On the road again: Chico Saloon.
Stopped in for a light snack and a swim. A swim you say, at a saloon? Yep. This is probably the only example of a saloon where you can walk out of the back door and be in a pool fed by hot springs……Chico Hot Springs to be exact.
The place has an interesting story starting off at the turn of the last century as a hotel which was then converted to a sanatorium for bathing in the hot springs, and then converted back to a hotel.
The attached saloon is like a walk back in time and is festooned with hats mounted to the ceiling by the hundreds. It is very popular so, to snag a seat may involve a short wait.
Expect typical bar food with a Montana touch…..smoked trout, for example. This visit we had 6 people so we did a bit of menu tasting which ranged from onion rings….very good to nachos…..as expected, to the hose smoked trout on a spinach salad. The smoked trout was special.
Burgers seem to be a specialty here and include the Mother Lode……2 half pound patties…..yes, that’s a full pound of beef, all served up with thick cut bacon, two types of cheese, lettuce, tomato and a fried egg! If that weren’t enough it comes on a one-pound bed of French fries!! But wait, there is another option, Burgers and Bubbles…..2 Mother Lode burgers and a pound of fries all washed down with Dom Perignon!!! That experience will set you back $200.
Service was a bit slow.
