Big Sky's Rainbow Ranch and Lodge combines Old World knowledge with New West attitudes to create a
fine-dining experience that is uniquely Montanan.

Perched literally on top of the Gallatin River just north of Yellowstone National Park,  the Rainbow Ranch Lodge balances between two worlds. Outside is Western wilderness. Fly anglers travel to this narrow canyon from across the globe to fish the very same waters Robert Redford used to film A River Runs Through It. Herds of elk wait out long winters along the stream. There's even a chance of spotting a grizzly or wolf from one of the lodge windows that look out on national forest. Up the road in Big Sky, seasonal resort workers bang around in pickups and play pool in the roadside bars.

But inside the 21-room lodge, you'll find all the sophistication and gastronomical knowledge you'd expect from an eatery on Paris' Saint Germain. And that is just the way a proprietor likes it. But any restaurant can cop a Euro attitude. It's finding that balance between raw nature and fine food that makes the Rainbow truly Montanan. “Even though we are bringing in a sophistication, we are eliminating any snobbery,” says proprietor Patrick Hurd, who came to the Gallatin Valley in 1995 to run the Rainbow when the lodge was under construction. “Quite simply, we want to meet the expectations of our customers. It doesn't matter if someone walks in the doors who lives in Paris and eats out four nights a week or if they live in Big Sandy, Montana. We want them all to walk out the door saying, 'Wow we didn't expect you guys to be here.'”

In the same way he believes in the “slow food” philosophy of carefully cultivating local, organic meats and vegetables to create meals uniquely linked to the place where they are made. Hurd has patiently overseen an evolution of the lodge. He designed, built, and stocked the wine cellar (see sidebar) when the restaurant first opened, and the award-winning wine list has metamorphosed from just 25 wines to a collection of over 8,500 bottles—the largest in the state. Last year, the lodge itself expanded, building a new trout pond and deluxe rooms facing the river. Hurd has overseen the education of Chef Tommy Donohoe as well. During down seasons, The Rainbow Ranch has continued to pay the New Jersey native while he worked as an estagier—or as Hurd puts it “a kitchen slave”—for some of the best chefs in the country, including a stint under Thomas Keller at Napa's famed French Laundry. That dedication has paid off, and it's evident in the care, detail, and subtle nouveau flourishes the chef brings to classic wild game dishes like elk tenderloin (see recipe).

Hurd has also developed hotel and service staff of loyal employees who care as much about food and service as they do about getting out riding, skiing, snowmobiling, or fishing—a rare find in resort towns where most restaurant staff are simply trying to foot the bill for a ski pass and beer. And those employees stay connected to the place. The farmer who supplies organic produce to the restaurant, grown down valley in Belgrade, was a waiter here for six years...

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