Lunch At The “Bleubird”

22 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bleubird, Comfort Food, Local Markets, Locavore, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Sandwiches, Soup, Special Information, Things To Do, Tupelo Honey, What's For Dinner?

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food, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, restaurants, tomato basil

We were lucky enough to be in downtown Boise around lunchtime and stopped in for the first time at Bleubird at 10th and Bannock. We met our Grandson Chris there for lunch. They make some fantastic sandwiches. They look good and they taste good. The soup that we had, Tomato Basil was every bit as good at Berryhill and Co. (That statement will open some eyes and make your heart skip a beat!)And of all things, they use Tupelo Honey on some of their sandwiches, like their Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich. The photo to the left is actually their menu on the wall.

Grilled Cheese with Caramelized Onion and Fig Jam
Tomato Basil Soup
IPA

Hopefully, you get the idea. Look at the stemware. Nothing better than an IPA from an old fruit jar! It gets busy at noon, so plan to wait for a while. Get there a little early, 11am or so, and you should be fine. Well worth the wait, though. The food was very good and taste was excellent. They have house made drinks and teas, superb local beers and some wines are available. Enjoy! And let them know you saw this review. Cheers!

Westside Drive-In Opens Additional Location

16 Thursday Feb 2012

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Sandwiches, Special Events, Special Information, Westside Drive-In, What's For Dinner?

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Yes. It is true! Chef Lou has opened a second location for the Westside Drive-In. And it is definitely a 5-Star location, just as the original location is. The new drive-in is located at 1113 Parkcenter Blvd, Boise (208) 424-0000 whereas the original drive-in is located at 1939 W State street, Boise (208) 342-2957. Chef Lou still has the same website at Chef Lou. The food is delicious and one can tell that his staff takes great care in producing a good product. Will we be back? Probably.

Here is page one of the Westside Drive-In Menu. Left-Click to see a larger view.

Here is Page Two of the menu.

Page 3

Page 4.
Look at the daily specials. Are you a Senior Citizen – or as my Mom said, “A Seasoned Citizen” – then you get a 10% discount every day! Want a recommendation? Don’t miss the Prime Rib! It is awesome.

Hard to pass this photo up! It says it all.

The interior. The Parkcenter location has indoor seating, something the State Street location does not have, although State Street has a heated outdoor dining area. Look at the smile on the young lady at the cash register. Everyone was smiling. So pleasant to see that!

I had the Fried Egg Burger and Fries and Robin had the BLT. Loved the mustard, or “special” sauce on mine, that had a hint of turmeric. It was delish!

Robin and I waited for you, but food this good just will not last long. There is a little lettuce left and some fry sauce (an Idaho thing). Maybe next time. Cheers!

Pre-Game Feast

07 Monday Nov 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Main Dish, Mexican Food, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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On Saturday before the BSU game where they won 48-21 over UNLV, we went to a Pre-Game happy hour meal with Marnie and Mac to The Matador (For the Home Page) or Boise Restaurant, a Mexican restaurant chain out of Seattle. The photo on the left is the bar area in the restaurant. The restaurant space utilizes dark wood tables and booths. We sat nearest the windows that open out to a moderately sized patio. Large servings, almost too large [leftovers are another meal or two] and a great dessert. Enjoy these photos of what we had.

Braised Pork Carnitas
Slow cooked Natural pork shoulder with orange, allspice, cinnamon and bay leaves. Served the traditional way with Black Beans, Rice, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Sour Cream and Corn Tortillas. ($13.95)

Chocolate Cake
Almost flourless, rich and moist. House made with Madagascar vanilla, ice cream and pineapple rum caramel. ($6.00)

So there you have it – No bull fights. Sorry, but I did not taste the allspice, the cinnamon or the orange in the carnitas. Let us know what you think. Cheers and thanks Marnie and Mac for introducing us to the restaurant! I rate this 3 out of 5. We will return.

Sofia’s Greek Bistro, Boise

23 Sunday Oct 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Interesting Information, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Sofia's Greek Bistro, What's For Dinner?

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Robin and I both grew up with the Greek culture, albeit, somewhat small. But the food …. We always did like the food. We were so happy to hear of the opening of Boise’s newest Greek restaurant, Sofia’s Greek Bistro in the Plantation Shopping Center at State and Glenwood Streets. Really good Greek food! Out of 5, we’ll rate this a 4. A solid 4! The serving sizes are quite large; the service very good and the ambiance interesting. Probably my only “bad” comment was that I think the food was salty. The olives and the fete cheese in the salad made that salty, but even more, was the fish dish. That was very salty. Besides that, the taste was excellent. Here are some photos of our experience. Enjoy!

The ambiance is simple, but interesting. I do like the paintings. There is room for about 30 people with an area that could be used for expansion. Very Greek music in the background. The owner and all of her staff were extremely friendly.

Vin De Crete
A dry red wine that went very well with the dinner.

Greek Salad with Greek Beer
ripe olives, fete cheese, onion, lettuce, tomato, olive oil dressing, Greek herbs

Gyro Plate
lamb, French fries, feta cheese, pita bread, dressings, Greek olives

Sunday Special: Plaki
market fresh fish baked in a thick tomato and onion sauce with Greek seasonings, rice

If you get the chance, and I urge to to do so, try this new Boise business. I think you will be surprised at how good it is. If you like the Greek Festival every June on Bannock Street in Boise, you will definitely like this. And when you visit Sofia’s Greek Bistro, tell them that you saw this review. Cheers and let us know what you think. And remember: Opa!

Shangri-La Tea Room and Cafe

22 Friday Jul 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Main Dish, Meatless Monday, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Shangri-La Tea Room, What's For Dinner?

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To be honest, a vegetarian restaurant or cafe or bistro just isn’t my first choice. But, the Shangri-La Tea Room and Cafe is awesome! The ambiance of the cafe with its low, but colorful lighting and decor, is great. And then, the entertainment that we heard, the Fleet Street Klezmer Band played some really different, but interesting music.

And when you pull into the parking lot, you are greeted by this, and some other, art work. What a tree! This is a really fun place to go and eat. I have placed a link on a more detailed review below. Go to Shangri-La and enjoy the treats!

Fleet Street Klezmer Band. A mix of Romanian, Gypsy, Jewish and Mediterranean music. A good band!

An open invitation for everyone to dance!

Belly Dancer. Great entertainment.

Drummer

Gypsy violin. Awesome music and smile!

And then, along with all of this great entertainment, there is Mediterranean food. I am by no means a vegetarian, but this meal really was good. It hit the spot. You can find a review of the food at Shangri-La Tea Room and Cafe by clicking the link. I rated the Shangri-La a 3-Star, but I may have to change that when we return. Here are some photos I took of the food. Enjoy! We did!

Mango and Ceylon Tea and Granger IPA

Cold Coconut Cream Soup
cucumber, carrot, cayenne, mushroom, avocado, cilantro

Wild Mushroom Miso
porcini, Chilean boltet, black trumpet, golden oyster, eryngii, reishi, straw, portobello, shitake mushrooms
onion in a miso-garlic broth

Baba Ganouj and Pita
eggplant, spices

Available teas.

Veggie Burger
whole grain bun, mango peach salsa, spring green and tomato
(I had a Tofu Burger in Berkley at the West Brae Deli that was simply awesome. This veggie burger was at least as good. I will go back just for this burger!)

Chocolate Overload Torte and Homemade Green Tea Ice Cream
Rich and decadent. A chocolate lovers dream come true.
WOW!

Pecan Tea Cake
Awesome!

You really do have to go and try this food. It is that good. Cheers and Enjoy!!

Sushi Joy – Chinese and Japanese Cuisine, Boise

15 Friday Apr 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Chinese Food, Japanese Food, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Sushi Joy, What's For Dinner?

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We are always so extremely happy to write about new restaurants in Boise that are outstanding. We have found one! Sushi Joy – Chinese and Japanese Cuisine, 2275 W Main Street, Boise. (208) 433-8888. Every bit of a 5-Star rating and it is so well deserved. Everything that Robin and I had was outstanding! You can find a complete review at Sushi Joy Review which is located on our Restaurant Review page on our web page. We really encourage you to go and to take some friends with you. The Japanese food is scrumptious. In all fairness, we have not tried their Chinese food but will do so on our return visit. We had some really great sake with our dinners. The only drawback was that our green tea came in a ceramic cup with no handles. The cup was too hot to pick up and we had to ask for a little ice to cool it down. Please do visit them. Cheers! Just look at these photos.

Tiger prepares a Sashimi dish.

Sake
We had this Ozeki Sake Dry which is very dry and delicious. We also had a more traditional sake Ozeki Classic Junmai which also hit the spot. Both went very well with our meals.

Green Tea

(SU) Green Salad
Ozeki Classic Junmai Sake
I’d go back just for the salad. They make their own awesome dressing.

(A11) Soft Shelled Crab
soft shelled crab deep fried tempura flour, ponzo sauce for dipping
It has been so long since I have had Soft Shelled Crab. What a delight!! This is delicious.

(SA2) Sashimi Morawase Deluxe
the Chef’s choice of 18 pieces
This was an awesome dish. The diakon radish and mint leaves really added to it. The white fish is a white tuna. Delicious!

Cooked Sushi Combination
Kanikama unagi, shrimp, crab sticks
Another awesome dish!

Banana Boat Ice Cream
green tea ice cream, lichee ice cream, tempura fried banana

So there you go. A great meal. Let me add that although some of you may object to tempura fried anything, this tempura is light and not greasy. It does not lay in your stomach like a brick! It’s all in knowing how to prepare it. Try Sushi Joy …. I think you will be pleased. Total bill for the two of us – $64.70 plus tip. Plenty of food for the two of us and we shared the platters.

"Salt Tears" Re-Visited

12 Saturday Mar 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Salt Tears, Special Information, What's For Dinner?

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Back on January 17, 2011, we visited Salt Tears on their opening day. As I stated in that Blog Post, we would return to do a re-take on our experience. At that time, we rated Salt Tears a 4-Star restaurant.

Robin and I did return on March 11 and the earlier rating, in our opinion, was correct and we will keep it a 4-Star restaurant.
I had their House Roasted Turkey Salad Sandwich with Cilantro, Pumpkin Seeds and a Honey and Lime Vinaigrette. It was wonderful! I also had their Potato Salad. Differently good. Robin had Sweet Onion and Bacon Pierogis with Sour Cream. This too was good. We each had a cup of their Carrot and Roasted Cumin Soup. It was very tasty. We urge you to look at Their Website – their card in the sidebar is also hot linked – to look at their menus and to try their fare. They also have a wonderful breakfast. They are working on a liquor license, so that will come in time. There is a wide selection of other beverages available now.
And it this time, I will say that it was good to see the restaurant full! We were there at 1:30pm and there were just a few seats available. We asked about this crowd and they told us that the noontime hours are usually full. The breakfast hours are the next most attended and the evening mealtime the least attended. They have Wifi, so you can take your laptop. Go to Salt Tears and enjoy yourselves and have some light refreshment or a full meal. Support our local businesses. We will definitely return. Cheers!

Opening Day at "Salt Tears" In Boise!

17 Monday Jan 2011

Posted by Bob and Robin in Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Salt Tears, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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Today was the Opening Day at Salt Tears in the Collister Strip Mall on State Street in Boise! It was great to see Andrea and Mitchell Maricich, although I didn’t see Mitchell there today, back in the restaurant business. And to rate this on opening day is a challenge. But our rating of 4-Stars out of 5 is well worth it. Yes, there are some bugs to fix, but that will be done. And as their advertising says, “… Salt Tears Coffeehouse and Noshery is about community, creativity, quality and comfort. Our cuisine will have a strong focus on straightforward, perfect offerings made by hand with love. Were going back to the basic dining, delicious food, featuring seasonal ingredients using local, natural and organic products whenever possible…” This was definitely achieved. The food was great. The prices were right in line and not over the top. Below are some photos that I took.It shows the openness of the seating, the bright colors and the bistro type ambiance. And Andrea told me that she will send me a schedule of events so that I can post them here. The events will be the same each day of the week, but with different musicians and specials. Look also in the future for wine tastings. Idaho’s own Angie Riff will be doing their in house wine selections. (Left-Click on any photo to get a larger view. The menus are printable.)

An overview of the kitchen area at Salt Tears.

The openness of the restaurant is obvious.

Order at the front desk as you enter. There are daily specials along with their unique menu items.

The general menu. Pricing is good.

The breakfast menu. From what I understand, breakfast is served all day.

12 oz coffee that is delicious!

Roasted Pork Shoulder Sandwich ($6.00)
roasted red onion, Kalamata olives, Dijon cream and greens

Poached Eggs Crostini ($5.00)
wilted spinach, bacon and Parmesan

Breakfast Pizzetta of the Day ($5.00)
scrambled eggs and tomatoes on puff pastry

So as you can see, dining here is an adventure … a good adventure. And look at the pricing of the entrees we had. We wish Andrea and Mitchell the best in their endeavor with Salt Tears. We will be back. (I owe Andrea some Sauerkraut!)

Happy Fish Sushi, Boise

03 Friday Dec 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Happy Fish Sushi, Main Dish, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Seafood, What's For Dinner?

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So the snow is melting – quickly. It is raining – steady. And in between making a Challah and a Boise Sourdough Bread, Robin says, “Are you ready to eat sushi?” “Only if we leave now. The bread has an hour and a half for the first rise. The sourdough is getting happy,” I said. Now that’s the fastest I think she has gotten ready to leave to eat. We were out of the house in 10 minutes and on our way to Happy Fish Sushi in downtown Boise and it was well worth the slushy, wet, drizzly drive. Check the link for their menu and other information. And by all means, visit them – several times! But in the meantime, check out what we had below. It was delicious!

From their webpage,
“Sushi Dishes – From the Finest Fish Markets
At Happy Fish Sushi we take equal pride in our sushi offerings, putting forth a great deal of effort and energy to secure our ingredients from the finest fish markets on the west coast. Whether you are an old pro at the sushi game or you still have trouble with the chopsticks, our menu is chock full of sushi dishes to appeal to everyone.

Sushi and Martinis – Downtown Boise
And finally, we have paid serious heed to the old business adage, “location, location, location” by setting up shop in Downtown Boise’s Entertainment District BoDo. Situated just a short walk from downtown theatres, museums, Boise concert venues, and the Funny Bone Comedy Club, Happy Fish Sushi is the perfect place to meet and centrally located to all the great things there are to do in Boise.”

Lights over the serving bar.

Seared Scallops
seasoned scallops served with wasabi aioli and ginger soy aioli – $10.95

Watoosie
tempura fried portabello, avocado and green onion served with a sweet and spicy sauce, futto style – $9.00

unagi maki
unagi and avocado, topped with a sweet teriyaki sauce – $4.75

Obama Maki
king crab, tuna, daikon sprouts, asparagus and tobiko, futto style – $11.50

Obama Maki

Green Tea Ice Cream
ice cream served with tempura crumbles and ohba leaf – $3.95

Asian Pear Flambe
asian pears flamed in brown sugar and butter, served on vanilla ice cream with tempura crumbles and ohba leaf – $5.75

The Buddha watches!

We thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and the conversations. Thanks to Cameron Gunn, one of the Sushi Chefs, for letting us know about the Happy Fish Sushi. Hope to see you there sometime.

Brunch At Bella Aquila In Eagle, ID

12 Sunday Sep 2010

Posted by Bob and Robin in Party Time, Photos, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Things To Do

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On 12 September, a beautiful fallish day here in Boise, Marnie, Mac, Chris, Robin, Carmel Crock and I all went to Bella Aquila in Eagle for brunch. Ken Harris was there playing piano. Marnie is looking for someone to play and sing at her wedding reception on September 10, 2011 – that’s 09/10/11! The waterfall to the left is one of two that are on the patio. Enjoy the view of the Boise River, the sound of the waterfalls and good company and good music.
We had a wonderful brunch and I would recommend it if you are in the area and want a good brunch. The Bella Aquila is definitely a 4-Star restaurant. Prices range from $11.00 to $15.00. You can eat inside or, as we did on this beautiful day, eat on the patio. Below are the entrees we had. All of them very good.