Montana Coffee Traders has long been one of the most recognizable coffee brands in northwest Montana. The company started in nearby Whitefish in 1981 and built a loyal following through its house-roasted coffee. For many years, its downtown Kalispell café was a popular stop for breakfast, lunch, espresso drinks and bags of locally roasted beans. Unfortunately, the downtown Kalispell location permanently closed in August 2025 due to rising operating costs and lack of profitability, according to company officials. Montana Coffee Traders still operates other locations in the Flathead Valley, including Whitefish and Columbia Falls. The coffeehouse menu centers around espresso drinks, house-roasted coffee, teas and blended specialties. Breakfast options included hearty dishes like the Big Sky breakfast, scrambles, omelets, breakfast wraps, quiche, oatmeal and granola. For lunch, the menu featured sandwiches, wraps, salads, soups and vegetarian specialties, with favorites such as the Glacier Melt and Black Bean Hummus Quesadilla. Fresh pastries and baked goods rounded out the menu. I enjoyed a small haul from this coffee shop: hot chocolate, quiche and a delicious everything seasoned biscuit. I enjoyed everything, though my hot chocolate was more ~artisanal~ and not as sweet. No matter - it was still tasty, as was the flavorful quiche. If you're in the area of Glacier National Park, it's the perfect fuel-up spot. Grade: B

Located in Concourse C, Root Down is the airport version of the popular Denver restaurant. Root Down focuses on seasonal, locally sourced ingredients with a highlight on vegetarian and vegan choices. I ordered the Banh Mi Turkey Burger with Cilantro Chutney, Jalapeño, Pickled Vegetables, Cucumber & Sriracha Aioli w/ Sweet Potato Fries. This was wonderful for airport food. The burger was moist, and those pickled veggies made for a dynamic bite. The atmosphere? Service? General vibes? All a bit rushed, impersonal and what I'd expect at an airport - even though I was hoping for more. Grade: B

Rebel SmokeHouse is the premier (and only?) BBQ joint in Mullens. PLUS burgers, pasta, steaks, sandwiches and wings. Now that's a mouthful, literally. Here's what I went with: 1/4 rack St Louis Style Ribs with beer bread, pasta salad & mac & cheese. St. Louis-style ribs are a specific cut of pork ribs. They’re trimmed from spare ribs to create a more rectangular, uniform shape, with the rib tips and cartilage removed. Compared to baby back ribs, St. Louis ribs are typically meatier, have more fat and connective tissue, and often deliver a richer pork flavor. They’re a barbecue favorite because they cook evenly and hold up well to smoking, grilling and saucing. The ribs delivered on a rich, savory flavor and a satisfying bite. Less tender than I'd prefer. The beer bread added a slightly sweet, malty note. The pasta salad provided a cool contrast. The mac & cheese added some creaminess. So it's like we hit all the food groups.

Grade: B

"Some of the city’s best Chinese food can be found in a Kenny Centre strip mall at Xi Xia. The restaurant’s specialty is its chewy noodles that are painstakingly made by hand. You’ll find them in their excellent signature dish: stirred noodles with supple pieces of beef shank, bok choy, and a kick of chili oil. The springy strands also show up in soup dishes of rich, slow-cooked bone broth that’s a solid hangover cure. Don’t miss the wonderfully gelatinous spicy chicken feet, the excellent lamb rice pilaf, or the salt-and-pepper chicken that’s an excellent takeout order for the family," reads The Infatuation. With a description like that, how can I not order that signature dish. The silky noodles were my favorite - so delicate. And the egg - I would love a soy egg with every meal. The meat was my least favorite; the beef shank flavor was a bit on the earthy side for me. Grade: B

Folklore Pizza in Spencer is a casual bar & grill known for its artisan wood-fired pizzas and local craft beer. The menu has fun items like Mothman wings and "A-TUNA- Matata," which is a housemade tuna salad topped with provolone cheese, served on a Soft Kaiser Roll and topped with locally grown fresh Tomatoes and Lettuce. I ordered The Mystic, which has bacon jam, mozzarella, mushrooms and crushed red peppers. I'm a sucker for the sweet & salty play, though I wish I could see more ways to do it than bacon jam. But it's a quick and easy way to give that pie more depth. An extra point for me would have been adding a funky cheese on top. Have you been? Grade: B

Olè Jose Grill & Cantina was a Mexican restaurant - plus pizza, burgers & mac & cheese - in Pineville that recently shuttered. It was a pillar of the community that had been around for quite some time. Lots of folks had celebrations there and loved the people, as well. I was fortunate to get to try a little slice before they closed their doors for good. I had a small pizza with mushrooms and a taco -- because there aren't a ton of places you can get that combo. While I can certainly appreciate the community value, I found the food to be decent. It was exactly as expected and satisfied that pizza craving. Solid all-around, but not earth-shattering. Grade: B

LaPorte Cafe was a short-lived restaurant on the East End that replaced the former Tricky Fish space. The restaurant focused on an elevated “café comfort food” approach, with dishes like beer-braised short ribs, roasted carrot risotto, creative wraps, salads, hummus platters and house-made focaccia sandwiches. A friend ordered the carrot risotto: Slow-cooked arborio rice, savory parmesan and a velvety texture were balanced by the rich depth from roasted carrots. Caramelized pear butter & wheat crispies made it hard for me to pass up. But I went with the shrimp & grits: blackened shrimp, served with white cheddar grits, bourbon bacon marmalade and wheat crispies. I enjoyed the flavors here, even if the polenta gave off a bit of a gluey texture. It can be tough to get right. And I wish the wheat crispies actually added a crisp to the dish because I would have loved that flavor addition. Did you get a chance to check it out? Grade: B

Spencer is home to the Black Walnut Festival and a handful of wonderful local restaurants. One of the newest additions to that lineup is The Hungry Moose, located at 215 Church Street. The Hungry Moose features BBQ, including pulled pork, brisket, chicken leg quarters and sausage. Sides include baked beans, french fries, cole slaw, mac & cheese, red potato salad and "salt potatoes." I went for a chicken leg quarter with sides of mac & cheese, salt potatoes and house BBQ pulled pork. Plus I got one container of each of the BBQ sauces - which is a good variety. The chicken was fine -- cooked well enough, but not especially memorable or juicy enough to stand out. The mac & cheese leaned dry and felt like it needed a little more sauce or creaminess to bring it together. The salt potatoes were literally small potatoes, simple and straightforward, but not much going on beyond that. Grade: B

Creamy Delicious Donuts and Diner is a small local spot in Buckhannon that combines - wait for it - donuts with a diner-style menu. The most interesting aspect of this place is that it's located in the Corridor H Tire building, which makes for an odd pair. The menu features a variety of donuts - glazed, cream-filled, eclairs, maple bars and cheese danishes. Sandwiches include pizza roll, pepperoni roll, ham & cheese roll, grilled cheese, hot dogs, etc. Breakfast items include biscuits & gravy, bacon egg & cheese sandwiches, eggs, homefries, etc. I ordered a couple donuts and a pepperoni roll. The blueberry cake donut and the cream-filled one were both decent, but not quite as soft as I'd prefer. Being in Buckhannon, though, I was most excited about the Pepperoni roll. We all know that in this area, ground pepperoni reigns supreme. I do enjoy this version of a pepperoni roll, but it's hard to compete with The Donut Shop/Spot. Grade: B