It’s trivia night at Cranky Sam Public House, one of Missoula’s more popular taprooms. People pack into tables, heads huddled to answer questions about historical villains or ’60s TV sidekicks. Teams such as “Spanky Ham,” “Blow My Roman Candle” and “Gay AND European” compete on a leaderboard for prizes. At the bar, servers dash around, filling up beers and bustling out of the kitchen with trays of steaming food. On a night like this, the taproom will see 200 to 300 people within an hour.
Those looking for a more peaceful dining experience spill out onto the back patio. There, they sit under umbrellas or near the long fire pit, enjoying the setting summer sun.
Cranky Sam enjoys some historic significance, located in what was once Missoula’s Red Light District/Chinatown and serving as a namesake for a notorious Chinese immigrant and alleged “opium king.” But as a modern taproom, distinctions are more subtle. From the trivia to the crowd to the beer selection, Cranky Sam seems a lot like other breweries in Missoula. Yet one quick peek at the food offerings and you’ll notice some flavorful twists that set it apart.
Sure, the menu features some Western classics—wings, nachos, a Caesar salad—but a current of tropical flavor flows through it. Appetizers include Thai-barbecued sticky ribs and the wings can be ordered with a guava barbecue sauce. The shrimp and butter lettuce salad is mixed with grapefruit and dressed in guava balsamic. There are six main plates to choose from, including the Island Pork Plate and a classic Hawaiian dish called “Loco Moco.” Even the Smashburger comes with a sweeter, fruitier sauce.
Chef Jarrod Somaoang, who was born in Lahaina, Maui, created the menu based on meals he grew up eating in Hawaii. He worked with owner Jennifer Heggen to fuse his childhood palate with traditional Montana cuisine to create Pacific-inspired grub, and Cranky Sam debuted the menu this March, on St. Patrick’s Day.
The Stable, a restaurant next door to Cranky Sam taproom, shares ownership and a kitchen with Cranky Sam but serves strictly French cuisine, while the taproom offers a more eclectic menu. Though it might appear random, Somaoang designed it to combine different cultures throughout the Pacific Rim (tropical and temperate), allowing for guests to “take a trip around the Ring of Fire,” he said, referring to the belt of volcanoes and earthquakes surrounding most of the Pacific Ocean.
The menu is self-aware of the city it’s serving. Some options aren’t beachy—an intentional move to avoid scaring off burger-eating Montanans. The taproom doesn’t decorate itself as a Hawaiian restaurant nor proclaim itself as one. The cultural subtlety could be lost on those who aren’t examining their sauces closely.
But Somaoang is still proud to be one of the few places in Missoula, beyond those serving poke bowls, to offer traditional Hawaiian and Pacific food, especially because, he said, the University of Montana has plenty of Hawaiian students. Nervous about reception at first, Somaoang said he’s heard about people’s excitement over the Hawaiian offerings on multiple occasions.
Somaoang’s top recommendation is the aforementioned Hawaiian favorite “Loco Moco,” which reminds him of his mom’s cooking. (The dish has its own interesting history and amusing etymological origin story.) When I sat down to eat a couple of days ago, I was apprehensive to try it. I’m a girl who has always been adamantly anti-breakfast, so the combination of a burger, egg, brown gravy and rice seemed diabolical. But after digging in, I found myself pleasantly surprised by the balanced textures and flavor.
Traveling across the Pacific (figuratively speaking) from Hawaii to Korea, I ordered the Kalbi short ribs, which comes with a napa cabbage slaw, pickled veggies and teriyaki sauce. The plate was small but filling, and the meat was easy to munch off the bone. As someone who spent most of my childhood (and adult life) cutting any chewy, gooey bit off my meats, I enjoyed that the ribs wasted no space, with their fat literally trimmed.
By far my favorite thing to order at Cranky Sam though is the brussel sprouts. When it comes to brussel sprouts I’m not looking for soggy veggies. They get it. Their brussel sprouts are crisped enough to convince me I’m eating a chip.
If you’re like me and you’re tired of perusing the same cowboy-inspired menus or—also like me—looking to kick ass at trivia, Cranky Sam is open on Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Bingo nights start at 7 p.m. every Tuesday and trivia is held at 7 p.m. every Wednesday.
