Tall Boys Tavern – fancy BUT NOT FANCY

I stopped at Tall Boys Tavern in Hobson last week to check out this new business. It is more than a tavern, much more, because they are also serving lunches and dinners daily.

The name is unique and it comes from the owners’ sons being, well, tall boys!

The next thing I found that was unique was their slogan – fancy BUT NOT FANCY. I wasn’t quite sure what that meant but I figured it out after spending just a little bit of time there.

It was about 4pm when I walked in to Tall Boys Tavern – it seemed too late for lunch and almost too early for dinner except I hadn’t had lunch and I was starved! There were a couple of folks in the tavern but I chose the dining area.

I had seen a sign advertising the lunch special of jambalaya and corn bread and I hoped that was still available. Well, it must have been excellent because by late afternoon they were sold out. Bummer!

I started reading the menu and found lots of other options, enough to make my choice difficult. The appetizer section made me wish I had a half dozen people with me and then we could each order an app and do some fun sampling.

Here’s a sampling from the appetizer menu – Curry (yes curry, not curly) Fries, Parmesan Pepper Fries, an Onion Ring Tower (one pound of beer battered rings served with house made fry sauce), Steak Bites (tender seasoned beef hand breaded, deep fried and served with garlic aioli or house made bourbon BBQ sauce…add bleu cheese crumbles or red onion jam), Prairie Oysters (one pound of beef “oysters” seved with ranch and cocktail sauce).

A nice variety of salads included some standards but also a Kale Caesar, Tavern Wedge and Buffalo Chicken. Even though it was hot, the soup of the day (probably to match that jambalaya I didn’t get) was seafood bisque and that made it on to my order – yum!

It was good to see plenty of Montana micro brews on tap – after all, this is a tavern! Black Eagle Brewery’s Copper Nail (yes, there was a copper processing plant there) a nut brown ale with chocolate malt, Bozeman’s Bozone Select Amber Ale and Missoula’s Kettle House Cold Smoke sounded like good thirst-quenchers on this warm day. But, what did I do? I ordered a glass of red wine and it hit the spot too.

To go with my soup order I ended up choosing a cheeseburger – go figure. Although, if you weren’t hungry when you arrived, just reading the sandwich menu would make you drool. It began with a selection of burgers, also two varieties of pulled pork sandwiches. The one that caught my eye was a PR BLT – shaved prime rib topped with bacon, lettuce and tomato, then garlic aioli and served on toasted ciabatta. Oh. My. Goodness.

Steaks are all hand cut and besides a 16 ounce rib, sirloin and flat iron, you also have options of a Bayou Steak (cajun seasoning, bleu cheese, grilled onions), a Sweet Bourbon Glazed Steak or a Sunnyside Up Steak (yes, an egg perches atop this beef).

Tiger Shrimp Scampi, City Chicken and Pan Fried Walleye were other dinner options I saw. Plenty of choices.

After thoroughly enjoying my soup and burger I wandered in to the bar side of the building. My camera came out and I took photos of their fun “pin-up” designs promoting a Moscow Mule drink…make that a Montana Mule, also the copper mug display to serve the mule beverage. The fun lights under the spirits added a city glow to the place and it was pretty.

After experiencing Tall Boys Tavern I finally understood their slogan – fancy BUT NOT FANCY. A perfect fit for this place located on Hobson, Montana’s main street.

When I left I learned that they were adding an outdoor patio/pavillion on one side of the building. They’ll have more decor added to the dining area too.

I could write so much more about the friendly wait staff and the local patrons but you’ll have to visit Tall Boys Tavern yourself.