Road Trip: Great Steak 50 Miles from Billings
Do we have any food tourists out there? Any of you that like a good steak and don't mind a bit of a drive - in fact, you actually enjoy a nice little road trip and an excuse to try out a new restaurant?
If so, you gotta check out this place in Custer, Montana- right off the interstate exit. It's only about 50 miles from Billings. It's called The Fort at 49.
When I was in Glendive in February 2022 for the GATE Show - the Glendive Agri-Trade Exposition, I had grabbed a great dinner in Glendive the night before and we got to talking about food. My cousin's wife is from a ranch in Custer, and they told me that there is an incredible restaurant in Custer - a restaurant that would rival the creativity and flavor like you would see in the bigger cities.
One of these days I figure I better make a trip out to The Fort at 49.
Well, I ended up sticking around Glendive late in the day that Friday, meeting with some great folks, so by the time I started making my back West toward Billings, it was approaching dinner time. I was just outside of Miles City, and I thought, rather than just drive as fast as I can back to Billings, why not stop and enjoy a good meal and try this place out? But my cousins told me - you better have a reservation if it's on a weekend for sure.
When I called the restaurant about an hour out of Custer, I asked if they had a spot at the bar. No bar, but they had one table left at 5:30. So I figured I better take it. I also asked the waitress what the most popular dishes are so that I could order as soon as I got there. The Argentinian New York Strip. I'd heard enough.
Holy cow. This steak was incredible. An Argentinian New York Strip with butternut squash, onions, red potatoes, and a chimichurri sauce on top. It was incredible.
(***Note added after publishing story - Argentinian is the style of the dish, but that doesn't mean that the beef came from Argentina)
My cousin's wife said she had walleye when she was there last. I heard a table next to me ordering Coq Au Vin. Yep. In Custer, Montana. A great excuse to visit a great small town and have a great meal.
Oh, and I caught a great sunset too.
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