On day two we checked out Cooke City, Montana, two miles west of the campground. It’s a village of 100 year-round residents exploding to 300 in the summer. I expected a typical western town with a gas station, grocery, and a couple of bars. I was wrong and pleasantly surprised.
We first discovered the Montasia Asian restaurant.
Cooke City, Mt.
Chef Lee Johnson has been making good things to eat since 1994. He met his wife Yokie at MSU in Bozeman, where she was studying chemical engineering, and they now focus their talent on the Montasia restaurant in Cooke City. It is a family affair with mama Madeline Lee and daughter Rose helping out. What a treat to find such high quality food in such a small town! Chef Lee does his interpretations on classics such as Sweet and Sour Chicken and Kung Pao Chicken as well as specialties from Malaysia. His pot stickers are amazing.
The second great find is a wonderful bakery, Bearclaw Bakery owned by Terri Smith who moved here from Nebraska in 2005. Open year-round (except for a couple of “slow months”), the bakery offers high-quality baked goods including cinnamon rolls, orange rolls, Huckleberry rolls, scones and quiche. They also bake fresh bread and serve breakfast in the adjoining room.
