Anniversary Outing to Lolo Creek Steak House

When I say “Lolo,” what comes to mind? Unless you live in Big Sky Country or you know your history of early American explorers or your more recent Holyoak family history, probably not much. 

According to the U.S. National Forest Service, “'Lolo' probably evolved from ‘Lou-Lou,’ a pronunciation of ‘Lawrence,’ a French-Canadian fur trapper killed by a grizzly bear and buried at Grave Creek. The first written evidence of the name ‘Lolo’ appears in 1831 when fur trader John Work refers in his journal to  Lolo Creek as ‘Lou Lou.’ In an 1853 railroad survey and map, Lieutenant John Mullan spelled the creek and trail ‘Lou Lou.’ However, by 1865 the name was shortened to Lolo and is currently the name of a national forest, town, creek, mountain peak, mountain pass and historic trail in west central Montana."

Okay, as for the latter reference to Lolo, our family moved there in 2003 where Lori and I raised all four of our kids for the greater part of a decade until each of them graduated from high school and moved on.

He said: Even more recently, Lori and I teamed up with our friends Doug and Shellie to write another chapter in our own story. In December 2021, we first went out to eat together on a double date. The location was The Top Hat in Missoula (see photos toward bottom of post). Given it was a cold, dreary, wintry evening, we reserved an outdoor geo dome with its propane-powered heater to the side of the restaurant/night club in the parking lot. We had a fun time together that evening eating good food and enjoying good conversation. So, we decided to make it a monthly affair. Each of the four of us would take a turn planning each month where to go and what to eat.

In December 2022, the four of us celebrated our one-year dining anniversary by making the trek south of Missoula to Lolo Creek Steak House, located just a few miles away and at the base of the same hill where we previously lived. When we lived in Lolo, I split my weekdays working afternoons and evenings as a news anchor/reporter at KPAX-TV and my mornings at the beautiful Lolo Trail O/Z Ranch, which sold its high-quality meat to the steakhouse.  

What arrived on my plate for our anniversary dinner was, of course, a slab of savory meat. I went with a tenderloin steak, an eight-ounce USDA choice filet mignon. Cooked perfectly, it had a browned searing of flavor on the outside, transforming to pink and medium-grilled yumminess on the inside. Add to that, a dinner salad with an extra helping (which is always a good and mandatory thing) of honey mustard dressing, sides of garlic potatoes and toasted bread, and I had everything I needed to drive home a nostalgic evening with friends. Well, almost everything. We added a hot fudge brownie sundae to cap things off. I’ll leave it to Lori to give the low-down on dessert. After all she is the hot fudge brownie sundae connoisseur. 

She said: If you’re going to a steakhouse, it makes sense to order steak…but I didn’t. I ordered the steamed shrimp…and was glad I did. So good! Paired the simple and scrumptious shrimp with a loaded baked potato and a green salad. It tasted like you imagine it would–yummy and filling. Not too filling that I didn’t leave room for my one weakness–hot fudge brownie sundae. One year I set a goal to find the best hot fudge brownie sundae in my hometown. While I think I discovered THE one, the research must go on! One of the main criteria of a good hot fudge brown sundae is the ratio of brownie to ice cream. Lolo Creek Steak House nailed it.

By the way…it took about 40,000 board feet of logs to build the 4,290-square-foot Lolo Creek Steak House. The logs, each estimated to between 130 and 150 years old, came from near Lolo Pass. It took about 190 logs to build the walls, ridge poles and support logs, and another truckload of lodgepole pine to complete the roof rafters.  

Just across the street from the Lolo Creek Steak House is Travelers’ Rest State Park, which is where the Lewis and Clark Expedition stopped for two days in September of 1805 before crossing the Bitterroot Mountains. The explorers returned to the same spot 10 months later on the return trip home. When in Lolo, a visit there is a must, especially if you’re a history buff.

Lolo is also known by avid readers and movie-watchers. Norman McLean wrote “A River Runs Through It in 1976.” Sixteen years later, that novel came to life on the silver screen. Brad Pitt played Paul McLean, Norman’s thrill-seeking and yet somewhat troubled younger brother, who would go to Lolo to gamble and eventually get beat up. Just so you know, in the movie, Paul McLean got beat to death in Montana but in real life, he died in the backstreets of Chicago.

One last historical fact about Lolo. It wasn’t until 2012 that south-bound drivers on U.S. Highway 93 traveling from Missoula knew the name of the first town they entered south of Missoula. That’s because my son Jace designed and erected a Welcome to Lolo sign as part of his Eagle Scout project. It hung there for about a decade until years of aging and a wind storm combined to snap it off at the base. Even though he left Lolo years ago and now lives out of state, Jace is in the process of replacing it with a more durable, steel version.

And as for you, Doug and Shellie, we’ll see you next month!

The Top Hat - site of our first double date in December 2021

Lolo Creek Steak House - Happy one-year anniversary to us!