The Terrace (Cody, WY)

There are a lot of places to eat in Cody, but the Terrace stands out. The food is high quality and extremely tasty. While other places may have more rustic, cowboy food, the Terrace takes those ingredients and takes them to the next level. I’ve been there twice and both times the food was excellent, and the atmosphere was lovely. (They have a nice wooden bar and a good view of the canyon.)

This time, I got the buffalo meatloaf, which was fantastic and came wrapped in bacon (always a plus) and coated with a subtle cranberry demi-glace. It was accompanied by decadent goat cheese mashed potatoes and green beans that were both perfectly seasoned and cooked to perfection. The dish cost about $15.

My meal was accompanied by a nice local beer, and then I finished off the evening by sharing the amazing flourless chocolate torte (which came with a delicious, not-too-sweet, fresh raspberry sauce).

Would definitely recommend to any traveler who’s tired of road or pub food and ready for a special meal.

ps. Also: When we were about to leave, two women came to the bar and ordered margaritas. We watched the bartender prepare them (one regular, one watermelon), and they looked fabulous. So, next time… margaritas!

PO News & Flagstaff Cafe (Sheridan, WY)

I was in Sheridan, WY for business and needed a bite to eat that wasn’t fast food and wasn’t some fancy place. I was looking for reasonably priced, simple, tasty food. I happened to drive by the PO News & Flagstaff Cafe and notice the “free wifi” sign in the window, so I decided to check it out.

When I first walked in, I thought I’d made a mistake, because the front of the place looks like a tobacco store. You can buy fancy tobacco, cigars, etc there. (Also chocolate chip cookies. Unclear why, but I always support the sale of chocolate chip cookies, even in random locations.)

But through the PO News part is the Flagstaff cafe. It’s a seat-yourself kind of a place that has a family-run feel to it. There isn’t a huge quantity of seating (maybe for 20 or so), but the place was pretty full.

Folks were finishing up a late breakfast as we sat down to lunch. We looked pretty out of place in our suits; most of the other folks looked like locals. The waitress came quickly and asked what we wanted to drink. One of the options on the menu was “swamp water,” which turned out to be iced tea and lemonade. I got a BLT with avocado, choosing house-made miso soup on the side. My colleague got a patty melt with potato salad. Both were good.

The bill came to just over $20, and we were in and out in about 45 minutes or less. Mission quick/tasty/cheap lunch: Success!