A Night In Shangri-La

02 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Avocado, Beer and Food, Blueberries, East Indian Food, Ethnic Foods, Housemade Soup, Locavore, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Salads, Shangri-La Tea Room, Tea, Things To Do, Vegetarian Foods, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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Cecilia Rinn Starbelly Dancers, Shangri-La, tea, vegan, vegetarian

The Shangri-La Tea Room and Cafe, that is! Good music with the Fleet Street Klezmer Band and Dancing by the Cecilia Rinn Starbelly Dancers. And then, there is always the awesomely different food served up. Vegetarian at that. But delicious. Easily a 4-Star, if not higher, out of 5-Stars restaurant. Don’t wrinkle up your nose at the thought of a vegan dinner. This is really superior. We’ll be back! Enjoy these photos of the evening and Left-Click any of them to see enlarged. Cheers!

They do have other things besides tea. Yes, they have a fairly good selection of beer and wine.

But with close to 100 different teas to select from, you should find one you like.

And some of the teas you can steep right at your table. This is a Tea Flower.

A wonderful Coconut Soup to star thing off with. And housemade, as is most of their food, salad, sandwich, soup and dessert selections.

A wonderful Coconut Soup to start things off. And housemade, as is most of their salad, sandwich, soup and dessert selections.

How about this Mock Tuna sandwich? This is absolutely delicious and one reason I keep going back.

Or this Mock Tuna and Crackers appetizer.

Or maybe you would like this Veggie Burger made with goat cheese, mango and peach salsa, spring greens, walnuts and portobello mushrooms. This is almost better than the Mock Tuna.

How about the Veggie Burger Salad?

Then for4 dessert a delicious Blueberry Lemon Muffin Cookie.

Then for dessert a delicious Blueberry Lemon Muffin Cookie.

This Power Pudding is to die for!! It’s like eating a chocolate mousse mixed with nice, creamy butter.

After eating all of these goodies, one must have entertainment.

Body art on one of the dancers!

Fleetstreet Klezmer Band. Victoria Kostenko on tyhe violin. Schlomo Kostenko vocals and bass fiddle and Mathew Voorhees on the accordion.

Fleet Street Klezmer Band. Victoria Kostenko on the violin. Shlomo Kostenko vocals and bass fiddle and Mathew Voorhees on the accordion.

The Cecilia Rinn Starbelly Dancer performed.

The Cecilia Rinn Starbelly Dancers performed.

Some the excellent dancers.

Even the guys get to dance!!!

Sushi Joy in Boise Tonight – Wow!

24 Saturday May 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Android Photos, Appetizers, Asian - Sushi Joy, Asian Food, Avocado, Blue Crab, Chicken, Cooking Styles, Crab, Dinner With Robin, Idaho Chefs, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Salad, Seafood, Sushi Joy, What's For Dinner?

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avocado with she crab, salad, sashimi, soft shelled crab, Sushi Joy

Tonight we took a break from our kitchen and went tro our favorite Japanese/Chinese/American restaurant – Sushi Joy! And once again, it was 5-Stars out of 5-Stars! Super good. Super delightful. And here Tiger, one of the owners, is doing a super job in making some sashimi and it is fantastic! He does a great job.

Robin is at Sushi Joy awaiting here order. It's all made to order.

Robin is at Sushi Joy awaiting her order. It’s all made to order.

Robin had this Avocado – She Crab Salad.

I still love the house salad. So simple, yet so delicious. Especially their House Dressing.

For an appetizer, I had this delicious Shof Shelled Crab. The batter was so very light and the crab so delightfully mild and delicious.

For an appetizer, I had this delicious Soft Shelled Crab. The batter was so very light and the crab so delightfully mild and delicious. This dish was truly Goût de la mer – Taste of the sea!

My entree was Mango Chicken which was also great. But I think I am going back to the sashimi plates.

And Robin had the Lemon Chicken. This was big enough for two, even maybe three. Deliciously different.

Delightful Visit at Sizzler In Boise

08 Thursday May 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Avocado, Beer and Food, Brocolli, Cuts of Beef, Dinner With Robin, Lobster, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Salads, Seafood, Shell Fish, Sizzler, What's For Dinner?

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lobster, salad bar, sizzler, steak

I know. It’s a chain. But let me tell you, this was a surprisingly good visit. The Service People were tremendous. Happy. Pleasant. They appear to like to work here. The service was tremendous. I met the Manager and he was very pleasant and a pleasure to talk to. And the food was very good. But what really impressed me was the salad bar. Huge variety of objects to put on your salad. Even 1/2 avocados. And fruit. They even have a taco bar. And a dessert bar. An again, it was all really good food. We had the Steak and Lobster. The steak was well prepared and delicious. It was by no means as tender as that we have had at Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa, but the flavor was every bit as good! Think about that. The lobster was a little small, but again was cooked well. Not rubbery. I cut it with my fork. Just look at these photos. And here is a link to their Web Site. Enjoy. We did and we will return. For a chain restaurant, it is well worth 4-Stars out of 5-Stars.

Crab Salad

Salad Bar Choices

How many salad bars have avocados? Or Kiwi? And a good selection of fresh fruit?

At least 3 types of lettuce for your salad. And great toppings, too. I’d go back just for the salad bar! It’s that good.

Salad bar toppings.

Our Steak and Lobster dinners. Wonderful mushrooms and onions. And broccoli. You make the choices for steak toppings, rareness of the steak and vegetable selections. Robin had a baked potato with all the fixins’.

Scrumptious Dinner At “Fresh Off the Hook”

19 Saturday Apr 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Buy Idaho, Cod, Comfort Food, Fresh Off the Hook, Green Beans, Halibut, Locavore, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Salmon, Scallops, Seafood, Shrimp, Things To Do, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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bay scallops, cod, Fresh Off the Hook, salmon, seafood

Once agai, we went to Fresh Off the Hook in Boise and were treated to another awesome dinner. It is, without a doubt, the Best In Boise for seafood. Yes. A 5-Star seafood restaurant. Their Menu is full of surprises and delicious. I want to try one of everything. For instance, their fried foods are more like the tempura at Sushi Joy, it is light and not grease soaked. The fried foods taste like they are supposed to. Shrimp taste like shrimp. Cod tastes like cod. Not over powered with batter. It is good! In short, if you are in Boise, you must try to go to Fresh Off the Hook. Cheers and enjoy these photos.

Sauvignon Blanc (Chile) on the left and a Kendal Jackson Chardonnay on the right. Look at the color difference.

Sauvignon Blanc (Chile) on the left and a Kendall-Jackson (CA) Chardonnay on the right. Look at the color difference.

Robin is enjoying herself.

Green Beans Fries
A great appetizer!

Shrimp Tomato Bisque

Clam Chowder
There’s actually clams in here!

Seafood Fettuccini
Tiger shrimp, bay scallops, bay shrimp, zucchini, mushrooms, scallions and diced tomatoes sautéed in white wine and garlic butter smothered in our creamy Parmesan-garlic sauce tossed with fettuccine noodles. Topped with Parmesan, tomatoes and scallions, and served with warm sourdough bread 14.99

Captain Alex’s Seafood Platter
A medley of cod, salmon, halibut, mahi mahi, Jumbo shrimp, calamari and clams battered and deep fried to perfection. Served with chef’s choice sautéed vegetables and wild rice 18.99

Fishing boat

Sailing rig. These are ship models that are placed around the restaurant.

Cloud 9 Nano Brewery, Boise

18 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beer and Ale, Beer and Food, Beer Tasting, Bistro, Burger and Brew, Cloud 9 nano Brewery, Comfort Food, Dessert, Gaston's Bakery, Hamburger, Idaho Breweries, Idaho Wine, Local Markets, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Salads, Sandwiches, Side Dishes, Sliders, Special Beers, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Lunch?

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Albertsons Shopping Center, Classic Burger, cloud 9 nano brewery, Gaston Bakery, nano brewery

The Cloud 9 nano brewery opend on March 17th in the Albertsons Shopping Center at 18th and State Streets, 1750 W. State St. It was a full house! In the following quote from their website – link above – we see that they are trying very hard to use locally produced products, both in their beer production and their food preparation. I know their hamburger rolls come from Gaston Bakery here in Boise.

We are Boise’s first nanobrewery, and the only certified organic brewery in the state, producing only four barrels per hand-crafted batch. We are focused on sustainable, local, and organic beers and our brewery also houses an amazing restaurant with a similar focus.
By keeping batches to only four barrels in size, we are able to vary our beers to match seasonal ingredients and provide a wealth of variety for craft beer lovers.
Expected Hours:
Monday – Closed
Tuesday – 11:00am to 10:00pm
Wednesday – 11:00am to 10:00pm
Thursday – 11:00am to 10:00pm
Friday – 10:00am to Midnight
Saturday – 10:00am to Midnight
Sunday – 10:00am to 9:00pm
Happy Hour from 4-6 with $1 off pints and a limited Happy Hour Menu is coming soon.

Their seasonal menu includes such items as Classic Burger – $9.50 and photo below, Chicken Pesto – $9.50, Roasted Veggie – $9.50, Shepard’s Pie – $10.50, Vegetarian Shepard’s Pie – $10.50, Corned Beef and Cabbage – $10.50 and Corned Beets and Cabbage – $8.50. I had the burger and it was very good. They use Gaston Bakery buns and 3/1 burgers (3 burgers to the pound).They also serve a wide variety of appetizers ranging from $5.00 – $7.00. Some of the folks there were getting their salads and they looked good. $2.50 – $8.95. They serve beer, of course, and their own made root beer which I had earlier and it was very good.
Good to see that they serve Idaho wines, Indian Creek Winery and 3 Horse Ranch Winery. Seating is limited, about 35 seats at tables and at the bar. They hope to have outside seating when the weather changes. Enjoy these photos and hope to see you there!

The bar area and menus.

The menus and an empty Irish Dark Lager – good lager!

Irish Dark Lager

The beer menu. They do have samples and from what I saw, three different sizes of servings. Great idea.

Classic Burger. Very good! I think I would rate this a 4-Star pub. Remember the size. It is small and not near the size of 10 Barrel Pub downtown or Kilted Dragon or Sockeye. The beer is good. The food is delightful and the service is good. Don’t be in a rush. They are just getting started and give them time. Enjoy!!

Boise Foodie Meet-Up Group Meets

16 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise Adventures, Brunch, Chicken, Ethnic Foods, Friends, Indian Food, Main Dish, Nepalese Food, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Special Events, Tibetan Food, Vegetables, Whats For Lunch?

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Boise Foodie Meet-Up Group, curry, India, indian food, Mount Everest Momo Cafe, nepalese food, tibetan food

Six of the Boise Foodie Meet-Up Group met at the Mount Everest Momo Cafe today for lunch. They specialize in Indian-Nepalese-Tibetan foods. And I was pleasantly surprised. This was really an interesting lunch. I spent a year in India, so when I enter a restaurant specializing in Indian, or even Nepalese, food, I want the spices of India to be present. As we walked into the restaurant, I did get that “smell of the Indian spice”. I know then that the entrees are not canned – they are made on location. It was nice that the owner, Rajesh Shrestha, took the time to talk about the cuisine and the dishes that they serve.
The hot link above will take you to their website and a complete menu with descriptions of the entrees and prices. The serving sizes were completely satisfying – Just the right size. Out of 5-Stars, I rate the Mount Everest Momo Cafe 4-Stars. Pictured below, are some of the dishes we had. Left-Click any of these photos to see enlarged. Enjoy! We did.

The menu cover.

Curry Soup

Chicken Momo
Mint Sauce
Curry Sauce

Basmati Rice Naan (Bread) Spinach and Cheese Vegetables Chicken Curry Potato and Cauliflower

Basmati Rice
Naan (Bread)
Spinach and Cheese (Sag Panir)
Chicken Curry
Potato and Cauliflower (Alu Kaoli)

I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. The spices were perfect and everything was done to perfection. I do like the Naan. Light. Fluffy. Yet somewhat chewy. Here is a direct link to the Mount Everest Momo Cafe Dinner Menu with more definitive descriptions of the entrees. They also have a menu for their Lunch Specials ($6.95 per plate Monday – Saturday, 11 – 2:30) and it is printed below. However, it is not on their website.

Lunch Specials Menu

Lunch At Mazzah

11 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Boise, Boise Adventures, Chicken, Comfort Food, Cooking Styles, Lamb, Mazzah - Mediterranean Grill, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Lunch?

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Mazzah, Mediterranean Grill

And it was a good lunch! Huge servings. Robin and I should have shared a plate. I ate too much and she brought half of her’s home. Very, very good. Great flavors. Here is a link to Mazzah – Mediterranean Grill. They are located at 1772 W State Street in Boise. (208) 333-2566. They also have a grill at 404 E Park Center Blvd., Suite 250. (208) 333-2563. My only problem is that the service was a little slow. The Chicken Kabobs that I ordered were fresh made, but it took almost 20 minutes. We were there at the lunch hour, so that may have been part of the problem. The restaurant is small. Still good food, though. Just be prepared to wait. Here are some photos from today. Enjoy!

Robin, Janine and Gina enjoying the experience.

One of the mixed chicken kabob platters.

Alejandra’s Mexican Restaurant in Marsing, ID

07 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Alejandra's Mexican Restaurant, Beans, Beef, Breakfast, Chilies Rellenos, Ethnic Foods, ID, Machaca, Mexican Food, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, What's For Dinner?

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All Seasons Fun, ID, Marsing, Mexican food, Mexican Restaurant

We took a short trip for a couple of hours, to Marsing, ID to get “The Beast” (the motorhome) winterized. Camping World, which is a lot closer gave me an estimate of $175 and 2 to 3 days. We took it to All Seasons Fun. We have gotten parts from them this past summer and are very happy with the service and the staff. We highly recommend them if you need motorhome or 5th Wheel help and/or parts. They charged $68 and it took them about an hour. (We will take The Beast back in the spring and have them turn the system back on and check for leaks.
OK. So what does this have to do with Alejandra’s Mexican Restaurant? The restaurant is right across the street from All Seasons Fun and we have eaten at Alejandra’s in Wilder and enjoyed it very much. This one was also good and we recommend the restaurant if you are in Marsing. Just good Mexican food. Nothing fancy. Just good! Here are some photos I took. Enjoy!

Alejandra’s Mexican Restaurant dining room in Marsing, ID

Wonderful Sunny Slope fresh peaches.

Robin had the Chilies Rellenos

I had Machaca, almost a hash from beef, tomatoes, celery, peppers, eggs and cheese. I liked it, but I wonder what it would be like with pork?

Koenig Vineyards and Cottonwood Grille

11 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Cottonwood Grille, Koenig Vineyards, Main Dish, Merlot, Mushrooms, Photos By: Bob Young, Pork, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Salads, Salmon, Special Dinners, Syrah, Viognier, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners

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apple brandy, cottonwood grille, puff pastry, wild mushrooms

On Monday, June 10, we attended a wine dinner at the Cottonwood Grille featuring the wines of Idaho’s Koenig Vineyards. Chef Jesus did a good job with the paring of the food with the wines. My only comment about the food is it tended to be salty. Maybe I am becoming very aware of the salt amounts in cooking. Nonetheless, some of the entrees were salty. The dinner was well attended and it was interesting to talk to the people at our table. The photo to the left is the menu along with a glass of 2011 Koenig VineyardsMerlot. Below are some other photos from the evening. Do enjoy the presentations and please VOTE. Left-Click any photo to see enlarged. Thanks!

Chef Jesus of the Cottonwood Grille, Boise

Winemaker Greg Koenig and his wife Kristen.

Wild Mushrooms in Puff Pastry 2012 Koenig Vineyards Rose

Wild Mushrooms in Puff Pastry
2011 Koenig Vineyards Merlot
This dish was very good, but salty. The merlot probably would have been better with the sauce had the entree not been so salty.

Fresh Mixed Greens with Figs and Berries
2012 Koenig Vineyards Rose
A good and refreshing salad. Well paired with the wine.

Fresh Sockeye Salmon with a Lemon Beurre Blanc
2011 Koenig Vineyards Viognier
One of the better wines of the night. Went extremely well with the salmon. One of Idaho’s favorite wines.

Pork Tenderloin with Apple Brandy Cream Sauce
2010 Koenig Vineyards Syrah
The Syrah was a good paring – or would have been. This entree was way to salty and both Robin and I could not finish the dish because of the extreme saltiness. Too bad.

Peach Cobbler 2011 Riesling Ice Wine

Sorry to have to pan this dinner, but we have had much better dinners at the Cottonwood Grille. This just did not measure up to their standards because of the over use of salt in the dishes. A little salt will enhance the dish and should not overpower it. If I did not know better and know the quality of their dinners, I would not return. And that’s too bad, because the wines were overall very good.

10 Barrel Brewery, Boise First Visit

24 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in 10 Barrel Brewing, Acme Bakery, Beer and Ale, Beer and Food, Caesar Salad, Celebrations, Comfort Food, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Special Beers, Special Events, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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10 Barrel Brewery, brew pubs, food, IPA, restaurants, siberian kale

Finally. After all this waiting, 10 Barrel Brewery in Boise opened! The photo here is of the front of the pub on Bannock Street at 9th, across from the Chinese restaurant, Yen Ching.
The restaurant space inside iss large and open. The noise level is tolerable. It is busy noise, not loud music or TV. That will work for us. And when the weather changes, they will probably open some very large doors and have an area where one can site on the sidewalk, but be served inside. Left-Click the photo on the left to enlarge and look at the right side of the photo. You will be able to see the stools.
And yes, they serve Apocalypse IPA. In my not so humble opinion (IMNSHO) one of the best, if not The Best, Ipa’s made. We had a Caesar Salad and a 10 Barrel Burger and the IPA went very well with both. Good beer, like good wine, is meant to be consumed with food. It might be made with barley and other grains, but it still needs food. It is nice to report too, that they try their best to use local products, i.e., the Acme Bakery for their buns and rolls. Enjoy the photos posted here that I took on our First Visit. There will be a Second Visit and probably more. Hope to see you there. Well worth the trip. The food is good and the beer is …………. well ………. Super! Cheers and Enjoy!

Inside the brewery in a portion of the dining area. The chairs are very heavy, so be careful moving them.

The “Brewing Center”.

“Reflections”

Caesar Salad
romaine, Siberian kale, cherry tomato, shaved Parmesean cheese, croutons $6.00

10 Barrel Burger
custom ground beef patty, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickle, mayo, bacon. Served on Beer Bun by Acme Bakery, Boise $11.00
A really super burger and a great bun. The French Fries, though, were a little salty and came close to over powering the burger. I let the Wait Staff know. The beer in the background is an Apocalypse IPA $4.50

Overall, a good experience. Out of 5 Stars, probably one of the better pubs in Boise so I rate it a 4 Star pub. Great job, 10 Barrel! They have a complete menu of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pizza and sweets. Stop in and say Hello for us and let them know you saw this article here. Thanks and please VOTE above. Cheers.