Our neighbors to the north are invited to enjoy a delightful two night stay over the Canadian Thanksgiving (le Jour d’Action de grâce) Weekend, October 8 -11, in beautiful Swan Lake, Montana. Your holiday package includes two nights of lodging, welcome bottle of wine, two breakfasts and two dinners for two for only $259. A traditional Canadian Thanksgiving Supper featuring organic local produce and meats will be presented on Sunday, October 10th at 7pm. Book securely at www.laughinghorselodge.com (write in Canada Thanksgiving) in the note line, or call 406-886-2080. Secured reservations required.
Posts Tagged ‘Dining in Bigfork’
Canadians Celebrate Thanksgiving at the Horse, October 8-11
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010Fat Trout Force the Horse to Change Dining Room Hours
Wednesday, September 8th, 2010It’s fall…arriving a bit early this year, but this is Montana and the weather is fickle as a teenager’s heart. But with the cooling weather comes one of the best times of the year in the Rockies…crisp days, clear nights, the aroma of wood fires floating on the evening air, and, most important, fat and sassy trout!
One such trout – a particularly rotund specimen of approximately 20 inches – has forced me to alter my dining room schedule for the fall allowing me one more evening to try to land ‘her holiness’. There are many great reasons to live in Montana, fall trout fishing is one of the best…and spending a stolen evening on the river with a 5 wt in my hand beats standing over a hot stove, even if I’m cooking up some special fare for great friends and visitors. So please forgive me, but I’ve changed my dining room hours to Thursday – Sunday, 5pm – 9pm for dinner and Sunday Brunch, 9am – 2pm…on the flip side, I have extended my season through the holidays.
The lodge dining room is available Monday – Wednesday for private dinners and events for 12 to 56 persons. So if you are planning a holiday party, special family get-together or just a night with good friends, include the Horse in your plans. We’d love to host your event here or help you give a stellar performance in your home.
So here’s to a great fall, brilliant fishing and a delicious dinner at the Horse..see you soon. Kathleen
Exceptional “Date Night” at the Horse with our second Chef’s Tasting and Wine Dinner!
Thursday, July 8th, 2010Join us Tuesday, July 13th, 6:30pm for our Chef’s Eastern Mediterranean Tasting and Wine Dinner. Last month’s event sold out and everyone had a brilliant time with some fab food and unique wine discoveries. This month we’re featuring the cuisine of Turkey, Cyprus and the Eastern Med. Check out the menu and the wine pours and give us a call. Limited seating!
Our Menu
Borek with Ezme – Delicate phyllo rolls filled with organic spinach and Feta floating in a chunky roasted tomato and bell pepper sauce. The Pour: Lachini Rose of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Salad of Watermelon, Chevre, and Organic Blueberries in Kafir Lime and Mint Vinaigrette. The Pour: Domaine de La Greffiere Macon Charnay, France
Roasted Baby Eggplant with Lebni – Organic eggplant stuffed with charred vegetable salad drizzled with a yogurt, garlic and walnut sauce. The Pour: St. Innocent “Zenith” Pinot Noir, Mark Vlossak, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Veal Manti – tender veal dumplings in roasted garlic and butter sauce. The Pour: Domaine DuSeigneur Lirac “Antares”, France
Char grilled Minted Lamb Kebab with Cypriot Rice Pilaf. The Pour: Carlisle “Pelkan Ranch” Syrah, Mike Officer, Sonoma, California
Traditional Baklava and Almonde Chocolate Pistache with Chilled Honey Pistachio Soup. The Pour: Turkish Coffee
$109 per couple, Limited Seating, Secured Reservations Call Kathleen 406-886-2080 x 3 Laughing Horse Lodge, MM 71.5 Hwy 83, Swan Lake
Al Fresco Dining in the Horse’s Spectacular Garden!
Tuesday, June 15th, 2010The Garden is open for your sipping pleasure!
And what a garden it is this year…so leave your daily stress at the door
and enjoy a delicious glass of wine and an al fresco meal while you bask in
the golden silence of a lovely Swan Lake evening.
To celebrate the arrival (finally!) of summer, this weekend we’re presenting a refreshing Mediterranean Antipasti Plate for two
with two glasses of Gain Bay Cabernet (a Stag’s Leap appellation) for $25. You’ll enjoy freshly char grilled and marinated
vegetables bursting with the flavors of Sardinia, an assortment of Greek olives, hard Italian meats, and yeasty French artisan
bread with rosemary olive oil perfect for dipping.
Reservations: 406-886-2080
PS. Thanks to our many swallows and brown bats, the garden is mostly mosquito-free!
What to do on a rainy afternoon in June….Drink Beer!
Saturday, June 12th, 2010Our second annual World Tour of Beer at the Horse was another resounding success, albeit, a more subdued and dignified affair this year with the soothing guitar of local NPR celeb John Floridis and 26 true beer afficianados huddled over their note cards and Angus Sliders. The pros from Rocky Mountain Wine Distributors pulled out some exquisite and hard to find beers from Europe, California, Pennsylvania and South America – 14 in all were served along with a table laden with the efforts of our new “Kitchen Slave”, Andrea Wight.
(Andrea doesn’t like the term chef or cook so we are calling her KS as
This horse loves the Belgian Duvel!
she has been slaving away in the kitchen learning our menu and creating some wonderful new dishes drawing on her recent experiences at Caneel Bay in St. John and Zola’s in State College PA.)
Andrea spent the afternoon turning out an array of canapes that would make any beer drinker salivate…Beer Battered Mushrooms with Chipotle Dipping Sauce, Angus Sliders with Arugula and Horseradish Cream, Poached Shrimp, Smoked Salmon and Dill Cucumbers, Classic BBQ Wings, Ahi Sashime with Wasabi Ginger Sauce and the piece de resistance…bittersweet chocolate and raspberry truffle squares to accompany the Lindeman’s Frambois (a Belgian raspberry beer that is the nectar of the gods!).
The highlight of the evening was Xingu, a black Brazilian beer that to my pallet tasted like roasted figs…and I love figs.
The Horse added a few of the more popular finds to our Beer Menu for the summer including Victory Prima Pils, Einbecker Pils, Duvel Belgian Golden Ale, Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout and Ayinger Brau-Weisse. On tap for the season are three local beers – Great Northern Brewery’s Wheatfish and Kettlehouse’s Cold Smoke and Double Haul IPA.
If you’re looking for a relaxing escape for a few hours or an evening, take a drive over to the Horse, grab a cold one and set yourself down in our glorious garden…heaven is that close.
Down Island Cuisine Menu for Chef’s Tasting June 22nd
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010Tuesday’s Tantalizing Travel Tastings At The Horse Join Chef Kate and crew as we explore various culinary regions of the world. You’ll enjoy a tempting six course tasting menu complete with unique beer and wine pairings in the intimate and fun atmosphere of Horse’s dining room or garden.
Each evening commences at 6:30pm with a casual presentation by a local travel professional, and an offering of tasty morsels and conversation regarding the region being explored. Bring your travel adventure stories!
Dinner begins at 7pm. One seating only, limited to 24. Secured reservations required. $69 per person, $109 per couple.
Down Island Cuisine Menu – June 22nd
Carrot Coconut Bisque with Candied Ginger Tuile
Curried Chicken Roti with Cilantro Crème Fraiche
Golden Beets, Fennel & Bahamian Conch Salad with Lemongrass Aioli
Jerked Mahi Mahi with Grilled Mango and Chile Relish Served with Miso Sweet Potato Puree
Saban Spiced Goat Stew with Cruzan Rum Fruit Bread
Burro Banana Tart with Tropical Fruit Salsa
July 13th, 6:30pm – Cuisine of Turkey
July 27th, 6:30pm Cuisine of Argentina
August 10th, 6:30pm Cuisine of Morocco
August 24th, 6:30pm Cuisine of India
406-886-2080 www.laughinghorselodge.com
The Horse Serves Up Some Island Fare at 2010 Taste of Bigfork!
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010Join Chef Kathleen at this year’s Taste of Bigfork on Sunday, April 25th, 2pm – 4pm as she serves up a little island flavor with Caribbean Lobster and Sweet Potato Mizo Dumplings with Charred Pineapple Relish. The Horse will present at Showthyme as a guest of Blu and Rose. For tickets to this annual ‘fun’ fund raiser, contact the Bigfork Chamber of Commerce at www.bigfork.org.
The dining room at the Horse reopens on Friday, May 7th for another season of simple yet beautiful food featuring organic and natural fare. Summer dining hours are Wednesday – Sunday, 5pm - 10pm for dinner. Brunch served Saturday and Sunday, 8am to 2pm. The dining room is available for private breakfasts and lunches Monday – Friday for groups of 12 or more by reservation. Catering off-site is available for groups up to 150.
Check out the 2010 menu at www.laughinghorselodge.com
Tuesday’s Tantalizing Travel Tastings at the Horse
Thursday, March 4th, 2010Join Chef Kate and crew every second and fourth Tuesday of the month as we explore various culinary regions of the world. You’ll enjoy a tempting six course tasting menu complete with unique beer or wine pairings in the intimate and fun atmosphere of the Horse’s dining room or garden. We begin June 22 with ‘Down Island’ Cuisine followed by explorations of India, Singapore, Argentina, South Africa, Turkey and Morocco. The evening commences at 6:30pm with a casual presentation of tasty morsels and convivial conversation regarding the region being explored. Bring you travel adventure stories! Dinner begins at 7pm. One seating only, limited to 24. Secured reservations required. $69 per person, $119 per couple. 406-886-2080.
A Heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to Old and New Friends from the Horse on Finishing Our 10th Year
Thursday, October 15th, 2009As the snow begins to sugar the mountain tops here in Swan Lake, I begin the task of closing the Horse for the long winter. First the gardens, so lush and beautiful this year, are cut back and a few tears fall as the last of those glorious hollyhocks are stuffed into the mulch bag – their seed pods carefully saved for gorilla gardening around the neighborhood. Those monstrous hanging baskets of sunrise pink petunias are delivered back to the nursery and the drip systems are drained. The herb garden – so prolific this summer – gives up the last sprigs of lovage, savory and tarragon to flavor the fall stew bubbling on the back burner.
The highway is quiet, the lake even more so. No jet skis, boats or swimmers – just flocks of migrants heading south stopping in for a quick bite and respite. This is my favorite time of year – full of gold light and the smell of winter on the air. The few visitors coming through the door are a hardy breed seeking stillness and ready for any weather Nature may send their way.
It has been an amazing season thanks to the many returning guests who over the years have become good friends. And so many new faces that portend an even rosier future for the Horse. It has been 10 years since the doors opened and what a wonderful ride it has been…fascinating visitors and guests, exciting stories of traveling adventures, quiet moments on sunset contemplations and the absolutely wonderful gratification of knowing that my staff and I have contributed in some small way to making special memories for you and your families.
Although the lodge will be closed November 1 thru April 30, we won’t be idle…upgrades and improvements will take place over the winter to make your 2010 stay even more comfortable. On behalf of Nikki, Cooper, Sampson and Juliet – thank you – for the hikes, the cookies and the new vocabulary (Sampson has incorporated a distinct New Jersey accent and now knows the main theme to Encounters of the Third Kind!)
For all our new and old friends – have a safe and exceptional winter. We’ll be looking forward to welcoming you back to the Horse next year. Kathleen
Laughing Horse Lodge Ranked #1 – Best Food in the Valley!
Tuesday, August 11th, 2009The Horse is quietly celebrating its 10th year of providing the most intriguing and delicious menu in the valley, but the best kept secret in the Flathead may be a secret no more. Guests have been posting their reviews of the Horse on the nation’s number one independent travel review site – www.tripadvisor.com – in ever increasing numbers, catapulting the Horse to the number one position in the region. Ranked highly in areas of quality, value and service, the Horse continues to deliver consistently great food, affordably priced in an atmosphere of warm Montana hospitality.
Chef/Owner, Kathleen Moon and her superb staff make certain that every visitor has a personal and singular experience, a sentiment stated over and over again in the reviews posted at tripadvisor and bedandbreakfast.com. ‘We’re not for everybody,” admits Moon, “the lodge offers up clean and comfortable, yet very basic accomodations with few amenities beyond the natural beauty of the Swan Lake area…so if you need the pool, the in-room TV, cell service and a perfectly stirred martini…we’ll help you find a nice hotel in Kalispell. But if you want quiet solitude, the company of a sweet dog, a great bottle of wine and a good book, with fabulous food (of course!) then this is the spot.”
To discover the charms of this Laughing Horse, visit www.laughinghorselodge.com and book an overnight stay, or just come out for the some delicious dining and music.