Storm Castle Café — Restaurant in Bozeman

TL;DR: Filthy hicks serving filthy hick food

I went to breakfast here on Feb 24, 2016 and ordered the biscuits and gravy, complete with sausage patties, hash browns, and eggs. The first few bites were fine--nothing exceptional, but not terrible. Munching away, I took a bite of the sausage patty and bit down hard on what turned out to be a roughly pea-sized hunk of bone that was lurking in the patty, cracking & chipping a molar.

The most galling part was that the waitress seemed completely unconcerned by this and the manager couldn't even be bothered, instead relaying the messages via the waitress that "it's totally normal to have pieces of bone in sausage" and asking "do you even know how sausage is made?" There was never even any paltry offer of comping my meal (that I clearly couldn't finish at this point, since I was instead scheduling a dentist appointment) or even the slightest hint of an apology. Apparently this is just expected for their food, and I was forced to pay for this privilege (as well as losing a day of work and paying a dentist).

Keep in mind that this was a sausage patty, which unless I've had a very sheltered life, is traditionally served sans bone. I wasn't gnawing on a bone-in ribeye or chicken wings, it was a sausage patty. They boast so much about sourcing meats from their Hilltop-7 farm, but apparently the kitchen and farm have vastly inferior food handling practices to Jimmy Dean or even McDonald's. If they have so little concern for their customers that chunks of bone are getting tossed in the grinder, what else do they not pay attention to? Would they be unfazed by rats in the kitchen? Do they even worry about basic handwashing and sanitation? Reading some of the other reviews seems to suggest an emphatic NO and a general trend of disrespect and filth.

If they are willing to treat customers that they have physically injured this disrespectfully and brusquely, I can only imagine how they would handle a "normal" restaurant snafu. Arguing by analogy, I would be only left to suppose that if they screw up your order, they'll probably yell at you for complaining and charge you extra for inconveniencing them.

0 STARS. AVOID...

I don't even know where to start. Rarely have I had a restaurant experience this remarkable. I was seated immediately, at the bar where I could see the open kitchen and watch the staff, who chatted up the locals but never neglected the rest of us. In fact, my server was not the only one to ask how my food was and make sure my coffee was constantly full. I got the Hazel Merle, which is a Reuben omelette and was absolutely amazing (and if you do try it, be sure to get the rye toast because anything else with a Reuben is heresy!) I was handed my bill and a go box, because what I was served was obviously too much for one person to eat at once! The omelet itself was fluffy and stuffed full, with melty cheese all over the place. The toast was perfection: still warm, which is rare, and buttered perfectly, right to the edges. The hash browns were a work of art, crusty on the outside and creamy in the middle, and seasoned wonderfully. And as I was leaving, I was handed a large coffee to go, and yet another of the staff asked if everything was satisfactory. The service is impeccable. The food is incredible. The atmosphere is laid-back and friendly. I don't get to Bozeman often, but this is my new go-to.

Edit: I found the place just poking around on Google Maps looking for breakfast before Costco opened. The staff was so friendly and unpretentious that I had no idea that Storm Castle had been featured on Guy Fieri's Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, and that their chef actually has a Michelin star from France! And if my hash browns hadn't already been covered in Reuben sauce (aka Thousand Island dressing), I would have taken my server up on her suggestion to try some of their hot sauces. Next...

I don't want to tell you this, because if Storm Castle gets too much more popular it'll be too tough to get in.

When you come in, you can't even guess who the owner is. That's because everyone in the joint treats you with the care only the owner does anywhere else (and the owners have the expertise only the "real" staff does elsewhere). There are two things that are 100% needed for this to happen.

The team has to be selling something they can stand behind because the quality is always beyond any expectations. Read other reviews to learn about that. Farm-to-table before anyone knew the phrase.

More importantly, you can tell that the employees are treated very well by the leadership. Being open 7 hours, 5 days isn't an inconvenience; it means that folks can work full time and have a rewarding career. That's why this is one small business where you'll never see a "sorry, we're understaffed" sign. What you will see are the same smiling faces on both sides of the counter as you saw long before Guy Fieri had ever heard a whisper.

Come hungry. Try the hot sauces. If you're daring, put enough habanero on your fries that you have to eat them with a fork.

Thank you, Scott and Nicole. If your prices increase so your people can afford to still thrive in Bozeman, I'll just skip other places so I can still afford to support you all. Jody, who always sees my Montana Dip and gushes, "That's my favorite sandwich." It's my favorite, too, and I don't mean just on this menu. And all the rest of the team who make my day every time. On a scale of 1 to 2, this is Spinal Tap: "This one...