Good Visit to Deja Brew in Meridian, ID

24 Saturday Mar 2018

Posted by Bob and Robin in 4-Stars, Bistro, Bistro - Deja Brew, Boise Area Food Adventures, Breakfast, Breakfast With Robin, Cobb Salad, Coffee, Eggs Benedict, Hollandaise Sauce, Housemade Hollandaise Sauce, Lunch With Robin, Photos By: Bob Young, Pubs, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants To Try, Salads, Special Beers, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?, Wine and Food

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Cobb Salad, Deja Brew

We did have a good visit to Deja Brew – Laugh A Latte in Meridian on March 23, 2018 at 112 East Idaho Avenue, Meridian, ID 83642. Phone – (208) 957-6442. Hours – Mon: 6:30AM-8:00PM, Tue: 6:30AM-8:00PM, Wed: 6:30AM-8:00PM, Thu: 6:30AM-9:00PM, Fri: 6:30AM-9:00PM, Sat: 6:30AM-9:00PM, Sun: 6:30AM-3:00PM. Good ambiance with plenty of open seating. It can be a little noisy, though; They need to turn the music back somewhat. You must order your food at the counter, but they will generally bring it to your table. They do have a good Breakfast/Lunch Menu with many varieties of coffee and tea. Their Dinner/Wine/Beer Menu, with a good selection of beer and wine. We will return to this bistro in Meridian. It is definitely a 4-Star restaurant/bistro. Here are some photos. Enjoy!

Their logo on the street side windows.

Robin checking the menu. The interior is very open, but can be noisy.

Virginia Dare Pinot Noir. A really good wine that goes well with my breakfast of Eggs Benedict and Robin’s Cobb Salad. Surprising. And yes, it is made in Virginia with Russian River (CA) grapes.

Robin had a Cobb Salad.

I had Eggs Benedict. The potatoes were good. Different. Just a little salty.

2016 Treefort/Foodfort Boise

26 Saturday Mar 2016

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beef, Beer and Ale, Beer and Food, Beer Tasting, Boise Adventures, Boise Restaurants, Duck, Food, Food Photos, Idaho, Idaho Beef, Idaho Breweries, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Grains, Idaho Greens, Idaho Polenta Floriani, Idaho Polenta Roys Calais, Idaho Vegetables, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Modern Hotel, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurants, Sausage, Special Beers, What's For Dinner?

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Foodfort, Treefort, Vinvinos

Well I did go this year. The first time since the first one that was held 4 years ago in 2012. What drew me this year? Janie Burns and probably the fact that the organizers added Idaho food products, thus Foodfort!

The Treefort Music Fest is a five-day, indie rock festival which is held at numerous venues throughout downtown Boise, Idaho in late March.The 2014 festival took place March 20–23 with the featured acts Built to Spill, The Joy Formidable, and Poliça; the 2015 festival, scheduled March 25–29, featured TV On The Radio, Trampled By Turtles, and Emily Wells, and locals Built to Spill and Josh Ritter. Treefort has been called “the west’s best SXSW alternative” and “Boise’s preeminent artistic, cultural and musical happening” which has “morphed from quirky music festival to consuming community event.” It has also been characterized as having become a “nationally renowned gathering just by maintaining its personable close-knit vibe” and a “music lover’s joyous mayhem” which showcases the soul of Boise. [Wikipedia]

Here’s some of the venue – Beer, Food and Entertainment.

It was very full and busy.

All ages jumping rope!

They were very good!

See?

And these folks.

To a hand-stand!

There were many local and Idaho breweries represented. Some very good micro breweries and nano breweries.

Chef Richard – James Beard Nominee – from Vincinos.

He uses local rainbow carrots in some of his dishes.

He made, for public consumption and enjoyment, Lamb with Polenta and Tomato. It was superb!

He made, for public consumption and enjoyment, Duck with Polenta and Tomato. It was superb!

The folks from Juniper were there also.

Juniper provided Kuboto Beef with Farro. Again, all Idaho products!

The Modern Hotel supplied us with a delicious Sausage and Lentil dish.

I heard the Michael from Acme Bakeshop was working on a new bread and had samples. I did not see him. But maybe next week when the Boise Farmers Market opens for the season. Find them from 9am to 1pm at 10th and Grove in Boise.

Oktoberfest At “The Buzz”

15 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bacon, Beer and Food, Cabbage, Cakes, Celebrations, Classic Cuisines, Dinner With Friends, Ethnic Foods, German Food, Oktoberfest, Photos By: Bob Young, Photos By: Robin Young, Pork, Special Beers, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners, Wines - German

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Benedictine Abbey Weilhenstephan, Oktoberfest, Smit & Van Wyk

A good party at The Buzz last night for the October Wine Dinner – Oktoberfest! A little bit of a change in the program. There were two beers offered that were pretty good, especially the Weihenstephaner, which was a light and refreshing lager. Very drinkable. From the Smit & Van Wyk blog, “The world’s longest continuously used trademark goes to the Benedictine Abbey Weilhenstephan in Germany, which has been using the mark Weilhenstephaner to identify its beer since 1040 AD When Britain enacted its trademark registration statute in 1876, beer was first and second in line, Bass’s Red Triangle became U.K. Reg. 1 for pale ale, and its Red Diamond for strong ale became U.K. Reg. 2.” A fun night. Hope to see you7 next month on November 11 and/or 12 for “Party Foods to Prepare Ahead” along with “Holiday and Gift Wines”. Then Beaujolais Nouveau Night on November 20. Cheers!!

Brats, Pretzels, Mustard and Zwiebelkuchen
Weihenstaphaner Beer
7.7% alc. great with these appetizers. light and refreshing [19] $6.00, 16oz

“Zwiebelkuchen, which literally means onion cake in the German language, is either a one-crust pie made of steamed onions, diced bacon, cream, and caraway seeds on a yeast dough or a leavened dough that is particularly popular in the German wine-growing regions mostly of Rhenish Hesse, the Palatinate, Franconia, Baden and Swabia (a similar pie called Flammkuchen is also eaten in Alsace), or a quiche variant in Switzerland, traditionally eaten in Basel during the Carnival and in Bern for the Zibelemärit.” [Wikipedia]

Cucumber Salad
This was an awesome salad and Cristi said so very easy to make.
2015 Star Lane Sauvignon Blanc
14.2% alc. really good with this salad. [18] $22.00

Erbsensuppe mit Speck (Pea Soup with Bacon)
Il Canapone
14% alc. an OK wine that still went well with the soup. [16] $18.00

I think Cristi used ground pork. Speck is, “Speck Alto Adige PGI (German: Südtiroler Speck) is a dry-cured, lightly smoked ham (prosciutto in Italian), produced in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Parts of its production are regulated by the European Union under the protected geographical indication (PGI) status, also known as Tyrolean Speck.”

Pork and Apples with turnip and potato gratin and red cabbage 2011 Il Canapone 14% alc an OK wine that went pretty good with the pork [16] $18.00

Pork and Apples
with
turnip and potato gratin and red cabbage
Rye Bread
2011 Il Canapone
14% alc an OK wine that went pretty good with the pork [16] $18.00

German Chocolate Cake 2013 Monga Zin Carol Shelton [17] $21.00 good paring with the chocolate

German Chocolate Cake
2013 Monga Zin Carol Shelton
14.9% alc.good paring with the chocolate [17] $21.00

An interesting comment from Cristi about Oktoberfest mugs (steins) and attendance at the event. "Consumption about 5 million, 1-liter mugs [of beer] filled. Mugs are to be returned; Fine for stealing one is $60 US; security usually catches 150,000 each year, but the Hofbrau tent alone looses about 35,000 a year...6.3 million guests attended the 2014 Oktoberfest. 112 oxen, 48 calves and 6.4 million liters of beer were consumed. Tent security stopped 112,000 people from taking their mug home with them."

An interesting comment from Cristi about Oktoberfest mugs (steins) “Consumption about 5 million, 1-liter mugs [of beer] filled. Mugs are to be returned; Fine for stealing one is $60 US; security usually catches 150,000 each year, but the Hofbrau tent alone looses about 35,000 a year. ..6.3 million guests attended the 2014 Oktoberfest. 112 oxen, 48 calves and 6.4 million liters of beer were consumed. Tent security stopped 112,000 people from taking their mug home with them.” No, this is not one of “those” mugs!

The “Buzz” Remodel and Italian Wine Night

09 Wednesday Jul 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Dinner With Friends, Herbs and Spices, Italian foods, Party Time, Pasta, Photos By: Bob Young, Remodel, Special Beers, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners, Wines - Italian

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Buzz remodel, growler, Italian food

Yes! Yea! Hallelujah! (Cristi looks like she is ready for the completion!) The remodel at The Buzz is complete and it looks awesome! New floors! New seating arrangement! New wine area! And a brand new Growler station! Bring your growler ….. Fill it up! Bring in your favorite stein or mug and Tommy will keep it for you on a display shelf for your use when you come in. Novel idea for this area.
But before we look at the new Buzz through the camera lens, lets look at the July Wine Club, Italian Wines. These wine dinners are a full 5 course dinner and 5 or 6 wines. All for $20 a plate! Look at what you get for that, not counting of course, the awesome friends and company. Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged. Cheers!

The announcement!

Mushroom Parmesan Risotto Cakes ( I really enjoyed these, but a light sauce may have been a great addition.) 2010 Mandarossa Fiano 13.5% alc. good match with the cakes, but not my favorite for the evening. $12 [14]

Mushroom Parmesan Risotto Cakes
(I really enjoyed these, but a light sauce may have been a great addition.
2010 Mandrarossa Fiano
13.5% alc. good match with the cakes, but not my favorite for the evening. $12 [14]

Piedmont Autumn Soup (Super good!) 2011 Piemonte Barera 13.5% alc. general appeal was good. a strong Barbera. $15 [15]

Piedmont Autumn Soup
(Super good! A little dab of fresh pesto in the soup would be good.)
2011 Piemonte Barbera
13.5% alc. general appeal was good. a strong Barbera. $15 [15]

Abruzzo Salad
2011 Niro Pecorino
13% alc. good match with is delightful and refreshing salad. $19 [17]

Agnolotti Piemontesi Allo Stufato 2011 Badiola Toscana 13% alc. a wonderful paring with this entree. $18 [19]

Agnolotti Piemontesi Allo Stufato
2011 Badiola Toscana
13% alc. a wonderful paring with this entree. a super Cab and Sangiovese blend $18 [19]

Pistachio Chocolate Cannoli
2012 Mandrarossa Nero D’avola
13.5% alc. super good Tuscan wine. loved it. can’t get a better score. $12 [20]

Ed and Mary enjoying the new look at The Buzz.

Now look at the New Buzz! Great atmosphere. Love the new look.

The new sign on the building by the entrance. There is also a very bright red and green sign on State Street.

The beer steins we have on “The Shelf”.

One of the beers on tap and ready for your growler or steim.

One of the beers on tap and ready for your growler or stein.

The new Growler Fill Station and location of the wines. Just inside the State Street door and to the right.

The new look just inside the State Street door. Wide open spaces! Great shiny floor. Bright and colorful. You did a great job, Cristi and Tommy. And I know Austin and Bailey helped.

New Look For the Buzz In Boise!

29 Sunday Jun 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Beer and Food, Beer Tasting, Buy Idaho, Comfort Food, Local Markets, Locavore, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Beers, Special Events, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?

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beer bar, growler, the Buzz

Cristi and Tommy and all have been working very hard to “re-design” the interior of the Buzz in Boise. Personally, I like the new look! And they have installed a growler bar, which is fun and fantastic! We have two beer steins that I am going to take to the Buzz. Cristi said it would be OK to leave them there for use at the new growler bar. Maybe we can get a shelf to put them on.and use when we go to the Buzz. How many different types can we get? Let’s display our steins at the Buzz. Any takers? Enjoy this new look! Cheers!

Cristi is in the Growler Bar area. Check out those floors!

Cristi is in the Growler Bar area. This photo is along the North side, the State Street side. Check out those floors!

The center half-wall has been removed and it really opens the space up. This is looking as you enter the State Street door, the side door.

Tommy and Michelle show off the new Growler Bar.

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!!

Snake River AVA Wine Dinner Extravaganza

11 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Dinner With The Winemaker, Food, Hells Canyon Winery, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Wine, Interesting Information, Party Time, Snake River AVA, Special Beers, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wine Dinners, Zhou Zhou Winery

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Hells Canyon Winery

This word just in from Hells Canyon and Zhoo Zhoo Wineries in the Snake River AVA.

“Hells Canyon Winery/Zhoo Zhoo Holiday Wine Dinner
at The Dish

The Robertson family from Hells Canyon Winery/Zhoo Zhoo will be teaming up with The Dish (205 N. 10th St., Boise) for a holiday winemaker’s dinner on Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 6:30 p.m.

Chef Jered Couch has put together a six-course menu of contemporary offerings designed to pair with select wines from this Sunny Slope estate winery. The dinner, to be held in the restaurant’s mezzanine, costs $100 per person (tax and gratuity not included). Seating is limited for this pre-pay event. To reserve a spot, call The Dish at (208) 344-4231

Steve Robertson, owner of Hells Canyon Winery, is an exceptional Chef and knows how to pair the wines with dinner. For those of you in Boise, do you remember Annabel’s or Mussels Fish Market? Steve owned and operated both places and held some awesome seminars on cooking that I took. Even though Steve will probably not be in the kitchen for this event, I feel confident that he will be “tasting” and matching the entrees. Knowing the talent level of the Chefs and the Winemakers, this should be an awesome evening. Cheers!

24 Hour Food Excursion

09 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in 10 Barrel Brewing, Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Boise Farmers Market, Burger and Brew, Comfort Food, Eggs, Food, Kobe Beef, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Pickles, Special Beers, What's For Dinner?

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10 Barrel Brew Pub Boise, Apocalypse IPA, Boise Farmers Market, Chicken Pot Pie

We might as well start at 10 Barrel Brew Pub here in Boise for some awesome brew – Apocalypse IPA pictured here – and some great food! We went there for a beer group meet-up, but it was jammed full of people and tables were at a premium, especially at 7:00 at night on a Friday. Great to see that they are doing well, but it was still full. The food, as always, was super and in MNSHO (My Not So Humble Opinion) serves some of the best pub food in Boise. Their Pub Burger is superb as is their Chicken Pot Pie. The Fish and Chips here are also great. Great to have them use as much local products as possible. (There are some brew pubs here in Boise that need to try some real pub food!) Here are some photos of our food. You be the judge and then we will meet you there to join you for dinner. Enjoy and Cheers! Left-Click any of these photos to see enlarged.

Suede – Imperial Porter and Apocalypse IPA

The Suede on the left is probably one of their boldest brews and comes in at 9.6% ABV. And to read from their beer list, “The cross country melding of brewers minds finds them creating an Imperial Porter with avocado honey, plus jasmine and calendula flowers from stone farms. The result? Suede is described by their creators as ‘soft and seductive’ and an ‘all season wonder’.” I am not generally a Stout or Porter fan, but I will have this one again. It is good!
The Apocalypse IPA is a West Coast style beer and is their flagship beer. My first introduction to this brew was in Bend, OR – the home of 10 Barrel – in a blind tasting with Deschutes Inversion. The Apocalypse IPA was a clear winner. This brew comes in at 6.8% ABV.

Housemade Chicken Pot Pie and Green Salad with Shallot and Lemon Vinaigrette

Housemade Chicken Pot Pie
Green Salad
with
shallot and lemon vinaigrette

The Chicken Pot Pie is well worth returning for a second helping. And the salad with that dressing was awesome. Delicious!

Pub Hamburger and Sweet Potato Fries

This plate is a “stand-by” for me when I can not make up my mind what to have to eat. Both of the two plates pictured – the burger and the pot pie – went equally well with both brews pictured above, but in my opinion, the Suede Imperial Porter went best with both dinners!

Chocolate Sundae

This was huge and needed more than 2 spoons and probably 4. Yes, it is that big!

So moving on in our quest for food – as though we have not found enough yet – Saturday morning found us at the Boise Farmers Market in the winter location through December 21, at 8th Street and Fulton. So great to be able to get the fresh, local produce into December. Yum!

The sign to the market.

“Still Life” at one of the entrances to the market.

Main entrance to the market.

Robin talking to Janie Burns of Meadow Lark Farms.

Some of the products offered.

Karen Evans of Rollingstone Chevre.

Happy Hour At Highlands Hollow Brewhouse

05 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in Appetizers, Beer and Ale, Beer and Food, Beer Tasting, Comfort Food, Highlands Hollow Pub, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Pubs, Special Beers, What's For Dinner?

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dark ale, doolie, harrison hollow, star pub, vegetarian sandwiches

Highlands Hollow Brewhouse, formerly known as Harrison Hollow, was thee site of a Meet-Up group tonight. We only ordered appetizers, namely the Loaded Fries, which are really loaded, and the Black Bean Nachos which were very good! Both are pictured below. We also had a beer sampler of 10 samples. Personally, I liked the Doolie’s best. To copy from their menu, “Doolie’s is a dark ale with ruby overtones which show up if you hold it to the light. A slightly roasted flavor profile and the darker color comes from the use of three different specialty malts that are roasted in varying degrees, to stringent specifications.” The food was good, understanding that it was Happy Hour Fare and the service was good. It would be interesting to order something from their main menu. The food and the sampler that we got was $22.00 for the two of us. They have a full menu of salads, pasta, a variation of entrees, vegetarian, sandwiches burgers and desserts. Our visit here was good and we will probably return. Where 10 Barrel and Table Rock are 5-Star pubs, Highlands Hollow is a 4-Star pub. Enjoy the photos.

Black Bean Nachos

Loaded Fries

The sizes of these two appetizers is really quite large. We probably could have had just one between the two of us and shared it. You can visit their website at Highlands Hollow Brewhouse.

Breakfast At Crooked Fence Barrelhouse

04 Sunday Aug 2013

Posted by Bob and Robin in 10 Barrel Brewing, Breakfast, Brunch, Buy Idaho, Crooked Fence Barrelhouse, Eggs Benedict, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Beers, Special Events, What's For Dinner?

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bacon and eggs, brewers association, english muffin, food, passport program

Thought we would give this a try. Plus we signed up to be with the Meet-Up Group, but did not really see them. I think they were in another room. But we did have Marnie and Mac with us. Mac was a little upset that they did not honor his Idaho Brewers Association Passport Program. Can’t say that I really blame him because the program is supposed to cover all Idaho breweries. Can’t say that the visit was all that great either with service being somewhat slow and the food was not up to the standards of 10 Barrel Brew Pub in downtown Boise or Table Rock Brew Pub. (10 Barrel is the best of all three of these places in my opinion.) Here are some photos of our visit. I will rank this visit as a 2 1/2 Stars out of 5. Not a good showing.

The beer flight was good. Just the right size. Robin liked the Picket Porter best and I liked the Bonneville Brown best. Robin liked the Bonneville least and I liked the porter least. That’s not a real surprise. But we did rate the Rye Sing IPA even at 3rd place.

Bacon and eggs. This probably would have been good had the "toast" had more ofv a brown color to it. It was more like dried out bread. I didn't know that you had to request butter on the toast either. Not good and cost them serious points.

Bacon and eggs. This probably would have been good had the “toast” been a little more brown. It was more like dried out bread. I didn’t know that you had to request butter on the toast either. Not good and cost them serious points.

Eggs Benedict. The Hollandaise was pasty and the eggs probably should have been done a little more. The whites were close to being transparent. The English Muffin should have been toasted a little more, too. They seem to have a problem making toast and the food had an abundance of salt on it! We probably will not be back for another meal here.