Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [424]
Park Street Grill and Cafe
204 Park St. ☎ 406/848-7989. Main courses $14–$27. MC, V. Tues–Sat 5:30–10pm. Closed late Oct to late Apr. ITALIAN/STEAKS.
Adding a dash of zest to the staid meat-and-potatoes dining scene, Phillip Curry's eatery is our pick for a nice dinner in Gardiner. Served in a room with an exposed pine interior, the food is a refreshing mix of gourmet Italian entrees, fresh seafood, and good old American chicken, pork, and beef dishes. The Crazy Mountain Alfredo is a good choice from the pasta menu: The delectable sauce is made a bit less sane with sweet and hot peppers, julienne chicken breast, and Italian sausage. Hearty appetites won't mind the rib-eye steaks or slow-roasted prime rib, and there's a decent selection of lighter fare.
CODY
Cassie's Supper Club
214 Yellowstone Ave. ☎ 307/527-5500. Lunch $7–$20, dinner $18–$40. AE, DISC, MC, V. Daily 11am–11pm; shorter hours in winter. WESTERN.
Cassie's is the sort of place you might expect and look for in the West, complete with big platters of beef, four bars serving drinks, and ornery roadhouse decor: taxidermy, antelope skulls, and assorted cowboy ephemera. The place has the routine down, having been in business since 1922. Located along the highway west of town in what was once a "house of ill fame," Cassie's is now very respectable and very busy. Besides the requisite steaks, there's seafood (including a great walleye dinner), pasta, and chicken, plus a full menu of specialty drinks. In the Buffalo Bar, a 20-foot mural depicts horses, cowboys, and shootouts. The dance floor bustles to the twang of live country music every night in summer.
Maxwell's Restaurant
937 Sheridan Ave. ☎ 307/527-7749. Lunch $6.50–$8.50, dinner $8–$23. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Sat 11am–9pm. ECLECTIC AMERICAN.
A family restaurant in which "family" does not translate to "bland," Maxwell's has some spicy chicken and pasta dishes
to go with its salads, seafood, and beef. The gourmet pizzas aren't a bad choice, and neither is pork tenderloin Marsala, sautéed in a light wine sauce with shiitake mushrooms. You can even order a Philly cheese steak for lunch. The low-backed booths and varnished wood tables are sometimes packed with boisterous families, raising the noise level and waitresses' stress, but it's a friendly crowd.
Tommy Jack's
1134 13th St. ☎ 307/587-4917. Reservations recommended. Lunch $5–$9, dinner $10–$22. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Sat 11am–10pm; Sun 10am–2pm and 5-9pm. CAJUN.
A geographically unusual eatery right off Cody's main drag, Tommy Jack's dishes up surprisingly authentic Cajun specialties like gator, crawfish, étouffée, gumbo, and fried catfish. Locals love the place; it helps that the eponymous owner is a Louisiana native who flies in fresh crawfish several times a week. The service is excellent, as is the setting, an inviting room done up in brick and glass block.
Picnic & Camping Supplies
Pick up your food and camping supplies at the ubiquitous Yellowstone General Stores, which are in all the park villages.
A Side Trip: Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Even given its importance in American history, Little Bighorn Battlefield will probably not be your primary destination in Montana. But it is a relatively easy detour on the way west or east if you are passing through this area, and worth a trip if you are anywhere close by. Most people who visit the battlefield include it in their trip to Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Park. For driving directions from the monument to Yellowstone, see "Getting There & Gateways," earlier in this chapter.
Like the Revolutionary War battlefield at Lexington, Massachusetts, and Civil War battlefields at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and Appomattox, Virginia, the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in eastern Montana presents visitors with an opportunity to immerse themselves in American history. This is where Lt.