Montana's Rib & Chop House - Livingston — Restaurant in Livingston

Great Service, Food, not so much!

Let's start by saying that it is rare that I write reviews and there are only two reasons why I would... Either the experience was extraordinary or it faceplanted. This one fell flat, and one must ask why this saloon with food on the side had so many high marks, and I won’t go into those reasons.

First, I will say in this town, due to reviews about other establishments, they don’t like you sitting in their dinning room unless you have enough to fill a table of 4 or larger, as they wanted me to “Sit at the Bar” or high tables around the Bar.” Considering I’m exposing this place with some reality, they might want to reconsider that policy.

Next, the “Lemonade/Limeade with Huckleberry.” To be clear, I love limes in food and drink, but I would rather have flushed this down the toilet.

Then I ordered their “Famous Filets” and chose garlic mushrooms and broccoli as the sides. Where do I start… A steak, mushrooms, and broccoli on three separate little plates (wish I would have grabbed a photo), and I was warned that the steak plate was extremely hot and given the broccoli and mushrooms were room temperature, they should have been on a bigger “Hot Plate.” Mushrooms, given my extensive experience of cooking and preparing FRESH Mushrooms of all varieties, these were of the variety, bottled green giant, what my mom served back in the day when fresh mushrooms were an unknown.

If I had wanted raw broccoli stems to eat, I would have gone to the local market and tried to eat the stems in the car. If you are going to quick steam or pan sear “stalks,” you use broccolini with small stalks.

Next, their “Famous Fillet…” I had a nice fillet before I came on this trip that I purchased at my local market and it was about 3+ inches thick and cut with ease after being pan seared. Their “Fillet” was barely 1 inch with a cut resembling a sirloin, and given the gristle, this was no “Fillet.” So either they have a horrible butcher or they are cutting corners, which is it?

What can be said about the atmosphere? Maybe a cowboy saloon (one walked in with his spurs on his boots like he just got off his horse) with a U-shaped bar with a big screen playing and a loud jukebox or music track with a tacky looking dining room on the side. Maybe it’s big with the locals, but if you are trying to portray yourself as a top-tier “Steak & Chop” establishment, you have a long way to go.

There was one bright spot with this incredible disaster, my server Mariel. It had to be at the end of her shift, and she was cheerful, outgoing, informative, attentive, and compassionate. The owners need to give her a raise, as she saved this night from being a full disaster.

PS… Send your “Chef” back...

It's unfortunate some people had poor experiences here. My husband and I visited Livingston for a house-hunting trip and we went to the Rib & Chop twice while in town. Both occasions we didn't have to wait for a table and our service was pretty good. The first time it could've been better but our waitress was obviously pregnant and I cut her some slack since she was nice. The second time dinner was hectic because it was prom night so it was really busy--luckily we got there for an early dinner at 5pm and didn't have a problem getting a table. We got a special appetizer the first time--beer-battered artichokes with spicy mayo and crab. It was AMAZING. It definitely went onto my favorite-foods-of-all-time list. I'm disappointed that it's not a regular on their menu, but as a special instead. I got the same meal on both occasions because I loved it so much. The steak was better than I've ever had and the baked potato was the size of my head! The only thing I'd complain about there is that the steak comes out sizzling and popping so much that it can ruin your clothes. I suspect that's why they cover the tables with butcher paper--you can see spots of grease all over it after your steak arrives. So either wear something that you don't care about getting stained or at least use a napkin as a bib until the steak cools enough to stop sizzling and snapping. It's irksome but it tasted so good that I'm willing to overlook that inconvenience. My husband got the lamb the first time and he said it was delicious. His garlic mushrooms weren't anything to write home about, and the second time he got a wild mushroom stuffing as a side and it was too strong so he didn't eat it. For dessert we tried the creme brulee under recommendation of our waitress. It was one of the best things I've ever tasted! I've never had it before so I can't compare it to anything, but it was absolutely heavenly. It also made it onto my favorite-foods-of-all-time list.

I can't wait to move to Livingston so we...

So very glad we ate here! Great food. Superbly cooked. I had the chicken fried steak with the mac-n-cheese and mashed garlic potatoes and the lady had the fried shrimp and garlic mushrooms with fries. Both dishes were amazing! We both wanted to try nearly everything on the menu. We will definitely be back! And we really enjoyed sketching and drawing on the tables 😉 Update: Just as good on our second time here. I had the fish and chips this time....so, so good! Thanks again Chophouse!

Update!!! 4-10-25 It just keeps getting better and better each time we go. This time we had the 36 oz. Ribeye for two! We started with the house salad, also ordered spinach and artichoke dip as a starter followed by two loaded baked potatoes. They were BIG potatoes that came fully loaded with plenty of butter, cheese, sour cream, bacon and chives. They were cooked perfectly! The steak came to the table with our sides of mac-n-cheese, broccoli and was cooked to perfection...we ordered it medium rare. It came with two hot, hot, hot plates that actually continued cooking the steak to our preference, or we could leave it in the thyme, garlic and butter pan if we didn't want it cooked more. This was an option I have never experienced. Really liked having that choice though. Our server, Jude...not Judy, but Jude, lol, was outstanding! Very pleasant, upbeat and very informative about the menu items. She kept our drinks full and the upbeat, positive attitude throughout our meal....and we were there until almost closing time. She remained so helpful and pleasant it was what really made our experience this time so good. As always....if you're thinking about going here, do it! We really enjoy it. I hope you enjoy it as...