Check out Chico

“Miller Time” is our new column from local writer Miller N. Resor. We’re thrilled to get a little more of the male perspective on Dishing.

We were lucky enough to get a room at Chico Hot Springs two weekends ago. With the first dusting of snow contrasting with bright fall colors, we couldn’t have picked a better weekend for a romantic getaway.

Set on the northern edge of Yellowstone National Park, Chico is a commercial hot spring connected to a hotel, bar and restaurant. When we arrived Friday night, we grabbed a burger (The Kitchen Sink burger – cheddar cheese, bacon, sautéed mushrooms, and barbecue sauce), some bar food (Fence Posts – cheesy bread with marinara) and a drink at the Chico Saloon.

Saloon-1The Saloon was hopping, and right outside through a window that services the hot springs, the pool was hopping too.

Chico, like most commercial hot springs, is funky. At 10 p.m. on a Friday night, Chico’s pools were packed with people of all ages. Babies wearing floaties splashed around in the shallow end of the warm pool, which averages 96 F, while gangs of grandmothers floated in small circles and sipped from umbrella-laced cocktails in the hotter pool, which averages 103 degrees. A group of skinny high school boys watched a group of college guys and their girls enviously, and rows of discarded $1.25 Oly-Pops (Olympia Beer cans) lined up along the concrete edge of the pool.

A succinct list of rules on one of the hot springs’ outdoor walls ends with what I found to be a telling statement. “Most importantly,” it reads “have a good time.”

Having a good time does seem to be what Chico is all about. The Chico Saloon has an array of parlor games, which include a beautiful shuffle board table, and also boasts a wooden dance floor and a steady stream of live music on the weekends.

After a blended margarita in the hot pool, I was glad I could retire easily in the creaky, yet comfortable, hotel room that was only steps away.

The next morning we ate a classic Americana breakfast buffet in the Chico dining room. For $8.95 it was well worth it. Then we explored Chico’s garden, where we stopped to read for a while, and then went on a jog to Old Chico, a defunct mining town just up the road.

When we got back, we made sandwiches, cracked a bottle of champagne and took an afternoon dip in the pools before getting ready for dinner. My girlfriend, Elyss, had the foresight to bring snacks for lunch, which worked out well Saturday and for our drive back Sunday.

I had no idea what I was in for when I sat down for dinner that night in the Chico dining room. Again, Elyss had the foresight to make a reservation, which at least on the weekends is essential. A bartender I spoke with said the hotel sells out every weekend of the year, and many people come up just for the hot springs and the restaurant.

Surprised to hear the restaurant had oysters on the half shell from British Colombia, we were even happier to find they were delicious. Starting off with oysters and martinis may explain how things got so saucy.

For an appetizer, we tried the smoked trout served with a garden cream cheese and caper onion relish as well as barbeque bison ravioli served in a sweet cream corn sauce. Both were delectable.

My choice of the Chico prime rib proved to be the night’s winning entree. There are certain classic American dishes I pride myself in knowing and trying in the right circumstances. The prime rib, with its carmelized onion horseradish sauce and the accompanying Caesar salad, perfectly suited the old-time feel of the Chico dining room. It reminded me not only that a perfectly cooked prime rib is among my favorite American approaches to steak, but also that Sweetwater restaurant’s all-you-can-eat prime rib Thursdays are just around the corner.

Elyss had a beautiful piece of King Salmon with a green pea and mint garnish, but it was no match for my savory prime rib. The mint garnish somehow overpowered the salmon, making the beautiful looking fish taste bland.

It didn’t end there. They sat us next to their desert cart, so when the time came there was no saying “no.”

IMG952013093095220310We tried the house special, Orange Flambé’, which is set on fire in front of your eyes, and is mind-blowingly good. An actual orange is hollowed out, lined with bittersweet chocolate and filled with a homemade ice cream that uses the orange flesh, Grand Marnier, vanilla ice cream and sour cream to make a creamsicle-esque filling. Then topped with a meringue spire, the desert is as beautiful as it is delicious.

We paired our food with wines by the glass instead of diving into the extensive wine menu. We totally overdid it — the Chico dining room is definitely on the expensive side — but it was well worth it.

All weekend long, be it at the front desk, the bar or in the restaurant the service was friendly and on point. By the end we felt like we truly understood the Chico vibe, which again is all about having a good time.

Don’t forget: Make a reservation for hotel and dinner and unofficially BYOB for the pool (no glass).

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Miller Resor

A Jackson native, Miller remembers when the West was still wild and you couldn't eat sushi in Jackson. The remote nature of his western home inspired him to explore the world and its many ways. Times have changed and the world has come to Jackson, but Miller has not stopped exploring. The Sophisticated Man Menu is the account of a Jackson 30-something in his quest for gourmet adventure.

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