Is there magic in the mountains?
By Rachel Hergett EBS COLUMNIST
Lone Mountain Ranch describes its sleigh ride dinner as “a magical experience complete with a sleigh ride through snow-laden pines, cowboy entertainment and a family-style three-course prime rib dinner served under the warm glow of lantern light.”
I must admit I was a bit of a skeptic. Part of me loved the idea: What could be more winter wonderland than a sleigh ride? I kept picturing the moment at the end of “White Christmas” where it finally starts snowing and they throw open the big barn doors and wave at people on a passing sleigh. The scene is not entirely realistic without a base of snow, but it is, like the description promises, entirely magical.
Plus, there was the promised prime rib, the best of all forms of beef, in my humble opinion.
But I also had it in my head that this should be a romantic experience, and I was sans date or even anyone I knew. Would I feel the magic flying solo? Would the whole thing feel hokey?
At home, I contemplated my choice of outfit—a dress and tights. Though I worried my legs may get cold, I also correctly assumed the sleigh would have blankets.
I was shuttled to Lone Mountain Ranch’s Outpost after parking—a gift shop, bar and lounge that serves as a sleigh-ride gathering place. Outside, goats from the ranch’s goat yoga offerings surrounded a fire pit. Drinks are available in the Lytle Bar (and must be procured before heading toward the cabin). There was also a sideboard with a lineup of warm beverage options—mulled wine, tea, coffee and hot chocolate with mini marshmallow options from plain to peppermint.
The sleigh ride is only around 20 minutes each way, including a few stops to rest the horses so they don’t get too sweaty and then chilled while their passengers are inside eating a meal. With the impatience of our team—horses named Tom and Jerry—I also suspect this move is taken in part to extend the sleigh ride segment of the experience.
In the bleak midwinter, I was glad to have chosen the earlier dinner with a 4:30 p.m. gathering time. We’ve caught the fading light and I marvel at its beauty as we glide through the trees on three sleighs, each with room for 16. I learn about the people around me and lean into the experience.
We’re heading toward the North Fork Cabin, named after the nearby North Fork of the West Fork of the Gallatin River, which was purpose built for these dinners 44 years ago from trees felled on the Lone Mountain Ranch property and transported to the cabin location by horse and mule—much like the dinner guests are now, notes Ian, the teamster acting as the evening’s host.
We’re on a first-name basis here, apparently. Logan is the teamster at the lead of my assigned sleigh. Bruce is the cowboy musician providing entertainment in the form of songs about home-grown tomatoes, fresh-baked bread and Charles M. Russell. I learn his full name is Bruce Anfinson when I buy the album on vinyl.
Now to the food, curated by the chef of the ranch’s Horn and Cantle restaurant. A potato and leek soup was already on the table when I sat down, with a basket of sourdough bread and ramekin of honey butter ready to be passed around the table. Once the bowls were licked clean and cleared, the second course started to arrive. A smoked turkey pot pie was passed around the table, as were crème fraîche mashed potatoes, giving them the distinctive tang of the fancy French version of sour cream. Then came mushrooms cooked up with bacon and a whole heap of vegetables in garlic and butter. Each felt more delicious than the last. However, things changed once the prime rib was served, with staff placing a slab in front of each person—then coming around and offering more.
I have to admit I left some of the sides on the plate in favor of gorging myself on prime rib. It was one of the best I’ve ever had, given a slight smoke from the more than 100-year-old wood-fired cast iron oven and cook stove that dominates the back of the cabin.
I thought I was stuffed, really, until they served an ice-cream topped huckleberry and apple cobbler and I again cleared my plate.
Throughout the evening, I made new friends and leaned into the experience. I left both incredibly full and incredibly happy, and when our cowboy musician joined our assigned sleigh home, the entire group joyously sang what we could recall of the chorus to his own song about warm bread back to him.
It was indeed magical.
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.
