Finalists, Best Fresh Produce 2. Farmers’ Markets: Downtown Missoula 3. Orange Street Food Farm: 701 S. Orange St, 543-3188, orangestreetfoodfarm.com Finalists, Best Salad 2. Romaines: 3075 N. Reserve St, 317-1829, romainessalads.com 3. Biga Pizza: 241 W. Main St, 728-2579, bigapizza.com Finalists, Best Vegetarian Food 2. Iza Asian Restaurant: 529 S. Higgins, 830-3237, izarestaurant.com 3. Five on Black: 325 N. Higgins, 926-1860, fiveonblack.com
Best Tea Butterfly Herbs It’s hard to imagine a more eclectic selection of tea and related paraphernalia than what’s on hand at Butterfly Herbs. There are more than 49 different types of herbal tea alone, including those suited to calm, heal and energize. The caffeinated selection, which encompasses tasty blends such as chocolate cherry and apple spice, is equally awe-inspiring. Topping off the looseleaf options, Butterfly offers a selection of pots and cups. The Higgins Avenue retailer even offers BPA-free thermal brewers for tea drinkers on the go. Butterfly Herbs: 232 N. Higgins Ave, 728-8780, butterflyherbs.com Finalists, Best Tea 2. Lake Missoula Tea Company: 136 E. Broadway St, 529-9477, lakemissoulateacompany.com 3. Liquid Planet: 223 N. Higgins Ave, 541-4541, liquidplanet.com
Best Doughnuts Treasure State Last year, Missoula was hungry. Hungry for doughnuts. When Treasure State opened its doors in April 2013, it became the Garden City’s first standalone doughnut shop in years. Locals responded by lining up, out the door and down the street, at ridiculously early hours. Treasure State had to close briefly and hire more staff and buy bigger equipment to handle the tide. A year or so later, the fervor has subsided a bit and now, thankfully, it’s not nearly as much of a mad rush to get to the sweet stuff. A recent perusal of the menu tantalizes with orange-and-pistachioglazed cake doughnuts, jelly-filled bismarcks and Nutella bullseyes with fruit jam, plus classic glazed vanilla and chocolate varieties. Who’s hungry? Treasure State Donuts: 400 E. Broadway St, 541-0002, facebook.com/treasurestatedonuts Finalists, Best Doughnuts 2. Rosauers: 2350 S. Reserve St, 721-5430, rosauers.com 3. Albertsons: Multiple locations, 549-2351, albertsons.com
Best Asian Food Best Desserts Mustard Seed For one Indy staffer, Mustard Seed’s green beans are the perfect appetizer: fresh, light and covered in a tangy and garlicky soy-sauce glaze. The rest of Mustard Seed’s menu offers similarly tasty, deceptively simple dishes with generous portions and Asian-style twists, like the black bean and lime halibut or the cashew chicken. Don’t forget to save room for dessert, though—the cakes and pies, also generously portioned, don’t hold back on the rich, often chocolatey goods. The Mustard Seed’s Southgate Mall location is a handy pit-stop when we’re out running errands; but thankfully, it delivers, too, for times when we want those green beans all to ourselves. Mustard Seed: Southgate Mall, 721-7444 mustardseedweb.com Finalists, Best Asian Food 2. Iza Asian Restaurant: 529 S. Higgins, 830-3237, izarestaurant.com
STAFFPICK Best Way to Make City Minutiae Actually Somewhat Interesting On Feb. 11, roughly 100 policy wonks, gadflies and people who simply like to play participated in the first-ever Missoula Budget Game. Hosted by City Councilwoman Caitlin Copple, City Club Missoula and the Every Voice Engaged Foundation, which facilitates such gatherings across the country, players were granted authority to allocate millions of dollars from a faux city general fund to use as they see fit. Copple launched the game to encourage involvement in the city’s budgeting process. In light of what can be a mind-numbing exercise, hers was a lofty goal—and it was a rousing success. Like municipal Monopoly, locals worked in groups to fund services including police, fire and road maintenance. Some player priorities weren’t surprising, such as an emphasis on establishing broadband infrastructure and funding parks. Other suggestions seemed more far-fetched, like selling the municipal cemetery and using prison labor. Then there was the idea of generating revenue by charging for an urban deer bow-hunting permit. While communities in Virginia, Arkansas and Indiana sanction such hunts, we’re not so sure if cautious Missoulians could stomach such a measure. While we don’t necessarily expect to see Budget Game contestants serving in city government, it’s clear the exercise did exactly what Copple hoped it would—engage the public in a fun and educational process that normally inspires little more than a shrug.
missoulanews.com • Best of Missoula 2014 [21]