Let’s get this out of the way right now. If you like what you see in this story, it’s probably too late to order it. And if you’re reading this a few months from now, perhaps sometime after Memorial Day, forget it. Blackstar’s “Tuesday Night Burger Special” has already gone back into seasonal hibernation, waiting for the slow, relaxing days of fall to return. That’s because, as head chef Katie Haynes puts it, “this was not a July idea.”
Why is that? Well, July is insanely busy at Blackstar, just like everywhere else in the Flathead Valley. During the heat of summer, Haynes is focused on pushing dozens — sometimes even hundreds — of the restaurant’s popular smash burgers through the kitchen window and out in front of guests. Not to mention the nine different pizzas on the menu, five distinct sandwiches, three unique salads, and a whole lineup of bar bites, from the Bavarian pretzel to the crispy Brussels sprouts (a personal favorite of this reporter).
But when the chilly and (relatively) calm days of fall and winter arrive, there’s time for some fun, which is exactly what they do at Blackstar with a new burger creation each Tuesday from fall until spring, often featuring the restaurant’s popular smash burger as the centerpiece
“It’s a slow time of year and we thought this would be an exciting way to keep things fun for the staff,” Haynes said on a recent Tuesday afternoon in late October, as the latest burger creation sat on a table nearby. “Everyone on staff gets to throw out some ideas.”
“Exactly,” said Blackstar general manager Dan Nally. “It keeps things fun. And of course, I like it because I get to try some of their creations.”
The brewery and restaurant at the corner of Railway Street and Central Avenue in downtown Whitefish has a long history in these parts. Opened in 1995 as the Blackstar Draught House and Great Northern Brewing Co. (named after the railroad that laid tracks just a block north in 1904), this three-story brewery was a culinary cornerstone of the community for a quarter century. While most people recognized it for its beers, like the Going-to-the-Sun IPA and Wheatfish Wheat Lager, its food also gained a loyal following. There was nothing quite like digging into a pile of cheesy nachos after a long day of skiing on Big Mountain. But then, almost overnight, the brewery shut down. In February 2020, after a raucous going-away party that coincided with Whitefish’s Winter Carnival, the brewery closed its doors.
For two and a half long, torturous years, the corner brewery sat empty, while rumors ran rampant around town about what it might become. A chain restaurant? An art gallery? Maybe another real estate office? The longer it stayed closed, the more outlandish the theories grew.
But finally, in the summer of 2022, word came down that the brewery was under new ownership and a new partnership had formed to reopen it. Local real estate tycoon Rob Isakson and hospitality expert Scott Gerber teamed up with Great Falls brewer Jeremiah Johnson to reopen the building as a brewery and restaurant. Johnson, a Flathead High School graduate, made a name for himself in Montana’s brewing scene about ten years earlier when he purchased “The Front” in Great Falls and renamed it after himself. In the years that followed, Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Co. found success and expanded to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. By 2022, it was ready for another move and inked a deal with the owners of the Whitefish facility to brew their popular beers on site, while the other partners worked on opening a restaurant. The new Blackstar opened in July 2022, the same weekend as the Under the Big Sky music festival. Needless to say, it was baptism by fire, Nally said.
But since then, the brewery has regained its footing and established itself once again as a favorite among locals in Whitefish. One of the top local favorites is Blackstar’s smash burger. Smash burgers typically have a slightly higher fat content, which allows them to caramelize on the edges when smashed onto the grill. The origins of the burger are somewhat unclear. Some sources say they rose to popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries at food carts that aimed to serve burgers as quickly as possible (smashing the meat into the heat helps finish the burger faster, making room for the next one … or, more specifically, the next sale). Another theory suggests they gained popularity during the Great Depression, which makes sense considering that a fattier burger would probably cost the owner less. A third idea is that the smash burger originated from the backyard barbecues of impatient dads, although those versions are less celebrated. Regardless, in recent years, the smash burger has become a popular menu item nationwide. And in the Flathead, Blackstar offers one of the best. The signature version features two patties of Montana ground beef, lettuce, tomato, pickles, American cheese, caramelized onions, and a side of Blackstar sauce, a mayo-based fry sauce.
Haynes said that during the heat of summer, she and the kitchen crew make hundreds of smash burgers each day, and they are by far the most popular item on the menu. The smash burger also serves as the centerpiece of Blackstar’s “Tuesday Night Burger Special” project that started in September 2025. Besides giving the kitchen crew a chance to get creative, it also provides regulars with an excuse to come back and try something new each week. So far this year, there’s been a melted brie and fig burger with crispy fried onions, arugula, and lemon honey aioli; an “Oink Oink” smash burger topped with pork belly, crispy wontons, hoisin aioli, Asian slaw, and tomato; and even a Huckleberry burger with, what else, huckleberries.
On the evening that Flathead Living photographer Hunter D’Antuono and I stopped in for a burger and a beer, the special was dubbed “The Steel Town Munster.” Perched atop those two smash burger patties was Boar’s Head pastrami, Munster cheese, chipotle aioli, a vinegar-based slaw, tomato, and French fries — on the burger, not beside it. Haynes said it was inspired by the Primanti Bros., a Pittsburgh restaurant famous for putting French fries and slaw on its sandwiches. She said she usually selects the burger of the week based on “something I’m craving myself and want to eat that day,” but this week’s was chosen because “Munster” would be a fun play on words for Halloween week. After Hunter finished taking his photos, we finally got to dig into the burger ourselves. As we bit into the towering pile of meat and potatoes, Nally grabbed a napkin dispenser, a gesture likely inspired by experience. The sweet and tangy slaw, combined with the salty fries and the rich Montana ground beef, was spectacular and clearly good enough to make it a regular on the menu. But it was made just a little bit sweeter knowing that this was a one-and-done burger, never to be seen again.
When asked if coming up with a new burger every week was difficult, Haynes confidently replied, “no.” Having worked in kitchens for 20 years (she was out east before moving to the Flathead a few years ago for a cooking gig), she knows her stuff. Nally agreed.
“If Katie sat down for an hour just thinking about burgers, she could probably come up with 100 new ones,” Nally said.
Haynes said she has a list of about 50 burgers ready to go, so she’s not worried about running out of ideas for this winter or even the next one. As of now, Blackstar plans to offer the Tuesday Night Burger Special into the spring of 2026 before it goes back into its seasonal hibernation. Haynes and Nally have also introduced a pizza special on Wednesday with the same idea.
So, while your chance to enjoy The Steel Town Munster depicted on these pages has passed, rest assured that if you swing on into Blackstar on a Tuesday night between now and sometime in May 2026, you won’t be disappointed if you let Katie Haynes decide what you’re having for dinner.
Blackstar is open daily from noon to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. It’s located at 2 Second Avenue in downtown Whitefish. For more information, visit blackstarmt.com.