Tucked below street level on Park Street, Dodge Brothers Restaurant is a delight for the eye and the palate.

Featuring Brazilian style meats served on swords, Dodge Brothers also offers more traditional fare. My fellow critics sampled salmon with raspberry sauce and grilled chicken with red peppers. I tried the New York steak with bleu cheese.

We started our evening by taking a quick look at the layout of the restaurant. John Richen, owner, has done an incredible renovation. He is an architect and artist, and his touches are everywhere evident, from the warm woodwork to the stained glass panels depicting mountain vistas. One spot not to miss on your way in is the wine cellar, which is at restaurant level (because we are already in the basement.) It is painted with colored light, as is a quirky little alcove just outside the window of the dining area. The atmosphere is elegant, yet fun, as many of the restaurants in more urban areas of the country. Even the ladies’ bathroom has a crystal chandelier.

Our service was prompt and courteous. We quickly gained a pleasant booth in the dining area and were directed to the salad bar after ordering. There we were greeted with a sumptuous array of fresh leaf lettuce, a bow-tie pasta salad, and a cucumber and onion dish. The soup was a warm, spicy beef and bean.

Our meal came quickly, hot and precisely as we had ordered it. My steak was tender, succulent, and very well complimented by the bleu cheese. My fellow critic’s salmon was well prepared, and the raspberry sauce was a sweet compliment to the light, clean salmon flavor. My other fellow critic’s chicken dish was completely divine. The chicken was savory with the flavor of grilling and judicious spices, and the seasoned rice that accompanied it made me envy my dinner companion’s choice, as I had plain mashed potatoes with my steak.

When the dessert cart came, we marveled at a caramel-glazed cheesecake, a huge chocolate mousse in a long-stemmed goblet, and three other delicious trifles. I had eaten way too much of my 14 ounce steak to want to tackle the mousse, but I did nibble on my companion’s cheesecake, and it was sinfully rich and creamy. It was the kind of cheesecake that must have inspired the expression for sexy pinup girls.

We skipped the after dinner drink in the bar, but we did look in, and it was small but well appointed and had a good stock of popular liquors.

Whether you are entertaining clients or taking the family and friends out for a special dining occasion, we can highly recommend Dodge Brothers Restaurant and Bar. The prices are within reason for local fine dining, the service is prompt and courteous, and the atmosphere is cozy and intimate. Our server was a delight, even sharing a laugh with us at the end of the meal when we asked if we couldn’t all just curl up and take a twenty minute nap.

Don’t miss the Dodge Brothers Coffee Shop on street level, either. It’s a comfortable and affordable place to have a deli-style sandwich, salads, deviled eggs, deserts, and quality beers and coffees. Locals, be warned that it gets very busy during the peak lunch hours, so you may want to schedule your lunch either before eleven or after 1 p.m. if you have a tight schedule.

Did you know there’s a new cafe/diner type eatery in the Mining City? It’s located in the space left empty after the closure of Rancho Los Arcos on Front Street.

Their sign declares that they’ve got “Just Good Food” and I do so enjoy good food–so I invited a friend to give it a whirl with me for lunch this week.

Their selection is fairly decent–with your typical Butte (and most other places) diner fare. The prices are comparable to places around town like the Hangin’ 5 or Perkins. It’s slightly more expensive than places like Copper City Casino (which we’ve reviewed before).

I had the chicken strips and fries and my dining companion had the lunch special–a mushroom swiss burger and fries. Both came with soup or salad and we both chose the salad, which was not too shabby. It looked small, but turned out to be just enough salad. The French dressing was good–nice and thick, which is something I personally look for in a salad dressing.

The chicken strips were good, and my friend enjoyed his burger. The fries were crinkle cut, which is something you don’t see too often and was a nice switch. The only real issue I had was that I asked for barbecue sauce for my chicken strips and was given sweet & sour instead. Luckily, I like sweet & sour. Additionally, the menu said that my meal came with Texas Toast and it wasn’t present when my food came. It didn’t matter to me too much other than on principle.

The decor of Annie’s Cafe is understated–as a matter of fact it’s pretty much the same as it was when it was Rancho Los Arcos, with the Coca-Cola theme in addition to the Spanish-looking tiled look.

The food was good, and I’m sure I’ll return again. Hopefully next time they’ll have ironed out the kinks in their menu/service.

Well peeps, we told you that as soon as we were able to eat at MacKenzie River Pizza we would write a review. We had a chance to eat lunch there the other day.

It was very good overall, but we felt rushed by our server especially as the end of our meal neared. They were busy and had people waiting at the door for tables but only a few minutes after we recieved our main course, our server came back and asked us if we needed a to-go box. Honestly, we barely had time to take a bite.

Isn’t it the golden rule that even if they want your table for another customer, they should not make it apparent to you? She was very nice, asking if there was anything we needed, but she came about every two minutes, which also made us feel rushed. It is difficult for one to have a conversation at lunch if you’re constantly being interrupted by a server.

Like we mentioned above, the food was excellent. We both ordered the House Salad for an appetizer which is the same old-fashioned salad with a new twist. They had the brilliant idea of putting grape-nuts and pears on their salad, which made the salad absolutely heavenly.

For the main course, we ordered the Flathead Pizza.

Creamy white sauce with fajita chicken, spinach, garlic, diced tomatoes and mushrooms. It’s even better with bacon.

The pizza wasn’t very big, especially for the price (around $15). However, it was very very good.

We’ll definately be back, but only for special occasions. We recommend that you try out Butte’s newest venue (though you may want to wait until payday).

The widely popular MacKenzie River Pizza Company has opened a restaurant in the Mining City. It is located on the corner of Eliz. Warren and Howard, just behind Wells Fargo Bank. A company based out of Bozeman, this is the MacKenzie River Pizza Company’s 12th store in Montana.

When I drove by tonight, it was packed. Butteians are already enjoying the Mining City’s newest venue. As soon as we get a chance to eat there, we’ll post a review.

Copper City Casino is one of Butte’s best kept secrets.

They have great food and almost the best prices in town. And now they’re fully compliant with the Montana Clean-Indoor Air Act with the smoking section and the casino areas closed off from the main dining room. This means that families with children and those under 18 can eat at the Copper City Casino with no problems.

We had lunch there recently and the food was great. Marx had the Chicken Malibu, which is always good, and I had my favorite, the Old Fashioned Club House (hold the mayo). They make their own Thousand Island and it’s great on the Club House.

For our lunch, including tip it was only $13. Not too shabby for we underpaid schlubbs.

Other recommendations: Especially now that Lent is here, the Halibut Fish & Chips are highly recommended. They are some of the best in town and you’ll be sure to have leftovers.

One caveat: If you’re looking for fine dining, you might want to look someplace else. The Copper City Casino is nothing fancy and many of your fellow diners will be salt-of-the-earth Butte types so if you’ve got an ounce of pretention, it’s not your place.