Four days and 1835 miles in Montana

I spent several days driving around Montana to teach little (and some not so little) fluties of all ages, and while I definitely spent more time in the car than I did eating and drinking, I can tell you about a coupla good places...

BOZEMAN seems nice, but I only stopped for coffee at Cold Smoke, and it was amazing. It was also very necessary at that point in the day.

MISSOULA
The campus is sweet, and historic downtown is beyond charming.  Had an espresso and nabbed some free WiFi at ZooTown Brew and a super delish pear and bleu cheese monte cristo at Plonk.

GREAT FALLS 

Jakers had great waffle fries with gorgonzola sauce, and they bring pico and chopped bacon to pour over the whole mess. They're also open late(ish) and the bartenders will cater to your every need. 

MALTA 

OK, you're probably never going to go here, but there was a randomly amazing Southern-style BBQ place that I cannot stop thinking about. It's called Ray J's, it's beautiful inside, and it is the real deal. The service was also very fast, which is handy, because you might be trying to get out of Malta quickly (I'm teasing, you guys were great...) Here is my weird but perfect pulled pork salad:

BILLINGS

I did not have nearly enough time in this quaint little city, but I did enjoy a caprese panini at Bistecca, authentic Hungarian goulash and a tasty Red Lodge Oktoberfest at, of all things, Oktoberfest, and HOMEMADE STROOPWAFELS and coffee at Caramel Cookie Waffle. OK, I needed a lot of coffee on this trip 

The best meals, of course, were spent with kind people and their snuggly dogs all across the state, including the juiciest burger I have ever had (stuffed with gorgonzola, mayo, and chives), and the last of the summer's corn on the cob right off the grill.  Thank you, Montana, for a great stay!