Distinctly Montana Magazine

48 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 5 It was the perfect workingman's lunch, HEARTY ENOUGH TO SATE THE HUNGRIEST LABORER'S APPETITE, BUT TIDY ENOUGH NOT TO MAKE A MESS. people, especially those lucky enough to don the King's Hat, love it. The K2 HIDEAWAY GRILL is one of the best-kept secrets in Bozeman, tucked snugly inside the Hideaway li- quor store and bar. But, with respect to bars, this is no mere bar food. Their fries are perfectly crispy, their burgers juicy and toothsome, and their onion rings? Well, they're good enough that you could pass them out as engagement rings and become a po- lygamist easily. But the pork chop sandwiches, made with Pork Chop Johns patties but served with a twist, are par- ticularly good. Our correspondent in the field tried the Hot Chop, draped with jalapenos and pack- ing a spicy wallop. Washed down with an ice-cold brew to tame the burn, it's absolute- ly top-notch. Nothing is as iconi- cally Butte as the FREE- WAY TAVERN, founded as Muzz and Stan's Freeway, except of course for Pork Chop John's. But Freeway Tavern's version of the sandwich, called the "Wop Chop" for decades, is a little different from Borklund's double-battered original. First, we have to get out of the way that it is undoubtedly the tastiest sandwich ever to contain a mild racial slur in its name. Second, it varies slightly in that, rather than a chop, it is a slice of pork t e n d e r l o i n that has been t e n d e r i z e d and breaded. It is no less de- licious. Some prefer the Wop Chop, some Pork Chop Johns. The truly wise will have one of each, and enjoy them both. SHELLIE'S is a long-standing mainstay of Helena (and a several-time, several-category Best of Montana winner), and if you go there, you have to try their milkshakes, which are unparalleled. Any shake sommelier can tell you that a huckleberry malt pairs well with pork chop. The pork chop sandwich at Shellie's is served up in classic style, with lettuce, pickle, and mayo on the side. This may also be a key to understand- ing the curious sway held over the denizens of the pork chop sandwich; when something is perfect, you don't mind if it's frequently the same. Can you still have a piece of pie with your pork chop sand- wich even if you al- ready had a huckleber- ry milkshake to drink? Yes, definitely. The website of the RIVER CITY GRILL in Mis- soula calls it an oasis for travelers, truckers, and tourists, which is absolutely true. We

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