Wednesday, August 12, 2015

A Round Town

Last week we ventured through a part of Montana we've never been in, the Northeast corner.  We were traveling from Minot, North Dakota to Lewistown, Montana.

On the recommendation of friends, we stopped in Circle, Montana. The visit had two purposes - the main one was to pick up the red scarf my friend Marlaina left the last time they were there, and the second reason was to eat a burger. 

Main Street was pretty quiet. We parked about two blocks from the restaurant and walked the main drag. Of course I found a parking spot a lot closer than the location Marlaina told me about.  She's a walker, I'm so not.
We made a beeline to the Round Towne Tavern & Casino. 'Cause that's where the grub was.
It wasn't what I expected. I thought it was going to be some small, dark hole in the wall. But it was bright and airy, and new. There were several pickup trucks parked outside, a few guys at the bar, and one lone cowboy - eating a steak, of course - seated in the dining room. More people filtered in as it got closer to the dinner hour.
On Marlaina's recommendation, I ordered the Round Towne Burger (Burger smothered with homemade spicy cream sauce and caramelized onions) and Ed ordered the Lumber Jack (Grilled mac and cheese topped with bbq pulled pork and caramelized onions) pictured below. Both were pretty delicious.
The dining room was huge and in the back to the left, there were more tables to eat at, plus a pool table, jukebox, and games.
Here's another shot of the bar.  You might be able to make out the words "Liquor Store" at the very end, where the people are seated.
That's the Grain Bin, a cool little liquor store that has shelves of alcohol, plus coolers stocked with beer and ice. There are only 612 people in this town. I don't know who they're selling all of this booze to.
Once you're sufficiently buzzed, I suspect you can head up front to the "casino" part of the establishment. They have video gambling, and what looks like a blackjack table.
We didn't really explore the rest of the town but it didn't appear as if much was going on anyway.  It was a good place to stop for a bite considering there isn't much out this way.
The most interesting entry on the town's Wikipedia page - which doesn't include all that much info to begin with - is that Circle is 192 miles from the nearest Starbucks. That makes it the furthest town from the nearest Starbucks in the lower 48 States.

Even I wouldn't drive 192 miles for a latte.




~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2014: A Dark Cloud Hangs Over The Plantation

2013: I Wonder How These Longhorns Would Feel If They Knew A Steakhouse Was Named After Them?
2012: Frying Up Memories
2011: Icy Beverages, Sun, And Sand
2010: Smalltopia And Rowdy Kittens
2009: Severely Disabled
2008: Boys In Dresses
2007: I’ve Been Everywhere Sunday
2006: When I'm Done Peeing, Do I Bang On The Pipes Or Just Yell When I Need Someone To Take Me Back To My Cell?
2005: The Emerald City

2 comments:

Mick said...

And people look at me in a funny way when I tell them the nearest McDonalds is 15 miles away! Great article. There are so many teeny tiny towns like this and that's why I love going on little roads instead of freeways.

The Daily Rant said...

MICK: This was the best route from Minot to Lewistown, but I wish we were able to travel these secondary roads more often. The interstate is boring, and I love going through these towns. Even if there's "nothing to see", I still think they're with seeing!