3. Dairy Queen: Multiple locations, 549-6075, dairyqueen.com
Best Sandwich Shop Doc’s Ever notice the stained glass above the door at Doc’s? It’d be easy to mistake the D.O.C. as a reference to the famed fictional and nonfictional doctors featured on the menu at Missoula’s favorite sandwich joint. But in fact, the sign stands for the initials of Doc’s founder, Dave O. Conrad. For nearly two decades, the shop has enjoyed a loyal following of hungry diners eager to fill their bellies with turkey and stuffing, hummus and cucumber, the aptly named Doc’s hangover stew and more. While the medical theme may be its calling card, that subtle front-door hint at Doc’s origins gives the place an added sense of community history. Doc’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop: 214 N. Higgins, 542-7414, docsgourmet.com Finalists, Best Sandwich Shop 2. Tagliare: 1433 S. Higgins, 830-3049, facebook.com/tagliaredelicatessen 3. Dan’s Soup and San: 2730 S. Reserve St, 549-7263, danssoupandsan.com
Best Pizza Biga Pizza
Best Chef Bob Mashall Saying Bob Marshall loves pizza is only telling half the story. The man isn’t just a fan of fresh mozzarella and Hungarian mushroom, he’s devoted years to sharing his passion—and his skills in the kitchen— with everyone in town. He estimates Biga Pizza serves up, on average, about 200 pies a day. But given that Missoula can’t get enough of a good thing, business can get crazy sometimes. As in, 200-pizzas-in-fivehours crazy. That’s about one pie every 90 seconds. Marshall admits the gig can get exhausting. So what keeps his spirits up? “When I hear ‘Happy Birthday’ being sung at table seven, or someone takes the time to come up to me on their way out to tell me how amazing their food was, it puts all that energy back in my tank,” he says. Guess it’s the least Missoula can do for the guy who, year in and year out, puts some tasty energy in our own tanks. Biga Pizza: 241 W. Main St, 728-2579, bigapizza.com Finalists, Best Pizza 2. The Bridge Pizza: 600 S. Higgins Ave, 542-0002, bridgepizza.com 3. MacKenzie River Pizza Company: Multiple locations, 721-0077, mackenzieriverpizza.com Finalists, Best Chef 2. Walker Hunter & Ryan Smith, Burns St. Bistro 3. Beth Higgins, Two Sisters
Best Pizza Delivery The Bridge Pizza When the folks at the Bridge tell you your order will arrive in 40 minutes, be ready with the cash in 30. Speedy delivery is pretty much a constant seven days a week, which means that Higgins Avenue
(crushed walnut, Gorgonzola and red onion on a white sauce) will be all the hotter and fresher when it hits your front step. The Bridge knows that when you call, the clock starts ticking. And the less time that passes between the oven and your mouth, the better. The Bridge Pizza: 600 S. Higgins, 542-0002, bridgepizza.com Finalists, Best Pizza Delivery 2. Zimorino’s: 1250 W. Broadway, 541-7437, zimorinos.com 3. Howard’s Pizza: 2010 South Avenue W, 721-2011, howardspizza.com
STAFFPICK Best Way to Get to Know Your State Montana’s a pretty big place— 147,164 square miles, to be exact—and the plethora of stories out there can be overwhelming. Curious how a Missoula bartender mixes the perfect cocktail, or why a Yellowstone fly-fishing guide chose to live life by rod and reel? Thanks to a partnership between Missoula-based High Plains Films and the Montana Film Office, those tales are now available at the click of a button. The Montana Experience: Stories from Big Sky Country—a YouTube channel launched last fall—is fast becoming an archive for everything from state history to environmental issues to footage of The Gourds playing live on The Trail 103.3. It’s easy to lose oneself for hours in the collection, which includes documentary shorts and longer pieces by a host of Montana filmmakers. But you’ll walk away from each video feeling more connected to this place, and wondering what other stories are out there for you to find.
Best Delicatessen Tagliare When asking Tagliare’s Cheryl Bregen about the deli’s most popular sandwiches, it’s impossible to keep our mouths from watering. The Megadeath tops the list, a delectable mix of ham, hot sopressata, pepperoni, smoked mozzarella and slaw (to name, uh, half the ingredients). Next up is the Pretender—fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and marinated onions, with some prosciutto thrown in. We could continue on down the menu, all that chutney, pesto, pastrami and relish, but our stomachs can only take so much talk. When it comes to Tagliare, it’s time to eat. Tagliare: 1433 S. Higgins, 830-3049, facebook.com/tagliaredelicatessen Finalists, Best Delicatessen 2. Worden’s Market & Deli: 451 N. Higgins, 549-1293, wordens.com 3. Good Food Store: 1600 S. Third St. W, 541-3663, goodfoodstore.com
missoulanews.com • Best of Missoula 2014 [31]