If you haven’t yet made it out to Desert Rose Restaurant & Catering of Belgrade, you honestly don’t know what you’re missing! Owners Scott and Cindy Brown–with the help of their dedicated employees–have worked hard to build a truly home-grown business that strives to put out exceptional food at a reasonable cost and in an organic atmosphere. Scott and Cindy started their business on February 14, 2009 after catering throughout the valley for 8 years, being told time and again, “you need to have a restaurant where we can come and get your food!”
And although Cindy has been a full-time teacher at Heck/Quaw for the last 11 years, she still finds time to work with her husband and their staff to offer the most unique (and entertaining) dining experience to each of their patrons night after night. The duo moved into their current location, formerly the Lucky Cuss, in September of 2012, allowing them to expand their local product offerings. Desert Rose carries a variety of local brews on tap and features Ten Spoon wine–local and organically produced. The enlarged kitchen space has allowed room to start hand pattying local beef. The expansive menu also offers all natural prime rib and ribeyes, fresh-cut potato chips with local potatoes, and Rancho Picante bison burgers. Desert Rose is the only place you can get Montana-raised lamb brat burgers. Scott and Cindy are proud to have no High-fructose corn syrup in their restaurant (except of course in the fountain soda)–they even buy ketchup made with sugar. Ultimately, Desert Rose cares about the quality of food you put into your body. They care about what you eat and take great care in preparing every dish put out. For those folks with food intolerances, they have something to offer you. There are no hidden ingredients, such as gluten, in any of the food, including all available sauces.
The move to the current location also brought the ability to offer music. Desert Rose has weekly live music, every night, Thursday through Saturday. They mostly support our local musicians, however, Scott and Cindy have welcomed bands from Minneapolis and Cody, Wyoming. They added a stage to the back room this previous fall that has been well-received. There is plenty of room for dancing! And last summer, they added on an outdoor patio. It is quant and eclectic, made from 100 percent recycled product. Desert Rose also spearheaded the first annual “Music Off Main.” One of Scott and Cindy’s primary goals is to help build community in Belgrade. It seems as though you have to drive to Bozeman to do anything community-wise that involves the arts. This summer, with the support of other local businesses, they shut down the alley once a month between June and September and brought in local bands to play. “Music Off Main” was a success and great for the people of Belgrade and beyond.m Scott and Cindy hope to make it an annual event. Running a sustainable restaurant is the mission at Desert Rose. The popular restaurant has received the ecostar award the past two years for their continued efforts in sustainability. This includes heating their space using 100 percent biodiesel, provided by Full Circle biodiesel, composting all food scrap through Oak Gardens, and recycling everything: plastic, cardboard, paper, and glass. They’re proud to show off their very small garbage receptacle surrounded by half a dozen recycling containers.
Located in downtown Belgrade at 27 West Main, Desert Rose is now open Tuesday-Saturday from 4pm-close. They still offer their $10 burger/beer night every Tuesday. For more information about the menu or catering services, call 406-924-2085. •
