were a little heavy-handed with the ketchup and in my opinion could have used some heat. The fries were hot and crispy. Service was good despite being very busy.

Three Bears – Good breakfast place. Large portions and good value for the buck. The buffalo sausage was very good, not as dry as some I have had.

Timberland – Ok – I did not have the Western Slider Trio (I had the salmon because I had red meat six meals in a row so in the interest of my heart, I didn’t order it). I had the salmon, and it was like every shopping mall chain.