The Wassweiler - Helena, MT
Author: The Traveling Diners
The Wassweiler - Helena, MT
The Traveling Diners
Recently, the Travelling Diners made a trip to The Wassweiler restaurant in Helena, MT. The Wassweiler is one of our favorite restaurants in all of Montana and we always look forward to an evening at The Wassweiler.
4528 West Hwy 12, Helena, MT.
406-502-1303
From the Wassweiler website:
“Ferdinand Wassweiler’s original hot springs stood not far from the current Broadwater Hot Springs and Fitness.
After selling part of his land to Colonel Broadwater, Wassweiler, a German immigrant who followed the rush of gold miners to the Helena area, built a second facility in 1883. His second creation combined an Inn with a separate bathhouse where travelers as well as locals could enjoy a hot soak.
Today, Marci Andersen has restored this original 1883 Inn & Bathhouse into a fine dining experience steeped in good old-fashioned Montana history. With history, hospitality, and an honest-to-goodness menu, we welcome you to Helena’s newest fine dining establishment.”
The building has been exquisitely restored and the ambiance of the restaurant is wonderful – perhaps the best in Helena. In addition to the building itself, the table settings are beautiful, and the diners all felt very comfortable.
Since we were there for a special occasion, we decided to throw diets to the wind and sample as much of the Wassweiler fare as possible. The restaurant has a very good wine list, and we settled on a great bottle of Pinot Noir for our meal.
We started the meal with an appetizer of sauteed mushrooms. The mushrooms were sauteed with onions in a cream sauce and topped with grated cheese. A plate of toasted French baguette slices came with the appetizer. The appetizer can easily be shared by 4 or more people. It was truly outstanding.
After the mushrooms, we enjoyed the Wassweiler version of a wedge salad. Originally wedge salads were a wedge of iceberg lettuce with bacon bits and blue cheese dressing. Most fine restaurants offering a wedge salad offer their own unique version and the Wassweiler has a wonderful wedge salad: butter lettuce with bacon and blue cheese dressing.
Then, on to the main courses. We had “Chicken Jerusalem” (breaded chicken breast with a light hollandaise sauce) served over linguine and the “Seafood Pasta” (shrimp, mussels and clams) served over fettuccine. Both dishes were excellent and were very generous servings; much of it went home to be enjoyed again the next day. It was accompanied by freshly baked Italian bread.
We finished the meal with a flourless chocolate torte served with ice cream made on-site. The ice cream was outstanding although the chocolate torte was not my favorite. It was a dense chocolate torte very much like a very heavy fudge. It was still very good, but next time I think I will try the three-berry cobbler.
The Wassweiler is a true Montana gem, and we highly recommend a trip to the Wassweiler. In addition to dining in the historic building, the Wassweiler also offers dining outside on their patio (weather permitting). Reservations are recommended.
Visit the Wassweiler website at: https://www.wassweiler.com/
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PhotoCredit: Photo Credits: The Wassweiler
Image 1 Caption: Wassweiler Logo
Photo Credits: The Wassweiler
Image 2 Caption: Sauteed Mushroom appetizer
Photo Credits: The Wassweiler
