Terrace Restaurant - Swan Lake, MT

The Terrace

     You may know him as a Billings auto dealer, car collector, guitar player, surf boarder and water skier, but from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Sam Campbell and his wife, Therese, gather their nine children and head to the summer business, The Terrace Supper Club, on Swan Lake.

     While many would agree that some of the best eating is in family run restaurants where consistency is the key, the Campbell’s have been able to channel fine cuisine for more than a decade along Highway 83 between Bigfork and Swan Lake. 

     Along with their children (most of whom have grown up working in the restaurant), the Campbell’s have been operating The Terrace for thirteen years.  Sam and Therese bought the restaurant which had been closed for three years in 2000.  They reopened in May 2001 with their “American” menu as Sam describes, “from east coast to west coast.”

     It’s the evening meal that matters to Sam who established this supper club harkening back to the fifties and the sixties.

     “If you want a steak, ribs, shrimp, lobster, we have it,” says Sam, who originally grew up in Great Falls but spent many summers on Swan Lake in the 1960s where his folks had a place.

     Early on, working in restaurants interrupted Sam’s lingering lake activities.

    “I started out at McDonalds when I was fourteen; I bought a car from my dad and wrangled fries and have been off and on and in since then,” he says.

     In the 1980s, Sam was affiliated with three different Bonanza Steak Houses.  For some time, he owned T-Birds Rock n’ Roll Bar and Therese worked at the Fifth Quarter Restaurant in Billings.  For the last seven years, she has run the restaurant at The Terrace.

     “Running a restaurant/bar is fun but a lot of work,” admits Therese, whose combined food experiences have contributed to the family’s attributes.  Their children have been the waiters, waitresses, cooks and chefs.  Currently, son, Tucker, leads the helm in the kitchen.

      They serve drinks and food you will find yourself telling your friends about.

       First, there is the bar, dubbed The Moon Doggie Lounge, decorated in memorabilia featuring Sam’s collection of surf boards, water skis, and vintage guitars.   While waiting for a table from the cabaret chairs, you can enjoy the décor and order a cocktail, a local beer, or a glass of wine. You may select wine by the glass or by the bottle. 

     In the wine closet Sam has reasonable bottles for fifteen dollars and up to one hundred dollars for labels like Camus.  

     Undoubtedly, there is an immediate sense of excitement and occasion about the place as the deck is usually buzzing with crowded umbrella tables overlooking the beautiful Emerald Bay.

     “Everybody fights for the deck, it’s so nice we are on the bay,” notes Therese.

      Yet, to be in the light filled dining room speaks pure pleasure and a bit more private.

     Then, there is the food.

     The Terrace treats cuisine with original enthusiasm.

     Their best dishes are simple in composition with a Campbell twist.   

      The menu opens with an array of appetizers which include peel and eat shrimp served with their signature zesty cocktail sauce.  Sweet onion rings (Walla Walla or Vidalia) are sliced, lightly battered and fried, as are tender calamari strips.  Morel mushrooms, bought from local pickers, then sautéed in butter, wine and herbs are a gourmand’s delicacy.  You may want to order more than one plate to stave off any squabbles over the last bites.

     Almost everything that follows reaches the same height of casual perfection. 

     The salmon is lightly dusted with tempura batter for the fish n’ chips.  Their 18 ounce Delmonico Rib Eye hand cut prime steak is, according to Sam: “bigger and better than Emeril’s.” You won’t find a hamburger on the menu, but a steakburger, ground sirloin grilled to your perfection.  They have a special way of preparing Alaska King Crab legs, a gastronomic treasure!  French fries are fresh and hand cut to order.  Loaves of hot baked bread are brought to the table.

     Children have their own calling: Dinners for Beginners.  One offering the kids won’t forget is the spaghetti in marinara sauce with a giant meatball on top.

     For dessert, end dinner with a Montana touch: The Terrace Huckleberry sauce drizzled over New York Cheesecake, or, Montana huckleberry ice cream.

     Throughout the menu, there are plenty of special sauces: madatcha, (on the Montana hot, wild wings) marinara, peppercorn, Béarnaise, and zesty cocktail, which speak to the seriousness of the kitchen.  All recipes are their own:  secrets that they don’t reveal.

     Four times a summer The Terrace has karaoke and throughout the season you may catch a live band playing.  Check it out:  Sam is a musician, sings and plays the guitar, and often sits in with the band.

     The mix of the view and the comfy, the nostalgia and the whimsical makes the The Terrace a good place to stop. The restaurant is just eight miles from Bigfork (Mile Marker 79) on Highway 83, and six miles from Swan Lake.  Or, come by boat on Swan Lake and turn into beautiful Emerald Bay.

     The Terrace is open: Memorial Day – Labor Day, Wednesday, through Sunday: from 5 pm on.

     As locals and tourists head to the pure mountains and lakes of Montana, the Campbell’s at The Terrace Supper Club seek to please.

     “We serve a little later when light is on the lake in the summer,” says Therese.

     Reservations appreciated, but all welcome.

     Phone: 406-837-5141

     Website: Theterracesupperclub.com