Author Archives: bcorbett907

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About bcorbett907

I'm a Calgary-based writer who enjoys exploring the landscapes, and menus, of western U.S./Canada

Everything’s Coming Up Pink at Livingston, Montana Cafe

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Chorizo tacos a delightful breakfast special at Pinky's Cafe in Livingston, Montana

Chorizo tacos a delightful breakfast special at Pinky’s Cafe in Livingston, Montana

It’s a tough act replacing a dining institution, known as much for its colourful owner as the excellence of its food. Such is certainly the case with Pinky’s Cafe, a breakfast landmark in Livingston, Montana, a short drive north of Yellowstone National Park.

When I visited a few years ago, I was greeted and served by Pinky himself—a relaxed, gregarious guy with a white ponytail—while wife Terri ably tended the morning grill. When I returned this fall, the name was the same, but they were gone.

I was starting to get all nostalgic… that is, till my breakfast special arrived on the table. Chorizo breakfast tacos! Eggs, sausage, pico de gallo and a squirt of sauce, all loaded aboard a couple of little tacos. Great, imaginative stuff. I mean, if you can bring burritos to the breakfast table, why not tacos?

The tacos are the brainchild of newish owner Morgan Milton, a trained chef who spices up the morning menu with offerings like bacon-stuffed waffles, banana-walnut pancakes and bacon caprese omelettes. Apparently, his mother does the baking, so the family tradition continues.

You know it's funky when even the bathroom carries on the pink theme

You know it’s funky when even the bathroom carries on the pink theme

So does the relaxed, small-town atmosphere, with a mix of locals and tourists filling the tables in this colourful little place.

Yes, Pinky is gone. But long live Pinky’s!

Pinky’s Cafe
109 South Main Street, Livingston, Montana
Tuesday to Saturday 8 am-2 pm, Sunday 8 am-12:30 pm. Closed Monday

Invermere Restaurant Fuzes Truck and Sit-Down Fare

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Fuze Food has moved from an Invermere, B.C. truck to an indoor location

Fuze Food has moved from an Invermere, B.C. truck to an indoor location

As the charming movie Chef showed, there’s definitely an allure to owning a food truck. The costs of capital, maintenance and staffing can be considerably less than a bricks-and-mortar establishment, and the menu is usually substantially smaller. At the end of the day, you just drive away.

Of course, there are drawbacks, such as power outages and working in cramped quarters over a scorching grill. And if you’re located in a colder climate, there’s a good chance you’ll be closed in winter. Which isn’t a bad thing if you’re a ski or surf bum.

But not every culinary entrepreneur is enamoured with the food truck dream. Indeed, some use the experience as a stepping stone to opening a traditional restaurant.

Such is the case with Fuze Food, in Invermere, B.C. It started as a summer food truck, churning out spiced-up wraps, salads and smoothies, with an emphasis on local ingredients. A couple of years later, young co-owner Sarah Adamson moved into a strip mall right next to a Subway.

The menu hasn’t changed a whole lot, with lots of healthy, tasty options like a satay bowl or a donair wrap. I go for a Thai bowl—loaded with veggies and vermicelli noodles and doused with a house-made peanut sauce—and down it with an apple-avocado smoothie. It’s good, flavourful stuff, though at a bit of a resort-community premium.

Lots of tasty items like this bowl in a box

Lots of tasty items like this bowl in a box

Now that it’s indoors, Fuze is open year round and offering a late-afternoon, evening pizza bar. Though of course that means less time for skiing.

Fuze Food
315 3 Avenue, Athalmere, B.C.
Tuesday to Sunday 11 am-9 pm (pizza bar opens at 4 pm). Closed Monday

Waitress Delivers Killer Breakfast

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A friend was all fired up about breakfast at Armstrong Blue Hotel in Armstrong, B.C.

A friend was all fired up about breakfast at Armstrong Blue Hotel in Armstrong, B.C.

Who knew that little Armstrong, B.C. was such a fun-loving place?

After recently posting about the breakfast bargain and hijinks at The Brown Derby Cafe, I received an email from friend Jim, who because of the Derby’s Sunday closure went across the street to Armstrong Blue Hotel for breakfast.

The food was excellent, he reports, but the real highlight was the waitress, who was wearing a different costume every day of October.

“Sunday was Guerrilla Girl.  Saturday was Just-got-up girl—fuzzy slippers, bathrobe and hair askew. Locals come back just to see what she is wearing.”

Armstrong Blue Hotel
2715 Pleasant Valley Road, Armstrong, B.C.
250-546-6642

Artisan Beer and Cheese Worthy of an Okanagan, B.C. Road Trip

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Crannog Ales makes delightful Irish-style beer at its organic microbrewery in Sorrento, B.C.

Crannog Ales makes delightful Irish-style beer at its organic microbrewery in Sorrento, B.C.

How can I resist a beer with the name Back Hand of God? Though, technically speaking, this stout from Crannóg Ales is far more pleasure than punishment. It certainly is the nectar of the gods—a smooth, dry beer with lingering coffee and chocolate notes.

Located near the little community of Sorrento, on the south shore of Shuswap Lake in B.C.’s interior, Crannog is Canada’s first organic farmhouse microbrewery. Its 10-acre farm provides organic hops and spring-fed water to help co-owner Brian MacIsaac brew small batches of unfiltered, unpasteurized Irish-style beers including a potato ale and a seasonal cherry ale.

Crannóg is a draught-only brewery, which keeps the product ultra fresh. But it also means it’s a bit tricky to purchase, i.e. you won’t find bottles at your local beer outlet. You can pick up growlers and 8.5-litre “party pigs” at the brewery, where you can also sample the ales during booked, summer weekend tours.

The good news is you can order pints of Crannog ales at a growing list of B.C. pubs, extending all the way west to Vancouver Island (I sipped a Back Hand of God at Riverfront Pub & Grill in the north Okanagan hamlet of Grindrod.) The pigs are also available at a few regional liquor stores.

Back hand or not, these organic Irish ales are well worth seeking out.

Crannog Ales
706 Elson bella Road, Sorrento, B.C.
Beer pickups Thursday to Saturday 8:30 am-4:30 pm spring to fall (Friday and Saturday in winter), summer tours/tastings Friday and Saturday 1 pm-3:30 pm, by appointment only
250-675-6847

Speaking of niche organic products in the region, Bella Stella Cheese crafts some wonderful, organic cheeses in Lumby, a small town in the northeast Okanagan, near Vernon. Here, Igor and Irma Ruffa use their Swiss-Italian background to produce Alps’ cheeses like a brie-style Formaggella with a rich, complex flavour.

Bella Stella Cheese please, in Lumby, B.C.

Bella Stella Cheese, please, in Lumby, B.C.

Bella Stella cheeses are currently only available in regional stores and farmers’ markets, which is where I stumbled upon them. Guess I’ll have to plan another Okanagan road trip.

Bargain Breakfasts and Generous Strangers in Armstrong, B.C.

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Neil and Caroline cooking up a good time at their delightful Brown Derby Cafe in Armstrong, B.C.

Neil and Caroline cooking up a good time at their delightful Brown Derby Cafe in Armstrong, B.C.

The Brown Derby Cafe opens at 8:30 on a foggy, fall Saturday morning in the north Okanagan town of Armstrong, B.C. I roll up at 8:40. No problem, right?

Dead wrong. The converted old house is already packed. But as I prepare to wait, co-owner Caroline asks an older local couple (John and Gail?) if I can sit with them. “Sure, pull up a chair.”

Everybody in the place seems to be having the daily breakfast special: local eggs, bacon or beef sausage, grilled potatoes and toast. For $2.99. What? You’re kidding? Nope.

In fact, when she takes my order, Caroline doesn’t even ask if I want something else off the menu, say, Texas French toast (also $2.99; is this a charitable enterprise?). Instead, she just asks how I want my eggs (scrambled) and toast (Russian rye, wow!). “How about some apple juice? We just pressed it this morning.”

The place is packed just after opening. And why not. It's tasty, incredibly cheap fare.

The place is packed just after opening. And why not. It’s tasty, incredibly cheap fare.

I chew the fat with my new friends and watch co-owner Neil dart around the open kitchen cooking eggs while juking and singing to a classic rock soundtrack. When I ask to take a picture, he says, “I can’t stop moving.”

Despite the crowd, the breakfast is quick, hot and splendid. And did I mention, it only costs $2.99? Actually, it doesn’t cost me anything. My seatmates get up to pay before I do and as they’re leaving, turn to casually say, “We got your breakfast.”

When I mention this to Caroline, she replies: “Welcome to Armstrong.” And as I walk down the street to my car, two passing locals look me in the eye, smile and say, “Good morning.”

What is wrong with these people?

The Brown Derby Cafe
3425 Pleasant Valley Road, Armstrong, B.C.
Tuesday to Friday 6:30 am-mid afternoon, Saturday 8:30 am-mid afternoon. Closed Sunday and Monday
250-546-8221

Just down the street, Wild Oak Cafe is bringing a sophisticated take to the Armstrong coffee scene, witness pour-overs and warm morning muffins and croissants served at vintage wood tables. Heidi Jordan’s lunch menu is equally contemporary: a grilled Cascadia cheese sandwich with garlic aioli or a curried kale salad. But don’t worry. They’re Armstrong friendly, too.

A nice blend of contemporary and vintage at the Wild Oak Cafe in Armstrong, B.C.

A nice blend of contemporary and vintage at the Wild Oak Cafe in Armstrong, B.C.

Wild Oak Cafe
2539 Pleasant Valley Boulevard, Armstrong
Tuesday to Saturday 9 am-4 pm. Closed Sunday and Monday

3 Cheers for 2K’s in Great Falls, Montana

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2K's Kafe owner Karla greets diners with a pot of coffee and a big smile

2K’s Kafe owner Karla greets diners with a pot of coffee and a big smile

We round the corner of a quiet downtown street in Great Falls, Montana at 7:30 am. “There it is,” I tell my companion, pointing to the sign: 2K’s Kafe. “It looks closed,” she says doubtfully.

But the line of cars on a mostly empty street says otherwise. Sure enough, the little diner is jammed, at this early hour, with locals. They’re chowing down on substantial plates of bacon and eggs, hubcap-sized pancakes and biscuits and gravy, all while chewing the fat.

We squeeze into the lone vacant booth, order (I get a German sausage scramble) and chat with the waitress, who happens to be owner Karla. Her mother, Karen, used to run the place, hence the 2K name.

German sausage scramble with sourdough toast; a filling start to the day

German sausage scramble with sourdough toast; a filling start to the day

The breakfast is fairly typical diner fare. The real charm is the local, unhurried character in a world of cookie-cutter outlets.

2K’s Kafe

406 3 Avenue South, Great Falls, Montana
Weekdays 7 am-2 pm. Closed weekends
406-727-2053
2 K's KAFE Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato