Sawtooth Winery Wine Dinner at the Boise Hotel

19 Sunday Feb 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Boise Hotel, Food, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

≈ Leave a comment

On February 18, the Boise Hotel and the Castle Ranch Steakhouse, held a fantastic and delicious Wine Dinner featuring wines from the Sawtooth Winery, an Idaho winery located in Nampa, Idaho. The Castle Ranch Steakhouse is by far, the best place in Boise to get a fantastic steak. They use only local beef from the Double R Ranch.
The wine pictured here is their award winning 2010 Gewürztraminer. This is definitely a great wine. Make sure you have some in your cellar. Look what we had for dinner. Enjoy the photos!

Seared Winter Spiced Scallops
cranberry jam, beurre blanc

2010 Gewürztraminer
The scallops were awesome and the paring of this wine with the appetizer was well done, as were the parings of each course prepared by Chef Jack Charles. Winemaker Bill Murray did a great job in selecting the wines. They make a great team! Thanks to both for a job well done. The wine is $8.00, if you can find it.

Poached Garlic Soup
balsamic reduction and chives

2009 Chardonnay
The soup was made from chicken stock, poached garlic and then reduced. Potatoes were used for thickening and then a reduction of balsamic was added. The soup was then finished by a sprinkle of fresh chives. Tended to be a little spicy, but delicious. And no, the garlic was not over powering. The only drawback that I found with this dish, I had no bread to “clean” my bowl. That’s a German thing! Bread was lacking with the meal. The soup and the wine were both well balanced. Cost of the wine is $10.00.

Mixed Green Salad
pickled cucumber napkin rings, blue cheese crumbles, roasted beets, apple cider vinaigrette

2008 Reserve Chardonnay
The little yellow beet in this salad were delicious.Great blends of the vegetables with the wine, which had overtones of dark chocolate and a slight bitterness. However, the earthiness of the beets, even though they were small, did tend to over power the wine.

Duck Breast
pomegranate walnut sauce with quinoa.

2008 Reserve Tempranillo
Great paring!! This dish is actually the Mid-East version of the Asian sweet/sour. Quinoa is a complete and very ancient food. This was delicious. Sawtooth Winery makes only 200 – 300 cases of this wine, so if you want some, and you should look hard. $22.00 per bottle.

Champagne Grapefruit Sorbet
Great for clearing the palate. An awesome dish.

Double R Ranch Fillet Oscar
petite filet with béarnaise and Dungeness crab
butternut squash gratin
asparagus bundles

2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
There are not many wines that hold up to asparagus – among some other vegetable – but this cab certainly did without overpowering the delicate flavor of the asparagus. The beef and the crab also pared extremely with the wine. Another great job in matching the food and the wine. A bottle of this wine will cost you $12.00.

Thomas Keller’s Molten Chocolate Tart
raspberry sauce with crème anglaise

2006 Gewürztraminer Ice Wine
Sink your taste buds into this one, but don’t burn your mouth. Rich and awesome warm chocolate tart with the tartness of the raspberry hidden in the background. Then add to that a fine glass of the Ice Wine and you have an epicurean delight! This is one of Chef Jack’s favorite desserts and it shows.

There is just not much else I can say. Except that it was a well deserved and spent $118.00 meal for two. And then they gave us an option of spending the night in the hotel for $39.00 a room, which we gladly accepted. A great finish to the Valentine’s Week celebrations. Left-Click any of these photos to see them larger. And when you are in Boise, be sure to visit the Castle Ranch Steakhouse. Look for the link in the sidebar. It is a 5-Star restaurant along with Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida. There were others there at the dinner that agreed with our assessment. Cheers!

Boise Food Truck Rally a Success!

11 Saturday Feb 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Local Markets, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

≈ 1 Comment

Wow! Such a great evening!! If you missed this Boise Food Truck Rally, you may have another chance. Try to reserve the 2nd (second) Friday of each month for this event. The venue will change, so keep watching this blog for more information.
Here are some of the Food Trucks that were represented: Brown Shuga Soul Food, Archie’s Place – Soup and Joe’s, Riceworks, B29 StrEATry and A Cupcake Paradise. And we had liquid refreshment from Payette Brewery, one of the sponsors. The other sponsors were the Boise Weekly, KRBX 89.9 FM, Northend Organic Nursery and The C.O.T. Be sure to support the sponsors and of course the Food Trucks when you see them around town. What a great evening. And just look at some of this food. And the prices … They were good. Not expensive for the quality of the food. Enjoy and Left-Click any of these photos to see a larger view!

Here are some of the people. We got there at about 5:30. The Rally went from 5:00pm – 9:00pm.

Riceworks Food Truck

Brick 29 truck

Payette Brewery. A local brewery!

Brown Shuga Soul Food menu. Good prices.

Brown Shuga Plated Meal
Pulled Pork
Mac ‘N Cheese
Red Beans and Rice
and of course
Payette Brewery liquid delights!

Check this dessert out!

And from Brick 29

The entree from Riceworks

Food Truck Rally

10 Friday Feb 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Food, What's For Dinner?

≈ Leave a comment

So you say you need something for dinner? And you don’t know what to make? And, if you went out to eat, you don’t know where to go? Well here’s a great suggestion!! The Boise Food Truck Rally at Chinden Blvd and Maple Grove in Boise from 5:00 – 9:00pm Tonight! It looks like it is going to be an eating adventure! Come out and try some new treats. Meet some new people. And remember: Eat, Drink and be Merry! For tomorrow you might be dieting! Cheers and see you there.

Winter Wine Dinner in Boise

29 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

≈ Leave a comment

Don’t forget the Winter Wine Dinner at the Boise Hotel in the Castle Ranch Steakhouse on Vista Ave on February 18, 2012. Sawtooth Winery will be featured and the dinner looks awesome! Calling for reservations is strongly suggested. This will be an exciting evening. See you there!! Left-Click the graphic to get a printable copy and a larger view.

Knock ‘Em Dead Dinner Theater – Robin’s Birthday

18 Sunday Sep 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Dinners, Special Events, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

≈ 1 Comment

What an enjoyable evening we had at the Knock ‘Em Dead Dinner Theater’s production of “Oklahoma!” here in Boise. It was Robin’s Birthday Evening Out. Such a joy! Here she is sitting by the fountain at the entrance to the theater. I do not normally “review” stage productions, at least not since my Martin College (Pulaski, TN) days or my Boise State University days. So this will be an exception.

If you want a night our with dinner, look to the right at the productions coming up. You really should try to make one of them. They are that good! Here is a hot link to KED’s web site. And, according to Millie Boardman the Business Manager, there are still season tickets available. The Producer/Director – Scott Beseman. A superb job, Scott. You had so very much talent to work with. Your production crew also did a superb job.

Stephanie Santos (Laurey) has one of the most fantastic voices I have heard in a while. And Ben Clegg (Curly) has another exceptional singing voice. But then, all of the cast could keep on key and sing exceptionally well. The only bad comment about the audio that I will say is that at the tart of the show, the music over powered the voices, but that was soon corrected. And it was great to see the cast “go with the flow” when a glass unexpectedly broke and a bench fell over. Ben Clegg was clever enough to incorporate the over turned bench into the flow of the scene.
All in all, I will rate this a 4-Stars out of 5-Stars. No, not a big New York or San Francisco production, but an extremely well acted, sung, produced and directed musical here in Boise. Scott Beseman and his staff did an outstanding job ….. again! Don’t miss these! And the dinner! Catered by Boise’s own Le Café de Paris, it was very good. Again, my only comment is that I missed bread with my meal. Beer and wine are available with your meal. Look at what we had.

Fresh Garden Salad
tomatoes, croutons, cucumber, creamy herb dressing

BBQ Baked Chicken
Mashed Potatoes
green onions, bacon bits, cheddar
Garlic Green Beans

Apple Tarte
chantilly whipped cream, cinnamon

The one thing that I failed to mention is that we have known Scott Beseman and Millie Boardman since the 1980’s. Robin and I taught them square dancing. And as a note, Scott has an awesome singing voice. Get him to do his interpretation of Boris Karloff’s “Monster Mash”. Close your eyes and just picture his routine. Sorry you were ill, Scott. We will see you at another production. Cheers! and Break a leg!

Idaho Farmers Markets

05 Monday Sep 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Buy Idaho, Food, Special Information, Things To Do

≈ Leave a comment

I’d like to say that the Boise Saturday Market is the only one in Idaho. But in fact, it is not. At last count, there are about 28 different farmer’s markets in Idaho. Here is, at best, a partial listing for Idaho Farmers Markets. If you know of others, please go to the site listed and update or add to the listing. I have no control over how markets get listed or if the list is even up-to-date. Cheers!

Barley Brothers Travelling Beer Show

05 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Barley Brothers, Boise Adventures, Things To Do

≈ Leave a comment

Yup! It’s back!! And this year the Barley Brothers Traveling Beer Show is bringing 10 Barrel Brewery from Bend, Oregon. This is the same beerfest that last year was called the Boise Beerfest. The program folks wanted a more general descriptor for the event so they can take it on the road. It will also be in Phoenix. The following information came from the Idaho Statesman. “Who are the Barley Brothers? The Barley Brothers are just two guys who love beer. They love beer so much that they want to share that love with all of you, so they founded the world’s only Traveling Beer Show. The Barley Bros. Traveling Beer Show is like no other show on Earth. Hundreds of craft beers, live music, games, awesome food, and did I mention hundreds of beers? They’re bringing all this to Boise, so grab your pretzel necklace, slap on a goofy hat and hit the road with the Barley Bros.”

Read more: Barley Brothers Travelling Show

Follow the link above for more information. $25 per person for unlimited samples and food. August 6th and 7th at Ann Morrison Park in Boise starting at 11:00am each day. This was really a great time last year. See you there.

Fourth of July At Our House

05 Tuesday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Things To Do

≈ Leave a comment

A super day! We started out by attending the parade in Boise. Then we ate some awesome food and finished off the night at the Buzz Coffee and Wine for a buffet, wine, beer and a fireworks show. Makes for a long day, but a fun day. Thank-You everyone who made this such a wonderful day and party for us, Marnie, Mac, Sophia, Chris and Margaret. Here’s our day in photos. The Frogs even are waving their flag! Enjoy!

And then there is See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil!

And the BSU Flamingos!

Buddy guards the ribs!

But before we can eat, we must watch the parade. It was a good parade, but I just wish that there would be more music – bands: the BSU Marching Thunder, Boise High Band and several other school bands in the area. I missed them.

Honorary Parade Grand Marshal, Sgt Bowe Bergdahl, Afganistan POW

Mayor Dave Bieter

The bagpipes. Such a joy!

Such dignity!

The drummers

Even the Hari Krishna’s were represented.

I rode my bike down to the parade and worked up a good appetite. Here is the menu! And below is the dinner. Yum-O!!

Mac’s Ribs and Bob’s Baked Beans, modified from a recipe that Marnie gave me.

Robin’s Slaw

Margaret’s Shrimp and Pasta Salad

Bob’s Potato Salad
with
Miners Lettuce and Lavender Flowers

Robin’s Red, White and Blue Parfait

Then after dinner and watching the National July 4th Celebration from Washington, DC, we went to the Buzz Coffee and Wine for a buffet and to watch the fireworks here in Boise. A great buffet and great fireworks. Here are some photos of the show. Thanks Cristi and Tommy for opening the Buzz for this! Remember to Left-Click for a larger view. Love this Idaho sunset photo.

A long, but a great day. The company was great as was the food. And the weather could not have been any better, 94 degrees F, 34% humidity and winds 9 mph. Cheers!

Great Day At The Boise Saturday Market 02 July

02 Saturday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

≈ Leave a comment

Great weather for the Boise Saturday Market! It looks like the crowds may finally be growing to keep up with the growing market. Great to see old friends, Dana, and others. Here are some photos I took. Cheers!

Here is one of the vegetable vendors. Great selections!

And the breads and croissants from Le Cafe de Paris. Yum-O!

And one of the other vegetable vendors.

But there is more than just vegetables. One can purchase lamb, buffalo, beef, pork, elk, doughnuts, Mexican food and wine. Many herb booths and still some plants left for the gardens. And there is one entire block – maybe two – devoted entirely to the arts. A great way to spend a Saturday morning! Think Local!

Day One: Capitol City Market

16 Saturday Apr 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Local Harvests, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Things To Do

≈ Leave a comment

For being the first day and a slightly overcast sky and threats of rain, this was a busy day at the Capitol City Public Market! Look at some of these photos. And the local produce is starting.