Yes, the restaurant is now open at Heaven’s Peak Lodge

After a 12-year hiatus, the Heaven’s Peak Montana Kitchen is open again.

Oscar Medrano, the son of lodge owner Trudi Karger, has taken over the kitchen, serving up a simple menu of barbecue pork ribs, beef brisket and chicken.

Medrano said one of the most popular plates is the “smashed down burger” which is cooked in a ball and then smashed own on the bun. It is molded with cheese inside and served with a huckleberry aioli.

The kitchen has been through various iterations over the years, primarily a finer dining establishment, and Medrano said he’d eventually like to transition out of barbecue entirely and back into the finer dining scene of West Glacier.

“I’d like to be the nice spot in West Glacier,” he said, with an emphasis on locally grown products.

But for now, when business gets slow, manager Lindsey Mayer dons the Hickory the Bear costume with a sign advertising their barbecue goes out to Highway 2 with a sign. She said it seems to work — people stop by to check the place out, if only to visit with the friendly bear. In 100-degree heat we’ve had of late, the suit can be, um, unbearable.

The lodge was built by Jim Mann in 1996 and still houses guests in the summer months. It has also been the host of the Pints for Paths Brewfest for several years and will be again this year.

The new restaurant also serves several local beers and regional wines.

Mayer and Medrano met through the Christian Ministries of national parks, which brings non-denominational services to parks across the the U.S.

“When we’re not smoking meat we’re praising the lord,” Medrano said.

The restaurant is currently open Thursday through Monday from 5 to 9 p.m.