A la Carte: Cafe 191 dishes out breakfast and lunch 

By Rachel Hergett EBS COLUMNIST 

“Breakfast or lunch?” a waiter asks everyone who walks through the door of Cafe 191. It’s a Tuesday at 1 p.m. and I can’t make such important decisions on an empty stomach.  

“Both,” I say. 

I had come to Cafe 191 in search of breakfast, reminiscing about the days when the space was home to Bugaboo Café. Faced with options, however, I felt the need to weigh them and perused both the breakfast and lunch menus.  

Bugaboo gave way to Caliber Café in 2018. And for the last few years, the restaurant in the Bighorn Shops in the West Fork shopping center, just north of the intersection of Lone Mountain Trail and the cafe’s namesake highway, has been Cafe 191.

When in doubt, stuck in my own hunger and the glorious privilege of choice, I tend to rely on recommendations. This may mean cautiously consulting the internet, befriending other diners or placing my trust in the palate of my server. But it’s easier if the restaurant simply tells me what is popular. On the Cafe 191 menu, dishes marked with a miniature version of the U.S. highway road sign that backs the restaurant’s logo are “local legends.”  

For breakfast, served from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m., those dishes are the chicken fried steak, Firehole French toast and the Cafe 191 omelet with ham and bacon, cheese and bell peppers. Part of me was grateful for the inclusion of bell peppers. With a slight allergy, crossing that dish off shortened my list of possibilities. But I have heard tell of the French toast.  

Local legends on the lunch menu, served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., are the Lone Peak turkey sandwich, a Reuben, the Cafe 191 bacon cheeseburger and bison chili. 

Of these dishes, my waiter, Jon Rose, points me toward the turkey sandwich. I pair it with a cup of chili, then order a side of French toast for good measure. I explain that I’m considering writing about the food, hence my large order, and Rose nods. But I think we both knew that when I eventually return to Cafe 191, I will order sides of French toast with lunch anyway.  

While I wait, I enquire about the grab and go combo advertised on a sign out front. It’s a breakfast burrito, with either Mexican-inspired filling or sausage, egg and cheese. Add in a cold sandwich (ham, turkey, roast beef or Italian), chips and a cold drink or coffee and it’s a steal for $19. Separate, Rose tells me, the meals would cost closer to $25. It will be on my mind next time I head up to the mountain.  

Rose likes Cafe 191 because of the good-sized portions. Plus, he said, the menu has lots of options and most of it is made to order. There is also a full bar and a coffee bar. While I wait, a continuous stream of people come through the door, telling me he is not alone in these ideas.  

My chili arrives at the table first. It’s got a slight spice that is nicely warming, though I’m not in love yet. Still, I can imagine it singing with other dishes. I’m not going off script here—chili fries and chili tots are both menu options. 

Next out is the French toast. The outside looks a bit grainy and so orange that a part of me wonders if it is breaded with Cheetos (it’s not). I poke at it a bit with my fork. Rose tells me the recipe is top secret.  

The secret is not well-kept. Later, I learn that after the bread is soaked in an eggy custard mix, it is breaded in the sugary breakfast cereal favored by pirates, Captain Crunch.  

I coat the odd-looking toast with butter and syrup and tentatively take a bite. Time passes slowly and quickly in the same instant. The French toast is magical, with the slight crunch of the breading adding complexity to the sweetness. The toast quickly disappears. I am glad I ordered the side, which is really one slice of bread cut on the diagonal. 

My hot turkey sandwich arrives. It’s huge, with piles of thick cut turkey, cherry smoked bacon, tomato, spinach and melty provolone. There’s a slightly ominous big ol’ knife stuck right in the top. I’m not ready for this. My stomach is not ready for this.  

I take one bite and ask for a to-go box. It seems “both” breakfast and lunch is too much for me these days, and a sandwich that good deserves my full attention. 

Rachel Hergett is a foodie and cook from Montana. She is arts editor emeritus at the Bozeman Daily Chronicle and has written for publications such as Food Network Magazine and Montana Quarterly. Rachel is also the host of the Magic Monday Show on KGLT-FM and teaches at Montana State University.