Flavors to Savor: Delicious Nostalgia at Bistro Enzo
A return to a Billings classic
Editor’s Note: When Yellowstone Valley Woman Magazine first burst onto the scene in March of 2001, near the back of the magazine was a little review from then-Publisher Jay Hanson on a French restaurant in town, suggesting a delicious space for a weekend nosh. The column was titled “Friday Night Out” and Bistro Enzo was the destination. We decided it would be a good idea to return, 25 years later.
Bistro Enzo continues to live up to its name, meaning “home ruler.” Although diners are no longer greeted with double kisses on the cheeks and words of welcome in a French accent by the establishment’s former chef, after 30 years it remains one of the most popular dining spots in town.
The menu, established by Laurent and Patricia Zirotti and James Honaker, remains largely unchanged. The French-inspired dishes, such as Veal Piccata, with the classic caper and lemon beurre blanc sauce, Classic Mac and Cheese with Lobster, and Beef Tenderloin with shallot demi-glace and potato puree, continue to anchor the menu. They echo Laurent’s time at the Hotel Majestic on the Riviera. The Rock Shrimp, Vegetable Tempura, and Coconut Shrimp, all with Asian touches, also remain diners’ favorites.
“I wanted to respect the history of this restaurant but then bring new energy,” Tyler Samson says.
Tyler purchased the restaurant in the summer of 2020, after James Honaker's retirement. Having dined here as a patron for years, Tyler knew the restaurant well. In the commercial real estate business, with a background in bartending and waiting tables, he was confident in the restaurant's long-term prospects. In knowing the heart and bones of the establishment, he understood what it would take to keep its soul.
Alex Bean joined the kitchen team as a dishwasher while he was still in high school in 2004. Not long after, he planned to attend the French Culinary Institute in New York, but a skiing accident changed his plans. Instead, he went under the tutelage of three-time James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Best Chef: Mountain, James Honaker, to receive a more practical experience. The knowledge and skills he gained enabled him to serve as executive chef after Honaker's departure.
“I have not made drastic changes to the menu,” Chef Bean says. Instead, his nightly specials allow him to exercise his culinary creativity, offering diners new options such as handmade pasta and a creative wood-fired entrée.
My husband and I have been eating at Bistro Enzo since it opened, even before we moved here. I still remember how proud our friends, Mitch and Rita Gallagher, whom we were visiting, were of this new place that had just opened in Billings. Nowadays, we also bring friends we are hosting here.
I often order seasonal fish specials, especially the halibut served with beurre blanc and pureed potatoes. The fish is always cooked to perfection, just cooked through, with the meat moist and flaky, the rich essence of butter and lemon lifting the dish. To this day, I fondly remember Chef Paul Reitz, now retired day chef showing me how to make the potatoes, adding butter and cream, then meticulously whipping the cooked, riced potatoes to just the right texture. Insufficient mixing resulted in lumpy potatoes, while excessive whipping produced a glutinous mass.
Each time I eat here, I have difficulty deciding what to order. I go back and forth between the airline chicken, ahi tuna tartare, beet and goat cheese salad or portobella mozzarella fettuccini. But my ultimate comfort dish is shrimp and grits.
The shrimp and grits are easy to eat, with generous shrimp in a rich sauce featuring smoked andouille sausage, bacon, tomato, shallots and garlic. Although the grits are decadently creamy, the coarse cut adds texture, and smoked Gouda grounds the dish in savoriness. The fried prosciutto crisps add a touch of elegance to the dish.
Over the years, Bistro Enzo has remained the “home ruler” of food here in Montana’s Trailhead, respecting not only its history but also the community's appetites.
