Liquid Planet & Frozen Fun

I first saw the post on Facebook. Denny's restaurant was closing up shop and Liquid Planet (LP) was moving in. LP is a coffee joint so I'd never been there before. But the Facebook announcement said this LP would be a restaurant where, and here come the the four magical words "breakfast served all day." As I've stated before, I'm a sucker for such businesses because those that serve breakfast all day long only do so because they know how to do it right. We had to find out.

It was our monthly dinner double date with Doug and Shellie. I already knew what I wanted before seeing the menu - French toast. Yes, French toast! However, the menu almost took me off track because of the wide selection. 

He said: In the end, I remained true to my original intentions - "battered brioche French toast, whipped cream, real maple syrup and sliced strawberries." Again, I was almost distracted from my plan because I wanted some meat. Under the a la carte section, I saw my answer - Daily's thick cut bacon. 

The French toast consisted of six extra half slices of bread but the size was as thick as Texas toast. So, in essence, it was like six regular slices of breaded. It had a nice texturized layer of flavoring on the outside, sprinkled with powdered sugar and warm on the inside. I ordered a second small cup of maple syrup because you can never have enough syrup. The French toast was divine - great flavor and there was just so much of it which, of course, I pounded down.


As for the bacon? I already knew what I was getting with Daily's bacon. What I didn't know was its history. Daily's Premium Meats began as a slaughterhouse in Missoula back in 1893. In the early 1980s, it moved to its present location and shifted its focus from being a slaughterhouse to premium meats or, in their words, "The Bacon Specialists." I mean, how can you go wrong with such a specialty right?

My bacon side dish contained four extra thick slices of yumminess. Yes indeed, thick, flavorful and cooked just right as I'm firmly on the side of chewy in the eternal chewy versus crispy debate. After polishing off my French toast and bacon, I was ready to head out for an evening of fun.

She said: She said: Who knew that Liquid Planet had food and not just coffee? Not me. Let me start by saying, "I ordered the wrong item off the menu." I've been trying to eat healthier and the Roasted Veggie Wrap sounded good. The waiter informed me that they didn't have the sweet potato hummus. But I was committed at this point, so I just asked him to bring it to me without that ingredient. What I really think it is though is that I've decided I don't like goat cheese. Maybe the hummus would have balanced the wrap perfectly. But I still wouldn't order it again...unless they were out of goat cheese. And the fries...well, they always do me right. Fat ones, skinny ones, crispy ones, soft ones. Can't go wrong. Their menu is large so I'm sure I can find something more to my liking next time. The ambience was great and the food looked delicious.  

By the way...Our postgame destination was a mere half mile up the road at Glacier Ice Rink (GIR) where the Montana Grizzlies were to host rival Montana State in UM's final home game of the season. It was my first game back in the rink since the Missoula Maulers junior team folded in 2016. There was another junior team that tried to follow up the Maulers but that only last a few years. What I didn't know was the Griz program, which dates back to the 1970s, ceased playing a few years back but restarted the program in 2021, competing in the American Collegiate Hockey Association. On this night, it was standing room only with loud, thumping classic rock music, great energy on the ice with some great physical body checking and scoring opportunities.


The Griz entered the game 16-12 while MSU boasted a first-place record of 29-2. However, one of those two losses was at the GIR. It was a fun game with a full house. UM jumped out to a 1-0 lead but MSU rallied to lead 3-1 with a few minutes left. The Griz pulled their goalie and scored a few seconds later to make it 3-2 but could not get the equalizer. The Cats got an empty net goal to win 4-2.

Still, it was great to be back in the same rink where I played eight years of men's rec league hockey. I like it. I miss it. I'll be back to watch more games next season.

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