Boise Farmers Market Opens April 1!

30 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Boise Area Food Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Food, Gaston's Bakery, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Meadowlark Farms, Next Generation produce, What's For Dinner?

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Here is the latest from the BFM.

Welcome to the 2017 Farmers Market Season!
We are excited to get started on Saturday. Although the late winter has been cool and wet, you will be pleasantly surprised to see all the delicious fresh produce that will be at The Market!

Join us for a slice of Birthday Cake and take home first-of-the-season fresh greens plus oh so much more. What’s Fresh!

Produce/Agricultural
Apples
Asparagus
Baby Cucumbers
Bedding plants
Carrots
Container Gardens
Dried Fruit
Green Garlic
Dried Herbs
Fresh Herbs
Curly Kale
Lacinato Kale
Mache
Micro Greens
Miner’s Lettuce
Salad Mix
Tomatoes
Heirloom Seeds
Hanging Strawberry Baskets

Specialty Foods
Pickled Asparagus
Baked Goods
Pickled Beans
Custom Spices
Granola
Hard Cider
Herb Blends
Hummus
Jam
Jelly
Organic Kombucha Tea
Pickles
Salmon Bacon
Smoked Salmon
Tamales
Teas
Wine

Protein
Grass-fed Angus Beef
Pastured Raised Chickens
Duck Eggs
Chicken Eggs
Grass-fed Goat
Pasture Raised Lamb
Pasture Raised Pork
Sockeye and Coho Salmon
Smoked Meats
Sausages

Dairy
Artisan Cheeses
Goat Cheese
Goat Yogurt
Ice Cream
Raw Milk
Yogurt

On-Site Foods
Baked Goods
Coffee
Cookies
Crepes
Matcha Lattes
Sambusas
Tacos
Tamales
Waffles
Wood-fired Pizza

Cold Weather Plants!
Next Generation Organics is bringing fun 24 packs of hearty cold weather plants. They are ready to go in the ground right now!

Delicious Hot Samples!
Desert Mountain Grass-Fed Beef, will be cooking up some samples on opening day!
Ed says, “Come and getcha some!”

“Snack Size” Opening Day Steals!
Lampe Granola will be offering “snack size” steals at $1.50 a bag! Grab ’em while they last!

Fish Three Ways!
C&G’s Wild Alaska Salmon will have frozen fillets of sockeye and coho salmon. Plus smoked salmon strips and salmon BACON
Tasty treats!

Who’s at The Market This Week
Farmers & Ranchers
Brown’s Buffalo Ranch
C&G’s Wild Alaskan Salmon
Campbell Tailor Made Beef
Desert Mountain Grass-fed Beef
Feathers n Horns
Fiddler’s Green Farm
H & H Tomatoes
Kelley Orchards
Lost River Meats
M&N Cattle Company
Malheur River Meats
Matthews Family Farms
Meadowlark Farms
Next Generation Organics
Ohana No-till Farm
Peaceful Belly Farms
Purple Sage Farms
Ribier Gardens
Rice Family Farms
Smith Berry Farms
Snake River Seed Co-op
True Roots Organics
Volcanic Farms

On-Site Food Vendors
Il Segreto Wood Fired Pizza
Funky Taco
Haji’s International Foods
Tamales Nelly
The Great Crepe
Two Trees
Waffle Me Up
Wanna Macha
Prepared Food Purveyors
Acme Bakeshop
Apple Lucy’s Pies
Big Walls Bakery
Blue Feather Bakery
Cherino’s Bloody Mary Mix
Ferranti Fresh Pasta
Form & Function Coffee
Gaston’s Bakery
Lampe Granola
Meriwether Cider Company
Molly’s Mills
Neckar Coffee
Oma & Popie’s Wing Dressing
Potter Wines
Sevz Kitchen
Snake River Winery
Stack Rock Cider
Sunshine Cookie Company
Sweet Valley Cookie Company
The Jelly Lady
Urban Rustic Gourmet

Selected Artisans
Apis
Firefly Garden Art
Red Chair Lavender
Scented Room
T&S Metal and Glass

Great Visit at Juniper in Boise

19 Sunday Mar 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in 4-Stars, Boise Food Adventures, Boise Restaurants, Breakfast, Breakfast With Robin, Brunch, Brunch at Juniper, Eggs, Eggs Benedict, Ethnic Foods, Food Photos, Hollandaise Sauce, Idaho Bacon, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Vegetables, Local Markets, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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This was our first visit to Juniper Restaurant in Boise at 211 N 8th St, (208) 342-1142. Really very good food. It can get very noisy so go prepared. It was also great to have Kelsey join us there for brunch. It was great seeing her and talking to her. She has had some fantastic journeys. Come back soon, Kelsey.
The food is prepared fresh and from reading the menu, mostly from local or Idaho products. Everything was hot and had very good presentation. Look at their lunch and dinner Menu or their Brunch and Lunch Menus. Here is what we had. Enjoy! We did.

Restaurant Front on 8th Street

The interior. It can get noisy.

Great to have Kelsey with us and to see her again.

Bob, Robin and Kelsey at Juniper Restaurant.

Let’s have a drink! It is a Juni and the Jets. We each had one.

And we all shared this Cinnamon Roll!

Kelsey had this Mexican Breakfast!

Robin had the Eggs Benedict!

And I had the Pork Belly Benedict.

Good Meal at the Sandbar, Cafe with a Cause in Marsing, Idaho

19 Sunday Mar 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in 4-Stars, BBQ Pork, Brunch with Robin, Eggs, What's For Dinner?

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Sandbar Riverhouse

A really good, substantial, down home meal at the Sandbar, Cafe with a Cause in Marsing, Idaho on the Snake River. Definitely worth the trip from Boise or Nampa or Caldwell. Here is the link to their website and menus – Sandbar, Cafe with a Cause located at 18 Sandbar Ave, Marsing, ID. (208) 896-4124. Here is what we had for brunch. They serve breakfast all day and if you have something special, you may get the Chef to make it for you. Just ask. Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged. We will be back to the Sandbar! Everything is cooked fresh and they use local products as much as possible.

Main dining room

The Snake River from our table.

Over Easy Eggs

Texas Omelet with Pulled Pork

Good Night at the Buzz

15 Wednesday Mar 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in What's For Dinner?

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Superb night with awesome food and wines!

Treasure Valley Food and Wine Blog

Just before the Ides of March, we had an awesome Wine Dinner at The Buzz in Boise, celebrating Italian wines. Superb appetizers, soup, salad, main dish and dessert. A good crowd was there to celebrate the feast. Thanks Cristi and Tommy and Peggy for a delightful evening. Left-Click any photo to see enlarged.

Tramezini Three Ways
2012 Montefalco Dango
14% alc paired very well with the salad [17] $26.00

Minestrone Alla Genovese
Another good paring.
2015 AvantiPinot Noir
12% alc good with the soup. not over powering. [19] $14.00

Southern Italian Style Salad
Super good salad and paring!
2015 Malvasia del Salento
12.5% alc another super paring [17] $16.00

Pizzelle e Salsa Rossa
2013 Castelli di AbolaChianti
13.0% alc good match for the main course [18] $21.00

Bonet
Absolutely delicious!
2016 Saracco Mascato Di Asti
super paring. [18] $20.00

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3 Restaurant Visits

03 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in 3-Stars, 5-Stars, Alejandra's Mexican Restaurant, Appetizers, Asian - Sakana Sushi and Sashimi, Asian Food, Boise Restaurants, Classic Sauces, Cooking Styles, Dinner at Sakana Sushi, Dinner With Robin, Enchiladas, Food Photos, Hollandaise Sauce, Omelet, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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Sakana Sushi and Sashimi

Well, 2 out of 3 isn’t bad. Le Peep in Meridian, ID, at 3036 North Eagle Road, Meridian, ID, 208-629-0155, is a 3-Star restaurant out of 5-Stars. On the other hand, Alejandro’s Mexican Restaurant in Marsing, ID at 208 Main St, (208) 896-5339 and Sakana Sushi, 7107 W. State St., Garden City, ID 83714, (208)-853-4993, Mon.-Thur.: 11:00am – 10:00pm, Fri.-Sat.: 11:00am-11:00pm and Sun.: 12:00pm – 9:00pm are both 5-Star restaurants. I urge you to look at these links and visit the restaurants and make up your own mind.

Le Peep reception desk.

Le Peeps dining area. Very open and may be loud and noisy if full.

Le Peep dining area. Very open and may be loud and noisy if full.

Lobster Omelet. It’s the sauce that cuts this dish down.

Spinach Crepes. There’s that “sauce” again. Plus the potatoes were cold.

Le Peeps problem is in their Hollandaise Sauce. It is advertised as Hollandaise, but it is far from it. Not bad flavors, just not Hollandaise and an unexpected taste. Plus, the potatoes were cold as noted in the caption above. Just can not give Le Peep a higher rating. Two of the better restaurants we went to were –

Alejandro’s Mexican Restaurant menu. #23 is superb!! (See the link above)

#23 Camerones al Estilo Provincia were superb. Great flavor. Sorry I didn’t get a photo of Robin’s 1 Chile Relleno and 1 enchilada

#23 Camerones al Estilo Provincia

Sakana sign on W State Street, Boise.

Cucumber and Calamari Appetizer

House Green Salad and Miso Soup

Robin had a Sashimi Delux

I had a Sushi and Sashimi Plate.

We watched as they made a Pink Lady for someone.

We also watched them make a Candy Cane. Someone had some beautiful and great food.

Wine and Chocolate – The Buzz

15 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in What's For Dinner?

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Good dinner and wines last night. Loved that soup with the pinot noir!

Treasure Valley Food and Wine Blog

Such a great evening of fine wines and some really good food, especially the Spicy Chocolate Soup! A nice crowd was there and it was good to see 30 people! All of the wines that we had, as it turns out, were all rated at a [17]. There was only one that rated below [17]. Cristi’s birthday party at The Buzz, will be on February 24, even though her “real” birthday is February 29th. The next Wine Dinner is March 14th and 15th. The dinner is repeated on each evening. The theme will be “Italian Wines”. See you there! Here is what we had tonight. Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged. Cheers.

Opening wines were from South Africa.

Brie and Chocolate Tart
Chorizo Chocolate Toast
2015 Revelry Merlot

Spicy Chocolate Soup
(Awesome!)
2011 Ammunition Pinot Noir
(Awesome paring! Best paring of the night.)

Spinach and Pear Salad

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Richard’s Re-Opens in Boise!

11 Saturday Feb 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Farmers Market, Boise Food Adventures, Boise Restaurants, Buy Idaho, Celebrations, Chef Richard Langston, Classic Cuisines, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Dinner At Richard's, Food Photos, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Greens, Idaho Trout, Idaho Vegetables, Idaho Wine, Inn At 500 Capitol, Local Markets, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Richard's, What's For Dinner?

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Chef Richard Langston, Inn At 500 Capitol, Richard's

Yes! Chef Richard Langston has re-opened his restaurant at the Inn At 500 Capitol, Richard’s Restaurant. We were lucky enough to attend the grand opening and it was fantastic. The Inn At 500 Capitol is a superb hotel, and you can get information about it by following this link Inn At 500 Capitol. It is located at 500 South Capitol Boulevard, Boise, Idaho, 83702 USA. (208) 227-0500. (Left Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

Wines that were offered

Conference room. Notice the lighting. Made in Boise. Art Glass.

Tables and flowers.

Table centerpiece and wines!

The balcony looking at Boise.

Richard’s bar.

An open kitchen in the dinning area is always interesting.

Appetizers – Squash Bruschetta

Ham and Cheese on Rosemary Focaccia.

Trout on Endive Leaves.

Caprese

3 Horse Ranch Vineyards Wine Dinner at Bella Aquila

01 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards, 5-Stars, Appetizers, Arugula, Asparagus, BBQ Beef, Bella Aquila, Carrots, Chocolate, Dinner With Robin, Dinner With The Winemaker, Eagle Hills AVA, Food Photos, Green Salad, Local Harvests, Photos By: Bob Young, Salmon, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners, Wines - Idaho

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Bella Aquila Restaurante in Eagle, ID sponsored the 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards wine dinner. A full 6 course dinner was served with as many 3 Horse Vineyards wines. The participation was superb and the crowd enjoyed themselves. It was good to see the Cunninghams again – it has been a while. They are the owners of the winery. Also they have added Brandon St-Martin to their staff as the winery manager. Just look at this menu. (You can Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.)

Gary Cunningham, owner of 3 Horse Ranch Vineyards, talks to the crowd.

Brandon St-Martin, Manager

The menu. Look what you missed!

Passed Appetizers.

Arugula Leaf Salad tossed with White Pear Vinaigrette, Fresh Pear, Polenta Croutons and Truffle Cheddar Cheese

Baked Idaho Trout with a Strawberry Beurre Rouge, Roasted Almond Rice Pilaf and Asparagus

Braised Leg of Lamb servedx over Creamy Risotto

Braised Leg of Lamb served over Creamy Risotto

Pepper Crusted Smoked Flat Iron Steak, Bourbon Glaze, Twice Baked Fingerling Potato and Baby Carrot

Chocolate Lava Cake with Raspberry Coulis

The Chefs are congratulated on a meal well done! Bella Aquila Manager is in the background.

Very good 2014 Vivacious™ wine.

Citrus and Celery Salad and Lamb and Peppers Ragu

31 Tuesday Jan 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Captain's Shack, Cast Iron, Classic Cuisines, Clementine Orange, Comfort Food, Dinner For Robin, Dinner With Family, Fennel, Greek Food, Herbs and Spices, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Vegetables, Lamb, Local Harvests, Malbec, Meadowlark Farms, Merlot, Meyer Lemon, Mini Peppers, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Recipe By: Captain's Shack, Recipe: Bob and Robin Young, Recipes, Recipes - Dinner, Recipes - Greek, Recipes - Salad, Salad, What's For Dinner?

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Oh my! Such a good dinner. Loved this lamb. The Citrus and Celery Salad, which is posted in the Boise Foodie Blog Recipe File – along with many more recipes, was a delightful addition and paring to the Lamb with Peppers Ragu. Take a look at this delicious meal. The dinner is not difficult to prepare. Just use good lamb. We got this kabob lamb from Meadowlark Farms in Nampa, ID. (Our normal supply of lamb from Felzien Farms is limited to chops and ground this year.) This lamb is great with a Merlot or Malbec. Great to have Marnie with us for dinner.

Citrus and Celery Salad

Lamb with Peppers Ragu

What Cooking Oil Should I Use?

23 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by Bob and Robin in Classic Cuisines, Classics, Cooking Oils, Cooking Styles, What's For Dinner?

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cooking oils

Such an interesting and important topic. From About.com in this mornings email, “Just a decade ago it seemed like the only kind of oil available to the home cook was either vegetable or olive oil. Today it seems there’s no end to your options. Sesame, peanut, coconut, red palm, avocado… the list goes on! Here is an easy guide to everything you need to know about cooking oils, from smoke points to storage and more!” And the link to the ongoing article is Cooking Oils 101. And a brief snippet,

This is the first post on a series about plant-derived cooking oils here on About.com’s Produce Channel. We’ll be looking at numerous types of cooking oil in-depth: how they’re made, their uses, their health benefits and risks, and other particular information sensitive to the oil in question.
First, we’ll be doing a two-part breakdown of the numerous oils available on the market, their primary cooking uses, and their smoke points.
Just a decade ago it seemed like the only kind of oil available to the home cook was either vegetable oil or olive oil? Today it seems there’s no end to your options. Sesame, peanut, coconut, red palm, avocado… the list goes on!
But what differentiates each oil from the others? There’s numerous factors to consider.
The smoke point is one major consideration. The more refined an oil is the fewer impurities and the higher heat the oil can withstand before it begins to smoke, lose nutritional value, go bitter in flavor, and eventually catch fire if heated further…
Another consideration is the flavor of the oil. Some oils contain a rather neutral taste such as vegetable oil, while others such as sesame oil remain punchy and strong in flavor…The important thing to realize is moderation. Only use just as much as you need, which in most cases, be it stir-fry or salad dressing, is only a few tablespoons at most. (Deep-frying, naturally, is a unique situation and the unhealthiest option.)