Lord of the wings
Camino knocks it out of the park.
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In heady times, I believe, it’s advisable to let hedonism take the wheel and steer. And truly, what higher manifestation of decadence exists in Missoula than an afternoon spent devouring a pile of juicy and extraordinarily flavorful chicken wings at the Camino bar, a house margarita clutched in your sticky, saucy fingers?
Although the Missoula mainstay restaurant has gained a reputation for its pricer fare (I’d argue that the $50 whole fried snapper gives any top-shelf entree in town a run for its money), the happy hour offers some more budget-friendly options.
The star of the show? Without a doubt, the serrano pepper-laden, sweet and tangy wings. At $8 for a half order and $14 for a whole, I’m gonna call them a steal.
And to be clear, I remain an eternal ally of Missoula’s most well-known purveyor of buffalo wings, Desperado’s; the beloved sports bar whips up the platonic embodiment of the stuff. Yet Camino’s take offers something funkier that you aren’t going to find anywhere else in town.
Beyond an impressive tenderness and light fry, the wings boast an attention-grabbing mix of flavors. As co-owner and operator Tad Hilton explains, the wing sauce contains a blend of chiles, vinegar and agave. The sauce gets reduced and thickened before it’s coated on the wings. Its zesty tang is offset by the buoyant creaminess of what Camino calls “gabacho” dipping sauce. A mildly derogatory term for foreigners, the restaurant employs “gabacho” as a euphemism for ranch dressing, which they make from scratch with a touch of roasted garlic.
The wings are the unquestionable Dwight Schrute of the happy hour cast, but other highlights abound. The crisp and fresh house margaritas go for seven dollars; it’s the best boozey bang for your buck in downtown Missoula. Plus, Modelos and cans of Western Cider’s El Dorado and Ranch Hand go for three bucks a pop. The $11 guacamole is less of a bargain, but it’s among the richest and silkiest I’ve ever tasted.
My only bone to pick with the whole operation? Happy hour only runs from 3 to 5 PM. So, cancel that meeting, ditch the after-work hike and give yourself a taste of the good life. You won’t regret it.
One more thing…
In late February, my colleagues at the “Political Climate” podcast and I journeyed to Big Sky to record an episode of the show live at the Winterfest conference. The (ultra-bougie) annual event brings together leaders in clean energy and finance, and the organizers asked us to curate a panel focused on moving projects forward during the Trump Administration. We were lucky to have two Republicans—energy regulation whiz and former Montana PSC Commissioner Travis Kavulla, as well as Rich Powell, CEO of the Clean Energy Buyers Association—join the conversation to discuss the challenges and opportunities of AI-driven energy load growth, the clean energy projects they think will flourish during Trump’s term and their advice for companies struggling to navigate the chaos.