Update on Sources and New Dishes

13 Thursday Jan 2022

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beef, Boise Farmers Market, Breakfast, Breakfast At The Captains Shack, Buy Local, Captain's Shack, Chardonnay, Chef Jacques Pépin, Classic Sauces, Comfort Food, Cookies, Cream Sauces, Dinner At Marnies, Dinner For Robin, Food - Make Your Own Meals, Food Photos, Herbs and Spices, Hollandaise Sauce, Housemade Sauces, Idaho Beef, Idaho Eggs, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Pork, Idaho Wine, Malheur River Meats, Parma Ridge Winery, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, Shell Fish, Spinach, Van Lith Ranch, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wines - Idaho

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Malheur River Meats, Meadowlark Farms Idaho Parma Ridge Winery, recipes, Van Lith Ranch

captains-shack-pipe-signed-Walkway-LMP I pretty much failed to list my sources in the Boise area for beef, pork, eggs and lamb. Some of them will even ship to you. Check the links.

For beef I am using 2 different sources. The newest source for some awesome beef products is Van Lith Ranch, http://vanlithranch.com 200 S Pennsylvania Ave, Fruitland, Idaho 83619. (208) 452-3826. We had a fabulous standing prime rib from them. “At Van Lith Ranch, we raise ultra-premium grass-fed, grain-finished beef here in Idaho. Our family ranch is located on the banks of the Payette River where three generations of Van Liths have been raising beef cattle for over 70 years. We use that generational knowledge and experience to hand-select only the highest of quality animals for our Van Lith Ranch line of meat and that personal attention and dedication shows in every mouthwatering bite.”

Another fabulous source for beef and pork is Malheur River Meats, http://malheurrivermeats.com 4276 John Day Hwy, Vale, OR 97918.(208) 573-1058. Awesome beef, but fantastic thick cut, bone in pork chops. They even have pork chops for stuffing which are cut even thicker. They carry eggs, too, in season. And, you can get a change in red meat by eating buffalo from Browns Buffalo Ranch in Nyssa, https://cunninghampasturedmeats.com/vendors/browns-buffalo-ranch. Great meat, especially the steaks and hump roast.

For eggs and lamb, awesome lamb chops, we use Meadowlark Farms Idaho, https://www.meadowlarkfarmidaho.com/ 9904 Southside Blvd, Nampa, Idaho. 83686 (208) 466-4806. A superb source for outstanding lamb products.

BP_10Jan2022_1a_Captains Shack_Waffle Benedict

And speaking of eggs, Meadowlark Farms eggs make an awesome Hollandaise sauce and Eggs Benedict. Just look at these. This was delicious! Even went so far as to try Jacque Pepin’s style. Think I will use it again and again and again!

Not local by any means. Braised Scallops on a bed of Spinach and Chard with a light Béchamel and a Cucumber and Radish Salad with Sour Cream. Such a yum dinner. Served with a wonderful and well pared 2020 Parma Ridge Winery Chardonnay, http://www.parmaridge.wine/. They also have an awesome bistro at the winery. Superb food along with the superb wine. But make a reservation first. Check the link. Happy cooking! (BP-MJ)

1st Annual Idaho Truffle Dinner

24 Sunday Feb 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Chardonnay, Chateau des Fleurs, Chicken, Classic Cuisines, Cooking Styles, Crème fraîche, Dinner at Chateau des Fleurs, Dinner With Robin, Food Photos, Idaho Truffles, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Potatoes, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants To Try, Scallops, Sea Scallops, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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This was a fantastic event and I do hope we are able to enjoy it next year. It was hosted by the Idaho Truffle Association and you can get more information about Idaho truffles by clicking Here. The event was located at the Chateau des Fleurs located at 176 S. Rosebud Lane, Eagle, Idaho 83616, Phone 208-947-2840. And yes, this is a high-end, 5-Star restaurant. But worth every penny. Here is the exquisite Menu. Enjoy your meal. You can Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

The menu for this event.

One of the wines we had. 2014 Roghani Vineyards Chardonnay

Pan Seared Chicken Breast
Cipollini and Shimengi Mushroom Risotto
Shaved Black Perigord Truffles
2014 Roghani Vineyards Chardonnay

Confit Idaho Yukon Potato
Truffle Pommes Puree
Infused Crème Fraîche
Shaved Bianchetti Truffle
2014 Roghani Vineyards Un-Oaked Chardonnay

Chef Jimenez Inspired Truffle Ravioli
Ravioli Filled with Brie and Parmesan
Binachetti Truffle and Moral Mushrooms
Bianchetti Nage and Beurre Noisette Bread Crumbs
2014 Roghani Vineyards Chardonnay

Truffle Infused Sweet Breads
Sweet Breads with Seared Scallop
Foie and Celeriac Puree
Celery Gelee
Parmesan Truffle Essence
Fresh Shaved Bianchetti Truffle and Shimengi Mushroom
Petit Herbs
2013 Roghani Vineyards Riesling

Truffle Almond Bread Pudding
Bianchetti Infused Ice Cream
Truffle Crème Anglaise
2014 Roghani Vineyards Late Harvest Riesling

And then for breakfast on Sunday morning, I made us Potato Benedict using Air Fried potato slices for the English muffin. Really good.

Potato Benedict

A Visit To Le Coq d’Or

25 Friday Jan 2019

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop Baguette, Boise Restaurants, Chardonnay, Chicken, Classic Cuisines, Cooking Styles, Cream of Mushroom Soup, Dinner at Le Coq d’Or, Dinner With Robin, Duck, Ethnic Foods, Food Photos, French Foods, Galaxy 9 Photos, Idaho Lamb, Idaho Potatoes, Idaho Wine, Idaho's Bounty, Main Dish, Mediterrean Foods, Mushrooms, Photos By: Bob Young, What's For Dinner?

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Le Coq d’Or

What a great way to celebrate the birthday of Scottish Poet Robert Burns! An extremely good 5-Star restaurant in Eagle – Le Coq d’Or! 208-947-2840, 176 S. Rosebud Lane, Eagle, Idaho 83616. Tuesday-Thursday: 5:00pm-9:00pm; Friday and Saturday: 5:00pm-10:00pm.

The Restaurant at the Chateau draws upon flavor profiles from around the world: focusing on old-world traditional French and European cuisine, with subtle Eastern and Persian influences. All food served in our restaurant is made from scratch in our kitchen using locally sourced Idaho produce whenever possible. Fresh dining and artful ambiance makes the Restaurant at the Chateau a truly one-of-a-kind, well-rounded dining experience that will continue to enthrall you long after the last bite. Enjoy our house wine Roghani Vineyards or allow Christian Lamotte, our Maitre D’, to suggest one of our 100+ hand-selected wines from around the world.

And a great Truffle and Wine Dinner coming up Saturday, February 23, 2019. Call to make reservations and we will see you there! You will not be disappointed. In the meantime, here is what we had today. (Some of the photos are not the best – first time using the Samsung phone camera. Can only get better.) Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

Miss Fisher watches over the dining hall!

Robin in the dinning room.

Always a good wine from their winery. In this case, Shiraz

Green Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

I had this awesome Creamy Mushroom Soup. Delicious!

Robin had French Onion Soup

Duck and Truffle Potatoes

Chicken with Mediterrean Sauce and Polenta

I would have any of these items again.Super good!

Happy Hour at Parma Ridge Winery and Restaurant

23 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Beef, Bistro - Parma Ridge Winery, Boise Adventures, Boise Area Food Adventures, Buy Idaho, Chardonnay, Chef Storm Hodge, Chicken, Comfort Food, Dinner At Parma Ridge Restaurant, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Dinner With The Winemaker, Green Salad, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Chicken, Idaho Greens, Idaho Wine, Locavore, Parma Ridge Specials, Parma Ridge Winery Bistro, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Rib-Eye, Salmon, Snake River AVA, Special Dinners, Special Information, What's For Dinner?

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Parma Ridge Restaurant, Parma Ridge Winery

We’ve not been out to Parma Ridge Winery and Restaurant for their Friday Happy Hour until last night. Glad we went. They are very busy, so if you have a crowd of more than four, it’s best to call ahead. The patio is open and a large part of it is covered.The menu may also be somewhat different than the Saturday or Sunday Brunch menus. Check the link above for the available menus or look at This Weekend at Parma Ridge to see the menu varieties for at least one of the weekends. Whenever you go, and I highly suggest this 5-Star winery and restaurant, you will be treated to some awesome wines and definitely some awesome food as prepared by Chef Storm and Sous Chef Megan. The Staff in the restaurant has grown! They have added Sous Chef Megan and service Staff. Our server Tammy was excellent. Thank-You! Here is some of the Happy Hour food that was at our table. We did not eat all of this as Fred and Dottie Christensen joined us. Good to see friends there. Enjoy! We did.

Chicken Pesto Sandwich – $9.95
Grilled Chicken and Homemade Pesto with Prosciutto and melted Swiss Cheese on a Toasted Ciabatta Bun with Fresh Cut Truffle Fries

Fred had this.

Parma Ridge Pear Salad – $8.95, with Grilled Chicken $11.95
Mixed greens with apple cider vinaigrette, Bleu Cheese and Poached Pear with Grilled Bread

Dottie had this. The salad is huge!

One-Inch Cut Char-Grilled Ribeye Steak – $16.95
Topped with Bleu Cheese Butter and accompanied by Rosemary Truffle Mashed Potatoes with Cabernet Beef Demi-Glace, Grilled Asparagus and Storm’s Homemade Grilled Bread

Robin had this and took half of it home! It is a large portion.

Storm’s Famous Salmon – $16.95
Brined, Lightly Smoked and Pan Fried with Rosemary Truffle Butter and Rosemary Truffle Mashed Potatoes accompanied by Grilled Asparagus Storm’s Homemade Grilled Bread

This is what I had. Delicious and moist!

We did have wine. A wonderful blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that paired wonderfully with asparagus. (Robin tried the newest rage of vanilla ice cream in red wine. She tried it with this blend. Wasn’t bad! If you like Guinness and Ice Cream you will probably like this.) And then we had some –

2015 Chardonnay, $16.50
Fargo Farms – Snake River Valley
Everything you would expect from the terroir of the area, this dry Chardonnay is made with Chardonnay grapes from Fargo Farms and a touch of Gewürztraminer from Parma Ridge Vineyards. This wine has been created to preserve the intense flavors and aromas without any manipulation. Hints of grapefruit and rosemary compliment the tart finish to be enjoyed any time of the year.

2015 Dry Riesling, $16.50
Fargo Farms – Snake River Valley
Made with 100% Riesling, this dry wine features melon with citrus notes and touches of honey crisp apple. This smooth wine is a perfect complement creamy pasta and sharp cheeses. This also pared very well with asparagus. Hard to find a wine that pares well with asparagus or artichoke and maybe avocado.

Such a great evening at the winery and restaurant. Definitely 5-Stars!!!

“State and Lemp” – Awesome

17 Friday Jul 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Acme Bake Shop, Anniversary, Appetizers, Apricots, Beets, Boise Adventures, Boise Restaurants, Bread, Buy Idaho, Carrots, Celebrations, Chardonnay, Classic Cuisines, Dinner Reviews with Robin, Dinner With Robin, Food Photos, Friends, Heirloom Carrots, Heirloom Squash, Idaho Greens, Idaho Potatoes, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Salads, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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State and Lemp

I could, and probably should, fill up this page with the word awesome, but that would be boring! If you are in Boise and have been here for awhile, do you remember Andrae’s? That definitely was a 5-Star restaurant. And so is State and Lemp. It is every bit as good as Andrea’s was; If not better. But I can only give 5-Stars and State and Lemp earned every one of those stars. From the local art on the wall, as pictured here, to the outstanding service. Also outstanding was the plating of the different food offerings. We eat with our eyes first, and as you will see, the presentations were super good! The seating is limited to about 28 people, so call for a reservation. We did like the way they have the tables set, it gave us time to chat with our table “neighbors”. Here are some photos from the evening. Enjoy! We will return for another special celebration, whatever that may be!

Robin at our seating.

The seating arrangements.

The menu and our place card. Yes, it is that formal!

It is great to see that they use as much local products as possible. Here is Acme Bake Shop Sourdough Bread. For a complete list of their farmer suppliers, check their web site.

It is great to see that they use as much local products as possible. Here is Acme Bake Shop Sourdough Bread. For a complete list of their local farmer suppliers, check their web site.

Sardine
with
Micro Greens and Flowers

Strawberry & Cucumber Scallop. Cilantro. Shiso Patrick Bottex – “La Cueille” Gamay / Poulsard

Strawberry and Cucumber
Scallop. Cilantro. Shiso
Patrick Bottex – “La Cueille” Gamay / Poulsard

Summer Squash & Fava Beans Black Cod. Sea Beans Nasturtium Taft Street – Chardonnay

Summer Squash and Fava Beans
Black Cod. Sea Beans. Nasturtium
Taft Street Chardonnay

Carrot & Apricot Goat. Sesame. Fried Rice Maxime Magnon – “La Démarrante” Carignan / Cinsault

Carrot and Apricot
Goat. Sesame. Fried Rice
Maxime Magnon – “La Démarrante” Carignan/Cinsault

Intermezzo – Huckleberry Sorbet

Beets & New Potato
Pork. Gooseberry. Sorrel
Domaine Gayda – “Flying Solo” Grenache/Syrah

Currants & Cherry Ginger Ale. Vanilla Cream. Mochi Taylor Fladgate – “LBV” Port

Currants and Cherry
Ginger Ale. Vanilla Cream. Mochi
Taylor Fladgate – “LBV” Port

Those little ginger ale “balloons” just “popped” flavor in your mouth. I intentionally did not pick a “favorite” dish – they were all superior. The wines also were paired perfectly. Here is a little more about State and Lemp from their web site.

In our effort to showcase local and regional farmers, ranchers, and artisans we have utilized the following…
Purple Sage Farms /purplesagefarms.com – Waterwheel Gardens /waterwheelgardens.com – Rice Family Farms / ricefamilyfarms.com – Sweet Valley Organics / sweetvalleyorganics.com – Peaceful Belly / peacefulbelly.com – Dawson Taylor Coffee Roasters / dawsontaylor.com – Malheur River Meats / malheurrivermeats.com – Ohana Farm Inc. Frostenson Farms – Acme Bread Co. – Double R Honey Farm – Cloverleaf Creamery …. Ownership and management will maintain a constant presence on the floor as we interact with guests to ensure an unforgettable experience. We provide continuing education and training for all team members in order to better enable them as they assist guests with decisions. Additionally, we seek to advance all team members and enable their growth as hospitality professionals.

Fire Pie Pizza at Houston Winery

07 Sunday Jun 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Baking, Basil, Boise Adventures, Buy Idaho, Chardonnay, Cheese, Classic Cuisines, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Dinner With Robin, Dinner With The Winemaker, Healthy Eating, Heirloom Tomatoes, Herbs, Herbs and Spices, Housemade Pie Crust, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Wine, Idaho's Bounty, Italian Food, Local Harvests, Locavore, Main Dish, Merlot, Organic Foods, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Release Parties, Smoking and Grilling, Special Events, Special Information, Spice Blends, Tomatoes, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Tasting, Wines - Idaho

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Basil Pizza, fire pie pizza, Fresh Margarita Pizza, Houston Wine, Houston Winery, release party

Such a great Idaho afternoon with great Idaho pizza and some great Idaho wines from Houston Winery in Caldwell, Idaho – it was their Merlot release party. Superb Merlot was released today and it is well worth buying some. It went very well with the Fire Pie Pizza made by Jamie and Kitty Martin of Hagerman, ID. (See their link in the sidebar.) If you are looking for a treat at your next party, be it family or work, try Firepiepizza! Fresh made. Local products – and you know how I am with Buying Local – cooked in a fire oven. They will make any kind of pizza that you want, providing they have the supplies on hand. Enjoy these photos of the afternoon. Cheers!

Firepiepizza Banner

Kitty Martin creates a masterful pizza. And all from scratch and using local products, especially the vegetables. Jamie Martin tends the oven.

Pizza making

An extremely hot oven completely designed and built by Jamie Martin.

Pizza is ready!

More orders are coming in!

Margherita Pizza ! Add a glass of Houston Wine and Yummers!

Fresh Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza. I need more wine!

Robin discusses wine.

Gregg Algers, Winemaker at Houston Winery, Larry and Elaine Gibson, TVWS members, all enjoy the pizza and the wine.

There was a great crowd at this release party.

More fire baked pizza, please!

Happy Birthday Sophia!

09 Saturday May 2015

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5-Stars, Anthropology of Food, Boise Restaurants, Caesar Salad, Chardonnay, Classic Sauces, Coffee, Dinner With Family, Dinner With Robin, Herbs, Herbs and Spices, Ice Cream, Italian foods, Local Markets, Luciano's Italian Restaurant, Mother's Day, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Salads, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?

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Lucianos Italian

What a wonderful place to celebrate a birthday – Luciano’s Italian Restaurant in Boise. Every bit a 5-Star restaurant. Good and accurate service. Great and varied menu and a really super Waite staff. Asiago’s – Look out! We hope, Sophia, that you enjoyed your Birthday Meal as much as we enjoyed celebrating with you. Here are some photos that I took of the dinner. Sorry we missed you, Chris. This was also Robin’s Mothers Day dinner, but we’ll see what happens tomorrow.

Happy birthday, Sophia!!

The bar area that is also a waiting area. There is a shelter outside that the over flow can congregate.

The bar area that is also a waiting area. There is a shelter outside where the over flow can congregate.

The daily special board.

Wonderfully different light in the main dining room. Unique.

Table centerpiece.

Caesar Salad – Really good. “Chopped romaine lettuce, classic house made Caesar dressing, and croutons with fresh parmesan, lemon and anchovies.”

Pesto Pasta

Fettuccini Alfredo

Seafood Fettuccini “Prawns, sea scallops, clams, mussels and crab in our seafood alfredo sauce with garlic and fresh parmesan.”

Spumonti - Chocolate, Pistachio and Strawberry ice cream. Maraschino cherry juice in the bottom.

Spumone – Chocolate, Pistachio and Strawberry ice cream. Maraschino cherry juice in the bottom. “Rich cherry, pistachio, and chocolate ice cream, mixed with candied fruit and pistachios garnished with home made whipped cream, silvered almonds and a maraschino cherry”

Lemon Pudding

Tiramisu – “A classic Italian dessert with rum and espresso soaked lady fingers layered with sweet mascarpone cheese, cocoa then topped with rum sauce.”

Chocolate Cake – “Four layers of decadent moist chocolate cake filled with chocolate cream and a bittersweet chocolate ganache icing.”

Just a super party!!

Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer!

22 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Antipasto, Appetizers, Buy Idaho, Chardonnay, Comfort Food, Dinner With Robin, Hat Ranch Winery, Idaho Trout, Idaho Wine, Interesting Information, Local Harvests, Locavore, Main Dish, Marsing, Merlot, Orchard House, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Snake River AVA, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, Syrah, The Orchard House, Things To Do, Trout, Weston On The Lake Winery, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Idaho

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chardonnay, Hat Ranch Winery, Idaho wines, merlot, syrah, The Orchard House, Weston Winery

Clear blue skies! Light, cooling breezes! 88 degree temperatures. Only thing missing is a tempting ocean breeze. We spent the day both at Hat Ranch Winery off of Plum Road in Marsing (their postal address is in Caldwell) and the Snake River AVA and then to a wonderful dinner at The Orchard House. Hat Ranch was releasing their Tempranillo, which is very good. The Orchard House has good meatloaf.
Hat Ranch Winery bought Vale Wine Co., as some of you might already know. Some of the Vale wines were there for us to try also. Their Chardonnay is really a good one and will pare well with foods that need a citru match. Not an oaky chardonnay. The appetizers that they had to accompany the wines, see the photo of the menu board below, were a perfect match. Enjoy these photos and if you are in the area, stop in at both Hat Ranch Winery and The Orchard House. You won’t be disappointed. Cheers!

Hat Ranch Winery, Tempranillo release party, menu board.

A very good Redpepper Humus. Not overly spiced.

A very good Redpepper Hummus. Not overly spiced.

Good selections on the Antipasto Platter.

Some of the wines we tried. We also tried a Hat Ranch Merlot and Syrah.

Some of the wines we tried. The Tempranillo will pair with most foods, especially Italian or Spanish.

The Vale Wine Co., Chardonnay.

And then, we went to The Orchard House for dinner. Goodbye diet for today! We always enjoy the meals here. If I were to choose which meal I would constantly get here, it would definitely be the breakfast. It is just so satisfying. But today, we had a good Meatloaf dinner and an Idaho Trout dinner. This is one place that you can get a good meatloaf away from your own kitchen. The Orchard House is located at 14949 Sunnyslope Road, Caldwell (just outside of Marsing) in the Snake River AVA.

We had to check this bottle of wine out. It really is named for the Weiser Old Tyme Fiddlers Festival, which is just over for the year.

This is the back of the bottle. Good information. Left-Click this or any of these photos to see them enlarged.

Robin had this good Idaho Trout dinner.

I had their Meatloaf Dinner. Just a good ol’ down home dinner. We did buy a bottle of Shane Weston’s 2009 Weston On The Lake Pinot Gris. Such a great day today. Super great tour of the area, of sorts, with Robin.