I don’t know who owns it and I’m sorry, but I just have to say this… I am appalled at the HUGE beer building on Flag Hill. I was curious as I watched the building’s foundation go in. Then I grew somewhat concerned when I saw how BIG the building was going to be, steel sided & “warehousey”… but then… one night crossing the bridge after the GREAT BIG BEER signs went up … I was truly disappointed! What a sight to behold as visitors cross the bridge into our city. How welcoming! Great Falls’ huge ode to alcoholism! Awesome! That hill was SO pretty… every season. Until now. You can’t look at the hill now, as you cross the bridge, without having to look around that building & its huge blazing Budweiser sign along with the several other smaller beer signs lit up across the front.
Was no one paying attention? Did no one, at any point, think maybe that might not be the best idea for that area?
What a shame.
Seriously?!
Probably the one thing I would agree with was the “ballot stuffing” claim. Oh brother!
Ok… so generally, I like Rikki’s. Have had good food there in the past. We went there on St. Patty’s day (I know… I’m a little behind, as always) because they had advertised corned beef – which for some reason unknown to me (meaning, i don’t care for it) my husband had to have it. So we get there… and he orders, only to be told they had run out at lunch. Strike one.
So I order the same Spaghetti w/Marinara that I’ve had in the past. I have liked it in the past. However.. I do believe they’ve switched out whatever sauce they used in the past (not sure if it was “home-made” or not) for Chef-Boyardee. I kid you not. It was dressed up with a few canned diced tomatoes and a little parsley… but that’s exactly what it was like. The texture of the “pasta” and the taste of the sauce was exactly like what you dump out of the can – if you ever have. (not recommended!) I was pretty disappointed. I had my son try it and his reaction was the same. Strike two AND three.
I’m not sure if maybe they ran out of pasta & sauce that night too? But whatever it was, I hope they switch back. Soon. I’m not sure I will be ordering that again.
T.
Some people have a certain “disdain” for chain restaurants. I can understand that to an extent. Although… I don’t think I will ever understand the “fluffy taco” (what the HELL is a FLUFFY taco?!) or other local “specialties”. I do not mind chains at all. When I originally moved here the only “chain” restaurants here were… McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Skippers, Burger King, etc. Fast food stuff. I had moved from a place that had Red Robin, Red Lobster, Tony Roma’s, Shari’s, IHOP, Stuart Andersons, Newport Bay, Sizzler, etc. We had a great local chinese food place called the Silver Dragon. I could go to downtown Portland, OR or to our county fair even and have authentic italian pizza or thai food. So my move here was quite a shock.
I know… everyone says “what’s so good about chains”… I think for me I like knowing I can walk into a TGI Friday’s anywhere on the map (Except MONTANA!) and order something that will at least come close to what I’ve had before somewhere else… I don’t care for mystery meals where you don’t really know what you’re getting. I’m typically one of those people that orders the same thing in the same restaurant whenever I go.
This isn’t to say that the chain’s don’t screw up. For us, Chili’s got off to a rough start. I’ve ordered things there that have been great in other cities but less than stellar here. But Tony Roma’s did pretty good.. (if you could tolerate the ice cold temperature). I still haven’t figured out why they quit. Chili’s has improved. At least now when I say “well done”… it gets to me at least medium well. 
Compared to when I first moved here and we had things to pick from like Kings Table Buffet … Great Falls has come a long way since then – 20+ years ago now.
However, I will always whine about the loss of Dagwood’s though. I think i already did once in this blog…
T.
Ok… so its been a while. Oh well. Was a busy summer/fall.
Sonic DID finally open – the cones are gone. hahahahaha…
So what is new in GF restaurants… Cold Stone Creamery and an On the Border (replacing Tony Roma’s), Salad Creations and a Jimmy Johns just opened too.
There are also several local specialty hot dog places popping up – Stinky’s, Uptown & Downtown Dog House…. & I think there is actually one more but I’m not sure of the name of it. So far I’ve been to one. It’s a great little hang out downtown. Very nicely done. Loved the garage door. That is cool.
I have always liked Cold Stone – so it was nice to finally get one here. And of course since my daughter works there… I have to say nice things! It was great to see her get her first job at such a fun place and help them open the store. I think it was a fun way for her to end her summer. She comes home with the rich scent of their ice cream following her around the house. My favorite is the coffee mixture – though I can’t think of the “real” name at the moment… Coffee Lovers? I also like the Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip (I think that’s the right name!) and Chocolate Devotion concoctions as well. VERY rich ice cream. Friend of mine said the shakes are wonderful… but I’ve not tried one yet.
On the Border is good… I’ve not had a bad dinner there yet. Had an inexperienced waitress once but that is forgiveable. She tried really hard and the Manager helped her out and tried to make amends. The food was good and we took it in stride. My mom’s husband about had a breakdown over the price of a Corona there once. He drank water instead.
I’ve been to Salad Creations once… it was nice. I have neither glowing or scathing comments for it. It’s salad. My only complaint would be the prices I guess. Seem a little high. But… they are LARGE salads.
I’ve had one sandwich from Jimmy Johns. I will have to go in & have a look to see if my initial opinion differs. I’ve eaten at one before, but that was in St. George, Utah and it was a while ago. So I don’t really remember too well what I thought. The sandwich I had the other day – I didn’t care for the bread. But I’m willing to give it another shot.
One place I went recently… it’s not in GF but in Helena. We were there for the State football Championship game… (GO CMR!!!) and we ate at the Brewhouse after the game (which.. by the way… we WON!) and I LOVE their halibut. It was funny because all 4 adults ordered it. Well… the one GUY with us had the halibut SANDWICH… but we forgave him for being different! It is honestly the ONE and ONLY place in Montana that I’ve found so far that actually knows how to cook halibut correctly. It is excellent. I have it every time I go there. Their fries are great too. The Queen’s Fish its called on the menu. If you have the chance… order it. Even if you claim to “not like fish” (which living here? I can understand WHY folks say that!) you’ll love this. I’d lay you odds it makes a convert out of you “non-seafood” people!
Anyway… I guess that’s all for now.
Have a GREAT Christmas!
T.
Ok. I like Sonic & everything… had one where I used to live… have some fun memories of taking my kids there. And I LOVE their coconut cream pie shakes… but
ENOUGH WITH THE FREAKIN’ CONES ALREADY!!! For crying out loud!! O-P-E-N!!! How long has it been open now? Months? At least two right? I’ve not been by there once lately where there weren’t several stalls open and the stupid cones are STILL in all the entrances & exits.
Okay… so we go there tonight (finally) and after the obstacle course hassle getting IN… we order shakes which come to us unblended & not quite frozen solid. Lotta good that straw did me.
My friends went there & said after a 45 minute wait in the “staging area”, they got cold hamburgers. They weren’t happy.
SO.
Here’s to hoping that they will STOP worrying about the cones & traffic and START worrying about the food. ~
T.
Sorry.. I know this isn’t in Great Falls… but on my recent vacation in Vegas, I finally got to go back to Maggiano’s. If you ever get the chance, and you like Italian..? GO! Just be prepared to eat. A LOT. Portions are huge.
I had been to one once in Washington D.C. and absolutely loved it. So I dragged my family out down the strip to the Fashion Show Mall for a late dinner one night after wandering up & down the strip for most of the (very hot) day.
And it was FABULOUS.
I had… (& this is straight off the menu and I highly reccomend it…):
Ricotta pasta simmered in a delicately balanced sauce prepared with our classic pomodoro cream and finished with vodka and roasted garlic.
I’ve attempted Vodka sauce before and so far have not been able to get it right. I found a $10 jar of a very good tomato vodka sauce at Williams-Sonoma recently. (but oh yeah… we dont have one of THOSE here either!) My daughter also loves vodka sauce. Now I might have to attempt the Gnocchi. I had never had it before.
It might be best if I don’t master it.
I still haven’t run quite enough to make up for all the great food we found in Vegas. (or the $1 beer & margaritas as we wandered in & out of the casinos on toasty 112 degree days!). We also visited the Cheesecake Factory in Caesar’s Palace, Hard Rock Cafe and a little bar on Freemont Street (old downtown Vegas) called Mickie Finnz where you get your food which rests on a bed of fries in little tin pails. Kinda cute. Unfortunately, we did NOT make it to PF Changs this time. I had taken my kids there for the first time when the three of us were recently in Seattle. They liked it too.
Next Time!
~
T.
Ya know… I’m not much of a meat eater. I’m not a true vegetarian (the world wouldn’t be the same without pepperoni pizza or real crisp bacon!) but meat is typically not my first choice. I am however, growing quite fond of the hamburgers at Fuddruckers. Oh PLEASE don’t anyone come along & ruin my (most likely short-lived) taste for them! Just kidding.. bring it on. haha. But for whatever reason, they do taste pretty good. I used to only ever get nacho’s there & then pick around the ground beef. But somewhere along the line – I think I had a bite of one my kids’ burgers – I changed my mind.
The one thing I do not like about them is that they won’t release their nutritional information. Probably don’t want to scare people off!!
I like their coconut cream pie too. and as previously mentioned… their chocolate shakes.
I don’t think I run nearly enough to eat there too often though!
I like the place. It’s kinda fun.
Warning – to those of you who love Chinese food in Great Falls? You might want to skip this post because it will probably anger you.
So my favorite Chinese food place on earth is P.F. Changs. I first went to one in McLean, VA at Tyson’s Mall. I was there for work and a big group of us went out. Lots of people ordered lots of food & we all shared. And everything I tried was great. The Lettuce Wraps are awesome. I can never remember the name of the chicken dish I have (Kung Pao Chicken?) but its hot & spicy, full of bright red chili pepers and crunchy peanuts. Their garlic noodles are wonderful as well as the Mongolian Beef. I’ve also been to the one in Vegas a couple times too. It has been great each time and in each location.
Chinese food restaurants are sometimes scary places. There’s always the jokes about cats & dogs & seagulls. Some of the food shows up on your table looking about as mysterious as the names on the menus. I don’t know how many Asian type restaurants are here in GF. So far, I’ve tried Maple Garden, Best Wok and New Peking. I don’t know if it still exists but one of the first Asian restaurants I ever tried here was … I think it was called “Lily’s” downtown? I can’t say that any of them were good. I don’t like the taste (or smell) of old oil or anything that is deep fried in it. And I don’t like the taste of real strong (old?) pork. At P.F. Changs, food arrives at your table with beautiful color, it smells wonderful and it tastes fresh and well made. Nothing tastes “old”. The restaurants are very clean and nicely decorated, fairly “upscale” with wait staff well dressed and knowledgeable of their fare. Dipping sauces are mixed for you at your table with your choice of “heat”. Real chopsticks are available if you choose. Tables set with linen napkins and clean dishes/silverware.
I write of all this because of an experience I had at New Peking the other night. I’m still not over it! We had tried it once before and I didn’t like it but was going with a group of friends and so I was willing to give it another shot. I should have stayed home. When you sit down at a table and the cups and silverware are dirty? That’s a bad sign. I turned over two tea cups of the several that were on the table and each was coated with a layer of grit inside. So I gave up on the idea of some tea. My water glass didn’t appear to be clean either so water was out as well. In my world? When I go to a restaurant, my minimal expectation is that the dishes be clean. We ordered… the waitress was abrupt and impatient. And that is putting it nicely.
The appetizers arrived. I don’t know what it was called but here is what it consisted of: a piece of pork, a piece of shrimp, wrapped with a piece of bacon, battered and then deep fried in what must have been ancient oil. I like shrimp and I like bacon so I tried one. I tasted just the breading first… and that’s where I picked up on the age of the oil. Then I tried the rest of it. The bacon was not completely cooked.. still white & slimy. It also had that really strong, “old pork” flavor to it. REALLY strong. Overpowering strong. So I didn’t get very far with that. I thought about trying the spring roll but I’m sure it was fried in the same oil, probably right along side the bacon/pork/shrimp thing. So I passed and just sat & waited the dinner. It arrived. I had ordered the #3 which consisted of deep fried shrimp, pork fried rice and chicken chow mein. The chow mein had NO color to it. It was this mound of over done mushy chinese noodles with chicken in it somewhere – which by this point I wasnt too interested in finding. The Shrimp was fried in the same nasty oil as the rest of it so those were ruined and the fried rice was dry and mostly flavorless with a couple pieces of the pink edged pork that looked questionable. I picked at the rice – mostly because it had never been breathing so I thought maybe it was safe. The rest – I left on my plate. I was, by this time extremely thirsty and wanted the old pork flavor gone so I attempted to order a Coors Light – thinking beer in a bottle should be safe and relatively clean. ( I wasn’t about to use a glass – but that was ok because they didn’t bring me one anyway). It took two tries to get the bottle to the table but it did finally arrive – but in the form of a Bud Light. So a Bud Light and a fortune cookie were what I had for dinner that night. and it cost me $14.
I won’t be back and unfortunately, I am now even less inclined to attempt any other Asian restaurants here either. Had enough I think.
(P.S. But I DO like the Mongolian Grill at 3D’s.)
Probably my top two pet peeves in Great Falls is A) being served COLD food and B) sitting in an arctic restaurant. B most likely contributing to A. If I wanted cold food, I would eat cold pepperoni pizza in the door of my fridge. However, when I go to a restaurant, my expectation is, if I am ordering a “hot meal”, that the food arrive HOT at the table. I’m not sure why this is such a complicated concept here other than the fact that the A/C has to be on full blast, so food doesnt have a chance to arrive at the table hot.
Tony Roma’s was infamous for having an extremely cold temperature. There were several times I would walk in and when asked if I wanted the dining room or the bar I would say “which is warmer?” Or the number of times I requested that the A/C be turned down – never to have that request honored. It was utterly ridiculous at times. For a while I thought it was just me until I started hearing it from others too.
Being served cold food in a cold restaurant is almost standard here… much like the fact that I have never once been even remotely warm in the movie theater here either. Its like… a given.
WHAT is with that?
Local, Miscellaneous | journey01 | 
November 22, 2010 2:51 am | 
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