The Alley Cat Grill: Missoula’s Five-Meeow Restaurant
Missoula chef Pearl Cash like scat art and fine international cuisine.

In her Alley Cat Grill, she enjoys combining those two loves.

Not only has she decorated the downtown eatery’s brick walls with every imaginable cat portrait and named the place after felines, she’s also got a favorite cat of her own she calls “Escoffier”—whom Cash calls the father of French cuisine. “It’s a noble name,” the restaurant owner commented, adding that she has two other pet cats at her home just outside Lolo.

Original portraits of the infamous black Escoffier (painted by a Missoula artist) are featured front and center above the bar of the Grill, where customers are served such exotic dishes as Grilled Chicken with Peanut Sauce.

Situated in a narrow alley behind West Main just off Higgins, the Grill is an easy walk from just about anywhere in downtown Missoula. It’s become a popular spot for both the lunch and dinner crowds.

Cash, who can often be found cooking in the open kitchen within sight of the bar, hesitates to categorize her restaurant.

“I hate to label it,” she said during a recent interview at one of the little eatery’s 13 tables. “I want it to be casual and spontaneous, where you can get really good food without it being a big production.”

She just cooks what she likes and that includes, in her words, “French cuisine, some Italian influence, some Indonesian and Thai, some strictly Montana steakhouse, and a lot of seafood specials.”

Her favorite type of Grill offering is “seafood in sauces with lighter ingredients—wine and stock and cream and fresh herbs.”

The Alley Cat menu includes unusual “light suppers”, such as Indonesian Grilled Shrimp Salad topped with toasted coconut and a gingery nut dressing, or deep-fried Cajun Crab Puffs served with a special spicy dip and a salad.

For regular diners, offerings range from Chicken Breast Teriyaki to Steamed Australian Lobster Tail. Then, top that with one of the house desserts—say, Viennese Triple Chocolate Nut Torte.

It’s no wonder that Cash and her restaurant recently caught the attention of photographer Bernard Clayton. “We may soon be in a book about unique tastes across America,” Cash said.

This 34-year-old chef is a native Bitterrooter, born in Hamilton and raised on a farm. “We had fresh food,” Cash said, “because we raised our own. I think that gave me a sense of what ‘fresh’ tastes like. I was always fascinated with food and restaurants. We never ate out.”

Becoming a chef “just came naturally” to her, Cash said. She estimated that she has about 300 cookbooks in her surrent collection.

She started out in 1976 with the opening of (now closed) d’Auria’s near Victor. “At this point, I’ve had a lot of practice,” she commented. “I’ve been traveling, taking classes and learning.”

The Alley Cat has, for the past two and a half years, occupied the narrow back alley space that once housed a bar and brothel. “A lot of our customers remember the place during its rip-roaring days, even during Prohibition Days,” Cash said.

But these days, customers flock to the Alley Cat for its delicious concoctions, not to mention the expansive gallery of cat art.

 

231 East Front Street, Missoula, MT 59802 | Phone:406.541.0231| Powered by NinjaStar
 
Serving dinners Monday-Saturday from 5:00 P.M.  Closed on Sundays