In 1882, a lumber mill was opened at the mouth of Hyalite Canyon. For the convenience of the town’s growing population, a retail store for this lumber was then established on Main Street. In 1889, Squire C. Kenyon purchased the business, which moved to 25 East Mendenhall in 1958, where it sat for nearly 50 years. As any Bozemanite will recognize, I’m referring to the much-beloved Kenyon Noble Lumber & Hardware store that occupied half the block between South Tracy and South Black on East Mendenhall. In 2006, Kenyon Noble moved from this location so it could expand, and the lot stood empty for many years. Finally, a shiny new hotel called The Element opened its doors in this spot in 2015.

Any large hotel needs a restaurant, and that restaurant in our Element is the Carlisle. Named for Carlisle Kenyon, Squire’s son (and the man credited with vigorously growing the business and sustaining it through the Great Depression and World War II), the restaurant holds a special place in Bozeman’s downtown neighborhood. I recently sat down with Front of House Manager Kevin Erb and Executive Chef Daniel Liedle for what ended up being a long, delightful chat— here’s a bit about what their combined restaurant expertise is bringing to the Bozeman food scene. 

Katie Thomas: How was the Carlisle conceptualized?

Kevin Erb: The owners started remodeling and rebranding this space after the previous restaurant, Squire House, closed. They were not so particular about wanting the restaurant to be some exact certain way; it was more that they wanted a restaurant they could be proud of.

Dan Liedle: The owners are fantastic. When I first met them, I talked to them a bit about my vision and what I thought this restaurant could look like. They gave us a lot of leeway with what we’re allowed to do, which is a pretty unique situation. So we’re kind of still conceptualizing it as we go, but it’s important to us that guests leave here feeling like they had a great experience.

KT: What would you like people to experience when they walk through your doors?

KE: I think it starts with hospitality. You know, we’re very fortunate. We have a great food program, and we have a good beverage program that’s growing, but hospitality is the cornerstone of it. We want people to enjoy meals here because of the combination of our food, the beverages, the ambiance, the service. We try to offer that ability to just sit down and relax, enjoy the time with the people across the table from you, and feel refreshed when you walk out.


DL: I want guests to feel like they’re entering a friend’s home, and when they leave, to feel like family. Maybe they make friends with our staff—a bartender, our host, or they might ask for certain servers again. For my part, I like to go around the dining room and talk to guests; I like them to receive a little personal touch. We have guests who appreciate it when I go sit with them for five minutes and go over the menu, to talk to them about things that we’re trying to be progressive about, informing people about the ingredients that we use.

KT: So would you welcome somebody asking about the details of where you source your meat from, for example?

DL: Oh yeah, absolutely.

KE: Try and eat a meal here without hearing about it! It’s actually something we’re all very proud of.

DL: My sous chef and I just visited the ranch a few weeks ago—Blue Creek Marbled Meat, out of Billings. My family actually homesteaded in the Blue Creek area—my great-great-grandmother had about 140 acres there back in 1885, during the Homestead Act—so it’s a really great connection between my family and what they’re doing there now. I’d worked at Crazy Mountain Ranch, and I’d heard about Marbled’s beef. After I tried it and realized where they were located, I just knocked on their door one day. Spencer, the owner, came to the door, and after I told him a little bit about myself as a cook and about my family history, he showed me around their facility.

KT: That’s awesome.

DL: It really is. Marbled is one of four ranches in Montana that process all their beef themselves. Their 9,000-acre ranch has 11 springs that feed into six watering holes for the cows, and it’s filtered. So those cows are drinking beautiful, clean water instead of dirty water, which of course shows up in the beef product. All their feeding troughs are lifted 15 inches off the ground on concrete, so it’s easy to clean in between feeding, and the cows aren’t eating things they shouldn’t be off the ground. Fresh hay is dropped off every day for the cows to sleep on. The folks at Marbled spend a lot of time, money, and effort to make sure that they have happy cows. If you look at our menu, we really show off the steak cuts we get from them, because we feel like what they’re doing is second to none.

KT: What would you say makes the Carlisle unique in the Bozeman food scene?

KE: I would leave that to other people to answer. There’s a growing number of really great food and beverage operations in this town. We’re proud to be part of that community, and I think it’s up to our guests and our peers to say what we do really well and what we don’t.

DL: I agree; that’s well-said. I would add that something unique we do is rendering our own tallow—it’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it. It’s something that we feel strongly about. We care about what’s in the food that you’re eating. Everybody knows where beef tallow comes from; it comes from a cow. There’s nothing mixed in with it, and we know exactly where it’s coming from. We use French flour from Aurore bakery in our house-made pastas, as well as Italian semolina, to make sure folks with gluten intolerance can eat our food.

KT: What menu item do regulars keep coming back for?

DL: Honestly, I think we have the best burger in town. It’s been getting people in the doors. Our burger buns are from Aurore Bakery, and of course the beef is from Marbled. Our fries are the only soy-free fries in town; they’re not blanched in pressed oils. As a new restaurant, our hope is that if you come in for the burger and you’re happy with it, you’re going to come back for the steak.

KE: And our steaks are really popular. I’d say our flat iron is the one people like the most. It shocks people how flavorful and tender it is.

DL: The two most tender cuts on the cow are the flat iron and the filet, and we chose the flat iron because our ranch yields about 100 to 200 pounds more beef per side of cow. That actually gives us a nice thick cut of flat iron instead of a really thin cut, which is what most people are used to with a flat iron. It’s marbled, it’s beautiful, it’s tender, and it has a great flavor.

KT: Do you each personally have a favorite menu item?

DL: I think the Coulotte (the top of the sirloin) is fantastic. It’s my go-to steak.

KE: Our menu is so good right now, it’s hard to choose. Maybe the Montana pork sugo—it’s just done so well here with our house-made pasta, finished with a lot of breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and fresh herbs. It’s hearty, it’s warm… it’s great for wintertime.

KT: What do you enjoy most about being part of the Bozeman community?

KE: I didn’t grow up here. I moved here about 12 years ago, and now this is home. It’s been wonderful to be able to hopefully contribute something positive to the community, and get to interact with such a wide variety of clientele. I love that I might run into someone I know from the restaurant at the bank or the grocery store. I appreciate that it’s still an intimate community. 

DL: I was lucky enough to grow up here, so to get to work as a head chef in my hometown is very cool for me. When I started cooking about 20 years ago, it wasn’t that big to have fine dining here. I think we’re at a point now where people care more about the food they’re eating, and I hope to see that continue to grow. I love being part of providing people healthy meals with great ingredients that come from our local farmers and ranchers.

KT: What’s the best way for people to follow your future events, like the beautiful pop-up wine dinners that you offer?

KE: Those events are listed on our website, carlislebozeman.com, and you can follow us on Instagram at @carlislebozeman.

KT: Anything else you’d like readers to know about the Carlisle?

KE: We have a late-night menu from 9:00 p.m. to midnight, which includes things like the ribeye and flat iron steaks—it’s not food out of a fryer. You can still get a nice salad with a chicken breast, for example, instead of eating something unhealthy late at night. We get a lot of travelers, and sometimes they get in late. We want to provide them, and anyone who comes in later, with a good meal throughout our hours.

DL: I want folks to know that our employees all really care about what they’re doing. I can trust my cooks to provide a quality, composed, delicious dish every time. We have a great team, and everybody works together really well.

KE: And I’m continuously surprised at how much I learn from the employees. They teach me things all the time. We’re very fortunate with an excellent staff.

It’s my opinion that the positive, inviting outlook held by those running the Carlisle shines through in the dining experience. I am one of those who does appreciate the head chef coming to the table to ask what we think, to tell us more, and to engage on a personal level. Many people do want to know where their food comes from, even if it’s not all from around the corner. Further, it’s nice to have some awareness of the history of a place where we sit, eat, and spend our money. The Carlisle is a welcome addition to our dining options in downtown Bozeman, and I bet Squire and Carlisle Kenyon would approve.  

Photos by Green Door Photography