Food

The dining room at the Sacajawea Hotel [1] (Main St. and Ash St., 406/285-6515 or 888/722-2529, www.sacajaweahotel.com [2], 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, lunch $6–9, dinner entrées $17–25, bar menu 5:30–8:30 Wed.–Sat., $5–12) is a classy but laid-back place, with reliable if not particularly inspired meals. It’s a pleasant place for I-90 travelers to take a break for lunch. The bar scene is comfortable, with a wide range of generally friendly locals and travelers. The bar is a reclaimed bridge trestle that was originally part of a bridge that spanned the Great Salt Lake.

At the Willow Creek Café & Saloon (six miles southwest of Three Forks in Willow Creek, 406/285-3698, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Tues.–Sun., 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun., dinner $6–21), the food is a cut above what you’d expect to find out here, and both the restaurant and the bar are easy spots in which to while away a couple of hours. Locals think nothing of driving for miles to eat barbecued ribs at Willow Creek. Next door to the restaurant, the Willow Creek Gallery is worth a visit.

Just off I-90 at the Three Forks exit, stop at Wheat Montana (406/285-3614, 6 a.m.–8 p.m. daily, sandwiches $6–7) for anything from a muffin to a deli sandwich to a giant bucket of flour or a loaf of bread. This is one of several retail outlets for a large local wheat farm, which sells their chemical- and pesticide-free wheat nationwide.

Thanks to the fact that Montanans will go out of their way for a good charbroiled steak, Logan’s Land of Magic Dinner Club (11060 Front St., 406/284-3794, 5–9 p.m. nightly, reservations recommended, $14–29), housed in a great old log building six miles east of Three Forks [3], has been pulling in customers for more than 25 years. Aside from the steaks, the Land of Magic is known for its shrimp, its duck à l’orange, and its wine list. Come prepared to work your way through relish tray, soup, salad or shrimp cocktail, potato, bread, and ice cream in addition to your entrée.