Cool Haus

One of the most ambitious new restaurants in the US is tucked away in the Montana wilderness.

- Katie Lockhart

“WATCH OUT FOR the rock. It’s very hot,” says Brandon Cunningham, executive chef of Social Haus at The Green O, a new luxury resort in Montana. In front of us sits a jet black stone plucked straight from the Blackfoot River flowing near the property, steaming and sizzling at 316 degrees Celsius. A plate with a generously salted, marbled piece of raw Hokkaido Wagyu, toasted Japanese milk bread and caviar creme fraiche is next to it.

This is Cunningham’s immersive play on a Japanese sando, just one of eight courses served to us that night. Tomorrow, an entirely new eight- to nine-course menu will be thought up, taste-tested and impeccably executed for a maximum of 24 diners by Cunningham and his team.

Set on 14,973 hectares of rugged Montana wilderness, this may be one of the most ambitious hotel restaurants in the US and certainly one of the most exclusive.

The Green O threw open the walnut wood doors to its 12 artfully designed standalone homes (called Haus) on 23 June 2021. With a nearly full resort during its first few months, Cunningham says: “I was nervous leading up to the opening, but the response has been very overwhelming.”

A sleek, sister property to Paws Up, guests at The Green O can ride horses and all-terrain vehicles, fly-fish or get a massage alongside those in Paws Up cabins, but only Green O guests can dine at Social Haus.