Bozeman is many things, but a mecca of ethnic food is not the first thing that comes to mind. This is burgers and steak country – the land of the perfectly grilled ribeye, the locally brewed draft beer. The last few years have seen a distinct change in culinary options. Nestled in the Gallatin valley are Vietnamese, Korean, Greek, Spanish, and Japanese restaurants.

Rice, a Thai restaurant, recently joined the ranks. Situated downtown on Main Street, Rice offers traditional Thai cuisine that would stand up in a much larger city against widespread competition.

The room is small, but open feeling. The kitchen is separated from the dining area by a wooden wall, painted red, giving it a rustic feel. The walls are brick, and are decorated with a few pictures of Thai monarchs – current and historic – an intricate folkloric Thai painting, and various Thai ornamental bells.

I am greeted at the door, and sit down with Pam Mongopla, owner of Rice. She opened the restaurant in October of 2012 to bring a taste of her native Thailand to the mountains of Montana. Pam arrived in Bozeman to attend high school as an international ESL student and stayed on through college at Montana State. She never left.

Pam’s grandmother is an excellent traditional Thai cook, according to her granddaughter. Throughout the process of putting together a menu and testing recipes there were many phone calls to grandma to check on a detail of a recipe. A missing ingredient maybe, or the correct cooking time. “Thai food is very delicate”, Pam says, stressing the importance of adhering to traditional national (and in her case, family) recipes.

Over the last few months, I’ve eaten at Rice several times. Out of excitement and curiosity, I was in the restaurant on opening day. Now, returning to sample more Thai cooking, I settled in for what I knew was bound to be a delicious and satisfying dinner.

Sipping on a refreshing and sweet Thai iced coffee, I perused the menu. For starters, I sampled the Tod Mun Goong, fried shrimp cakes. They came piping hot and crispy out of the fryer, a beautiful golden brown. These were followed by a coconut soup – Tom Kha Gai. Delicate, subtle, light, this is the perfect appetizer to sip on while still wanting to save room for the upcoming spread. Bite sized pieces of chicken and mushrooms swim in light coconut milk, galangal (a plant in the ginger family), lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. It is delicate and aromatic, and perfect for getting your taste buds and appetite revved up for the upcoming spread.

On to the backbone of the meal – curries, meat, vegetables, fried rice. On the menu is a list of traditional Thai curries, each with its own unique flavor, spice level, and ingredients. Which to choose? Red, green, yellow, Massuman, each called my name. Normally I am partial to Massamun curry, the potatoes hearty and soft, the flavor peanuty and robust. This time I chose to change it up, and opted for the red curry (Gang Ped). It was of medium spiciness, flavored with basil leaves and bamboo shoots.

My next bites were of Rice’s phenomenal pineapple fried rice. This is a sweet and savory flavor combo that will make you want to lick your plate. If the generous portion has you unable to take another bite, take the leftovers home. Part of the joys of eating Thai food is that it is shared family style. People pass dishes around, fill up their plate with a little of this, a little of that. It is very easy to order more dishes than you can eat. If this is the case, fear not – an abundance of food translates perfectly into second day leftovers. Mild yellow curry (Gang Karee) or Thai BBQ chicken are perfect for a solitary dinner, a midnight snack, or an afternoon pick me up.

You probably don’t think of dessert when Thai food comes up, but I recommend saving a little room for a treat. Choose from coconut ice cream, black sticky rice pudding, and other traditional Thai sweets.
The danger in rural areas can be that ethnic food becomes caricatured – Americanized imitations of traditional international food. This is not the case at Rice. The food comes straight from the kitchen, prepared by two graduates of culinary school in Thailand. It is apparent to the taste buds that they know their stuff.

Though Rice stands out just by its very nature, I would venture to say it would hold its own in any large west coast city, studded as they are with Thai eateries on every block. The food is authentic, knowledgeably and skillfully prepared, seasoned, and served.
The ethnic food horizon is broadening in Bozeman. Home in the Rockies no longer means culinary isolation. It is now possible to eat authentic and traditional food from around the world. We can have Pad Thai for lunch (Rice’s is excellent
and addictive), and a bison burger for dinner. What’s more Bozeman than that?

140 E Main St.  Suite D, Bozeman, Mt
(406) 404-1196
www.ricebozeman.com

Food:  5
Prices:  4
Atmosphere: 5
Service:  4

A Bozeman native, Chelsea Hunt has witnessed an explosion of good food in the valley in recent years. Reading about, writing about, and eating good food make her happy.