Things are cooking at Saco's Pip's Diner

We all know eastern Montana is a food wasteland. It's about the only thing I hear people complain about consistently from Havre to Poplar. The watering holes are few and far between. And they usually aren't very good. Amazingly, Heidi Pippin and her cast of family and friends have stepped in to get the job done in Saco. If you read nothing further, hear me now: Pip's Diner is great place to eat.

The latest incarnation in a line of local eateries (next door to Old Brand Saloon), Pip's is a combination greasy spoon and hipster brunch spot. Does that sound promising? It is. The menu is rich with homestyle favorites - meatloaf, biscuits and gravy, burgers, etc. - and the atmosphere is charming. Welcoming is a better word. Pip's is a friendly and welcoming place, run by friendly and welcoming people. It's an oasis of bacon and conversation amid the bleak wintertime offerings that keep a light on between Glasgow and Malta. Anyone traveling through Phillips County would do well to put it on their itinerary.

The people: Heidi and her husband Chris are well known in the Saco area, and at least as far down the line as Nashua. The latter's DJ and band projects are regular installments at private parties, dive bars (Vick's!) and public events. Waitress Katelynn Huestis is always behind the counter and in front of the coffeepot when I stop in, as is the resident Pip. According to Heidi, Chris puts in a shift whenever he's needed, but chef Katelyn Yeska sets the gold standard at the grill. Yeska admits to having begun in food service at the ripe old age of 12. At this point, she's been honing her skills for a decade. As co-chef, Heidi is also no slouch. She'll even poach you an egg, if you ask nicely.

The menu: Classic American, with regular specials mixing up the offerings. Heidi starts transitioning from breakfast to lunch when the burger traffic competes for real estate on the grill with the eggs and hash browns. If you're past the cutoff, says Heidi, she'll try to be accommodating.

Helpful tip: It's possible to order meals and appetizers from the Old Brand, which keeps a door in an adjoining wall open during business hours. At least in Saco, you no longer have to choose between a drink and a good dinner.

Pip's opened Aug. 28 of this year with little fanfare. But while you may not have heard of them yet, business has indeed been good.

"We sold 20 chicken fried steaks yesterday," Heidi told me when I tried to order one on Oct. 27. That's what I like to hear.

Pip's Diner is open Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-8 p.m., as well as Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The eatery is located at 207 Taylor Street in Saco.