Lighthouse - Gardiner

In a nutshell: this place has interesting menu options at a reasonable price, but execution is hit or miss and service is slow. After having gross hockey puck b... read more In a nutshell: this place has interesting menu options at a reasonable price, but execution is hit or miss and service is slow. After having gross hockey puck burgers at some cafeteria inside Yellowstone for lunch, my family and I were looking forward to some real food for dinner. We ordered quite a bit here, so it was a good sampling of what they have to offer. My parents both got clam chowder because the menu stated that the chef worked at Pike Place Market in Seattle for 10 years which inspired his recipe. We fondly remember having delicious clam chowder in Seattle, so it sounded promising. However, it was just incredibly salty, and nothing like the clam chowder we enjoyed in the past. My mom and I got side salads with huckleberry vinaigrette, which we've never tried before. Huckleberry tastes kind of similar to blueberry. It was pretty tasty. We got two appetizers for the table: escargot and wildfire Mac cheese (it has bacon and jalapeños mixed in . I've never had escargot before, but it was cooked very well it wasn't rubbery like I was afraid of, and the garlic butter sauce and grilled ciabatta bread was a great complement to it. The wildfire Mac had a nice kick to it from the jalapeños and was tasty. We all got different entrees: chicken crepe, Bacalao au gratin (Portuguese cod dish , seafood linguine, and NY steak. My crepe was delicious for the most part. It was stuffed with spinach, bacon truffle cheese, and chicken. The chicken was not fresh they used those precooked chicken strips that you can get at the grocery store...I could tell by the distinct taste and texture. That kept the dish from being great. Bacalao was solid the cod was not fishy, and the au gratin scalloped potatoes went well with it. Seafood linguine was pretty good too the ingredients were all fresh. The NY steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare, but my dad didn't like it because they had some kind of sweet sauce on it (red wine, maybe? that was not listed in the menu description. I personally thought it tasted great, but my dad is very basic about his steaks just dry seasoning. Our waiter was pretty friendly and polite, albeit kind of slow. On a couple occasions, he also brought stuff to our table that we didn't order. Two of his other tables adjacent to us also happened to be full of Asians, so I wonder if he couldn't tell us apart. I wasn't offended or anything, but thought that was funny. This place is pretty good, and I'd take this over the Yellowstone cafeteria food any day!

Who are the people giving this restaurant four or even five stars? Amazing? Charming? Fine dining? A hidden gem? Are they under some sort of influence, or are t... read more Who are the people giving this restaurant four or even five stars? Amazing? Charming? Fine dining? A hidden gem? Are they under some sort of influence, or are they just friends and family of the owners and staff? Perhaps a bit of both? The food was terrible, the service was dreadful, and the overall ambiance was simply creepy. We couldn't wait to leave after experiencing everyone's poor meal and the unsettling staff. It felt like we were trapped in a Twilight Zone episode. We should have realized something was off as soon as we glanced at the menu. Escargot, Thai cuisine, pasta, steaks, curry, and seafood all together on one menu is a clear indication that the food is unlikely to be good. And it certainly wasn't. It's further proof that restaurants around Yellowstone can survive on seasonal tourists who will probably only visit once.

Very good food not amazing. Recommend getting chocolate chip cookie on scillet. The service was really nice and the people are very kind chocolate chipskillet i... read more Very good food not amazing. Recommend getting chocolate chip cookie on scillet. The service was really nice and the people are very kind chocolate chipskillet it was delicious I got a steak which was very solid but the sauce was amazing I recommend I've been in Montana for five days and this is by far the best mail I'm not saying a food amazing but for Montana food very good very nice people doesn't take too long solid food great strawberry drink I recommend getting not too expensive little pricey but very good quality food

I am genuinely surprised that this place has such high ratings. The food is not freshly made; it appears to be kept in metal containers. The flavors are bland a... read more I am genuinely surprised that this place has such high ratings. The food is not freshly made; it appears to be kept in metal containers. The flavors are bland and unappetizing. Additionally, the menu is quite misleading. Overall, it was a terrible experience.

Truly amazed that this place gets five stars. We went there at opening time (5:30) and was seated quickly. The host/waitress was very friendly but had limited E... read more Truly amazed that this place gets five stars. We went there at opening time (5:30) and was seated quickly. The host/waitress was very friendly but had limited English (which was the norm while traveling in Yellowstone). Overpaid for a squeezed from scratch strawberry lemonade ; the drink was most definitely a powder concoction. Salad was fine. No alcohol served there, but that wasn 't a problem. I ordered a shrimp over penne with vodka sauce, and it was just OK. Bland, nothing special. My husband ordered a fish meal that was served over potatoes. After he took a couple bites, he stated something was off and he moved the fish aside to find rotten potatoes under the fish. I would stay far away from this joint.