Sir Scott's Oasis Steakhouse...Manhattan, Montana

      No journey through Montana would be complete without a meal at one of the MANY good steakhouses in the area.  I had several recommendations from a good friend of ours, but finally narrowed it down to one, Sir Scott's.  One of the deciding factors about our decision to dine here was the proliferation of an urban legend that Barb and I fell in love with. 



      Sir Scott's is located in the small town of Manhattan, MT located about 20 miles west of Bozeman on I-90.  It has been a local favorite and famous throughout the area for many years.  They do take reservations and often there is a wait, especially in the summer tourist season.  Their menu is quite diverse with everything from Alaskan Snow Crab, Pacific Oysters, Halibut, Scallops, Shrimp, and of course every possible steak cut in the 'known delicious universe'.  A meal averages from $11-$30.  We arrived early on a Thursday at 4:30.  It filled up within the next 30 minutes.
     The front door leads you into the lobby; the bar is on the right, with dining area to both the left and right, dining for larger parties is straight ahead. You can also eat in the bar if you like.  It already had a fair population of local cowboys sipping their Barley Pops. We were seated promptly in the dining room on the left by an extremely friendly and efficient host who put a squeeze bottle of ranch on our table, handed us menus, and told us our waitress was on the way.  There is also a relish tray and cracker tray with butter already on each table.



      As we looked around at the brown wood walls we noted they were stained the perfect rustic backdrop for the Charlie Russell prints adorning the walls. The ceilings are sawn wood with exposed beams and the country-curtained windows face Main Street. The tables are covered with vinyl cloth and the placemats are paper with local ads on the borders surrounding the Sir Scott’s Oasis center ad, all contributing to an unpretentious setting for some of the best steak you may ever experience.

 

      After getting myself a cold brew, Barb kicked off the evening by ordering the 12 ounce NY Strip and I dove head first into the 16 ounce (small size) Steak Fingers!  Each meal comes with choice of potato, soup or salad, AND DESSERT! 



 

 



      Barb loved her steak and my steak fingers were 'melt in your mouth' delicious.  The steak fingers come with cocktail sauce, something I am usually not fond of, but as a dipping sauce for the entrée was unbelievable! We have eaten plenty of good steaks in Wyoming, Washington, Oklahoma, Montana, and Texas.....this is as good and maybe even better than any I have ever had!  I seriously doubt that you could ever have a bad meal here. 
     The portions are so generous we took half our meals home.  I just love the doggie bags because they are so basic....just a grocery store veggie bag and a paper bag. Invert the plastic bag over your hand, pick up your leftover item, and revert the bag back off your hand and into the sack it goes.  Sound familiar?  Unbelievably we had room for the small fudge sundae.  Total for this meal including drinks....$48
      But, I digress.  You are by now still curious and left wondering about the local legend.

A lady was at the restaurant with friends waiting for a table.  The wait was about 45 minutes. Lots of other rancher types and spouses already waiting. In comes Ted Turner and Jane Fonda. They want a table. The hostess says they'll have to wait about 45 minutes.  Jane asks if she knows who she is. "Yes, but you'll still have to wait 45 minutes."  "Is the manager in?" she says. The manager comes out, "May I help you?"  "Do you know who I am?", ask both Jane and Ted. "Yes, but these folks have all been waiting already and I can't put you in ahead of them." Then Ted asks to speak to the owner. The owner comes out. Jane again asks "Do you know who I am?" The owner says "Yes, I do. Do you know who I am? I am the owner of this restaurant — and a Vietnam veteran. Not only will you not get a table ahead of all my friends and neighbors here, you also will not be eating in my restaurant tonight or any other night. Good bye." 

There are several variations of this same story, but in the end the result is delightfully the same. 

 Only in America?  ONLY IN MONTANA! 

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