The Grill at the Belton Chalet, West Glacier, Montana

After our breakfast at Glacier Highlands and a morning drive around the area outside Glacier National Park, Nancy and I went into the Park to Apgar Village to catch our Red Bus tour of the wast side of the Road to the Sun.

The Red Buses were made specifically for the National Parks back in 1936. Most have gone the way of all autos, but Glacier has managed to keep 33 of their original 35, thanks in large part to Ford that has redone the guts of the buses to meet modern standards while retaining the outer shell. The buses are open and a great way to tour. They stop periodically for views and necessities and, best of all, someone else is driving along the too-narrow roads with thousand foot drops on one side. The views are too majestic to capture on an iPhone, at least for me, but I’ll give you an idea of the work of the Ice Age glaciers that carved out the landscape of soaring sheer stone walls,

the tumbling waterfalls,

and the purple mountains’ majesty.

The Great Northern Railroad built the line that really opened the Glacier area to tourism. That line stopped at the Belton station, and right across the street they built the Belton Chalet, the very first in the area, in 1910.

In addition to lodging, the Belton Chalet offers a restaurant with two comfortable dining rooms and a bar, the Tap Room, where people seemed to be watching a horse race during our visit, after I took this photo.

(I try to take pictures unobtrusively, and thus the weird angle of the photo.) The restaurant is busy enough to make reservations advisable, but it’s never loud, even with a horse race in progress. The low buzz of activity and the warm wood tones add to a relaxed and cozy atmosphere.

We were seated and greeted by our server Piper, who was attentive and informative. She volunteered that two dishes, the salad Lyonnaise and the pork shank, had been made with thick cut bacon rather than lardons, which is the sort of thing that many restaurants would gloss over. I ordered my usual cocktail, which I enjoyed, and Nancy suggested we start with the Tomato and Burrata that was dotted, as you can see, with basil, cracked black pepper, and a balsamic reduction.

To go with it Nancy (!) suggested the grilled baguette with softened butter graced with a touch of rosemary. How could I not love her?

This was a fantastic start. The burrata was excellent and those pretty local tomatoes actually had tomato flavor. How do they grow real tomatoes so far north? The grilled bread was so good that even Nancy succumbed to its lure. And do they bake their own bread? It had a nice crust and inner texture, and that gentle touch of bitterness from the grill marks to balance the butter. This was a great start to the meal.

Nancy ordered the red curry with a chicken skewer.

Nancy said, and I verified, that the red curry had been well seasoned, with some but not too much heat from chiles and richness from coconut milk. The raw scallion threads on top were a nice touch to go along with the local mushrooms, peas, and bell pepper in the curry. The skewer boasted some caramelization and Nancy praised the chicken’s marinade. This was a hit.

The news about the lardons and the salad lyonnaise and pork shank must have thrown me off my stride. Usually that’s what I would have ordered, but then I also was ready for a completely different flavor profile. I chose the fusilli in a tomato sauce with Calabrian chiles and Calabrese salami.

This was a good combination of flavors, a big and welcome change from the plain grilled meat and seafood I’d been enjoying for the last week or so. The fusilli were perfectly al dente, and the chiles and salami had all the flavor you’d expect. With my tendencies to try new foods and to order too much, I also added some elk sausage, which arrived crumbled into the sauce. As Piper told me, the elk sausage wasn’t seasoned as an Italian sausage, and it really added mainly a nice meatiness to the dish. The basic dish was a large serving and, especially after our generous starters, it didn’t need more. I’d order the fusilli again, but would skip the elk sausage unless I’d been hiking rather than riding all day.

We both recommend the Grill at the Belton Chalet. It was a fine dinner with a pleasant setting and very professional service. This is a skilled kitchen, and they use quality ingredients thoughtfully. You definitely should visit Glacier National Park, and while you’re there, don’t miss the Grill at Belton Chalet.

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