Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [422]
Lake Yellowstone Hotel
North side of the lake. ☎ 307/344-7901. Dinner reservations required. Breakfast $4.50– $11; lunch $5.75–$10; dinner $16–$33. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Daily 6:30–10:30am, 11:30am–2:30pm, and 5–10pm. Closed early Oct to mid-May. CONTINENTAL.
This represents the finest dining Yellowstone has to offer, with a view of the lake stretching south from a big, high-ceilinged dining room that doesn't feel crowded even when it's full. One of the best ways to start your day is with a generous breakfast buffet; huevos rancheros and pan-fried trout and eggs are also quite good. The dinner menu is even more inviting. You might start with crab cakes or lobster ravioli; entrees include Idaho trout, bison prime rib, and, of course, several beef dishes.
GRANT VILLAGE
The casual choice here is the Lake House, steps away from the Grant Village restaurant. It specializes in less expensive fish entrees, as well as burgers and beer. The restaurant is open from 7 to 10:30am and 5:30 to 9pm, and does not accept reservations.
Grant Village
At Grant Village. ☎ 307/344-7901. Dinner reservations required. Breakfast $4–$9; lunch $5.25–$7.75; dinner $9–$20. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Daily 6:30–10am, 11:30am–2:30pm, and 5:30–10pm. Closed Oct–May. STEAK/ SEAFOOD.
Breakfast and lunch at the Grant Village restaurant are much like those meals at the other restaurants in the park, though the chef occasionally surprises diners with interesting items that stray from the norm. The lunch menu may include pan-fried trout covered with toasted pecans and lemon butter, Wyoming cheese steak, or a gourmet burger. The dinner menu focuses on trout but also includes honey-lemon chicken and prime rib. Quality and ambience here are comparable to those elements at the better dining rooms in the major park hotels.
OLD FAITHFUL AREA
For a quick and inexpensive meal, the Old Faithful Inn cafeteria serves lunch and dinner in a fast-food environment; an ice-cream stand in the lobby is your best choice for dessert. The Yellowstone General Store also has a lunch counter.
Obsidian Dining Room
In the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. ☎ 307/344-7901. Reservations not accepted. Breakfast $4.50–$11; dinner $9–$20. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Daily 6:30am–noon and 5–10pm. Closed mid-Oct to mid-Dec. STEAK/SEAFOOD.
In the well-designed new snow lodge, the spacious restaurant provides an alternative to the Old Faithful Inn dining room. It's a little quieter, a little less expensive, and a little less formal, as reflected in an eclectic menu with such exotic (for Yellowstone) options as polenta lasagna. The menu also features some park standbys—teriyaki chicken and huge porterhouse pork chops—and the Southwestern eggs are a solid breakfast option. The room serves breakfast until noon, later than anyplace else in the park. All in all, it's a huge improvement over the cramped restaurant at the old Snow Lodge.
Old Faithful Inn
Near Old Faithful. ☎ 307/545-4999. Dinner reservations required. Breakfast $7–$9; lunch $5–$10; dinner $9–$20. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Daily 6:30–10:30am, 11:30am–2:30pm, and 5–10pm. Closed mid-Oct to Apr. STEAK/ SEAFOOD.
There's nothing wrong with the food here, but the real highlight is the gnarled log architecture of the distinguished historic inn. Breakfast is buffet or a la carte, and there's a lot to choose from. The dinner menu is fairly long, with four cuts of prime rib, fish dishes, and pastas. Two of the highlights: roasted pork loin with jalapeño cream sauce, and succulent shrimp scampi. High volume makes the service and food here more inconsistent than the same features