Treasure Valley Treats and Tragedies

Jerry's 27th Street Market

2013-05-03T08:32:00.000-06:00

Okay, I think I've let my last review have enough time in the spotlight. I've had several other mediocre to bad experiences lately, but just at the moment I feel like focusing on the positive. Positive for yours truly includes (but isn't limited to) such things as multi-ethnic cuisine, home-style cooking, and odd locations that many people might hesitate to go for a meal. These things warm my heart, and there's one place you can go to get all of them...

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Bono's - Real Chicago Food?

2013-04-06T09:32:00.000-06:00

Although I've been referred to as a food or restaurant critic by friends and acquaintances (usually with a smirk), I shy away from the term and would never use it to describe myself. After all, someone with the word "critic" in their description usually gets paid for their output. I consider myself a food enthusiast, and as such I try to focus more on the positive. If I find a restaurant's food to be mediocre or otherwise not suiting my particular tastes, but not really bad, I usually won't bother writing them up at all. If I think the prices are a wee bit high, I usually keep my mouth shut. Atrocious customer service is more likely to get a public mention from me, if only on Urbanspoon or my Facebook page. But if you stack up two or three of these kinds of issues, I'm probably going to be tempted to let people know that their money would be better spent elsewhere. You can probably tell where I'm going with this, but if you're the kind of person who likes details, click the link and allow me to elaborate...

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Joe Momma's Breakfast (and Lunch) Eatery

2013-04-05T10:00:00.000-06:00

I'm a big fan of aggregate review sites. My favorite food-related one is Urbanspoon, and I will check reviews on Yelp on occasion, though I take them with a grain of salt. The information I've found has been very beneficial, especially when researching places to eat while traveling. However, they can steer you wrong on occasion. People can be spiteful, and all it takes is one table with a little internet knowledge and an over-inflated sense of entitlement to skew a restaurant's rating. If an eatery is relatively new and has only been rated by a handful of people, a group of three or four vindictive types can really impact a star or percentage rating.

When my roommate suggested Joe Momma's for breakfast one day, I shot her down pretty quickly. The restaurant had a very good score on Yelp, but only due to a number of extremely negative reviews being "filtered" (translate: not counted against their overall score), and their Urbanspoon rating was, and still is, low. Some time later, she finally ended up going with her father and came back determined to get me to try the place. Now I don't always agree with this woman's tastes, but one of the few things we agree on is our love of breakfast. So far we've seen eye to eye on every place we've gone to eat it, from our love of Goldy's to our outright hatred of The Griddle. Needless to say, her insistence finally won me over. As usual.

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Big Daddy's Barbecue 2: Electric Boogaloo

2013-03-24T12:54:00.000-06:00

Well my last review was kind of lame, seeing as how it was basically a photo gallery with a few random comments, so of course I figure why not do the same thing again? I first encountered Big Daddy's Barbecue when they was serving up delicious meats from a shack in front of Cabela's (read about it here). I've stated on more than one occasion since then that Hoss makes the best pulled pork to be had in the Boise area, and my feelings about that haven't changed one iota. When he picked up and moved his operation to Kuna a few months later, I was crushed. Where was I to get a barbecue fix on my lunch breaks now? Fortunately for me, he built up enough of a following to take a location in Meridian that had housed a couple of failed Hawaiian eateries and turn it into a place where I can get those delicious porcine shreds six days a week. There's not a lot to say that I didn't say the first time around, so what follows will once again be a selection of pictures, ranging from crappy (old camera) to not-quite-so-crappy (camera phone) to moderately okay (new camera). Yes, I finally got a new camera, and I fully expect my pictures to improve as I get used to it. The best thing about it is the speed, with my current record from "power off" to "decent picture" being just under three seconds. But enough about my limited photography skills. Let's look at some meat!

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The Green Chile

2013-03-23T18:01:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I know my output has been pretty sporadic the last year or so. It was starting to feel a little like work, and then I had a rather discouraging stint as a freelance journalist that kind of killed my interest in writing at all for some time. And beyond that, there just aren't enough hours in the day. However, just because I've been sucking at posting regularly, it doesn't mean that I don't still go out to eat, or that I haven't been trying new places. But without the time or motivation to write regularly, I've been visiting places multiple times and spending more time revisiting old favorites.

Recently, someone dropped me an e-mail and advised that I really needed to check out The Green Chile. Ashamed, I had to admit to him that I've actually been there more than half a dozen times and I've just been too lazy to write it up. I think it's time to rectify that.

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Cosmic Pizza

2013-02-11T21:26:00.001-07:00

I have a few hang-ups when it comes to the whole writing up restaurants thing. One of them is that if there's a particular dish that gets the majority of people's attention at a place, I feel like I have to try something different. Of course, sometimes exceptions have to be made, and that's why when I finally got around to trying Cosmic Pizza, there was absolutely no question what I was going to get. If you've been there and you know anything about my tastes, you probably have a pretty good idea what I ordered. If you're unsure, I got the same thing that everyone else who has written about them got, so I'll understand if you're sick of hearing about it. If you haven't made it there yet and we have anything in common, I might just be able to sway you...

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The Chef's Hut Cafe

2013-02-07T22:58:00.000-07:00

I'm sure a lot of you have had the experience of hearing about a place over and over again for years, but for whatever reason have never gotten around to actually trying it. Even though I've spent the majority of my life in the Boise area, there are still a lot of old restaurants I have yet to set foot in. Every once in a while, I'll be overwhelmed with a sudden conviction that I must try one of those places, and NOW. Recently I had that feeling about The Chef's Hut Cafe, which has been in existence just about as long as I have. And just like me, the place is something of a mixed bag...

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They can't all be winners...

2013-01-06T10:21:00.000-07:00

I've loved Asian food for as long as I can remember. As kids, while my siblings begged for McDonald's for dinner, I usually asked to go to New China buffet. I practiced over and over with disposable chopsticks, meticulously following the directions on the back of the packet to gain proficiency. I had more late-night dinners at Twin Dragon during my high school years than I can recall. Over the last decade or so, my interests have broken free from the confines of Americanized Chinese fare and branched out to other Asian cuisines, and one thing we're surely not lacking in the Treasure Valley is Vietnamese restaurants (not like we're lousy with them or anything, but there's certainly more of them around than Korean or dim sum joints).

It's hard to find a fan of Vietnamese food who doesn't like pho. It's not my favorite Vietnamese dish, but I still adore it.and even if (as so many say) the pho around here don't stand up against noodle joints abroad or in larger U.S. cities, most of the people I talk to still have a favorite local spot. My personal preference is Pho Tam, but I'm certainly not above scarfing down a bowl at Baguette Deli, and I also have to reluctantly admit that I've yet to sample the wares of Pho 79 and Pho Nouveau. Since they opened, Pho Bac has had a steadily growing fanbase, and has been recommended to me by several readers. Personally, I'm amazed that a place with such a limited menu has lasted this long, but it led me to believe that they must be pretty good at what they do have. So, after a year plus of driving past the place twice a day, five days a week, I finally decided to check them out.

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Yes, I still suck. Moving on.

2012-12-11T21:34:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I just can't seem to keep this site updated on a regular basis. Too many other things vying for my time and attention I guess, but I still want to update it, and isn't it the thought that counts? Especially this time of year? Fine, well in the interest of providing some new content at a minimum of energy expenditure on my part, here is a gallery of pictures I took from one of my favorite places in town, the Orient Market. They were originally taken as part of a story I was working on for a print publication, but the story just never came together and it would be a shame to waste the pics. Enjoy!

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Boise's first Whole Foods opens today!

2012-11-14T06:58:00.001-07:00

I'm in a big hurry and don't have time to talk much about it, but I have a gallery from the preview events that were put on by Whole Foods over the weekend. You can check it out at my Facebook page here. I will say that if you hit the River Room upstairs and they're available, get the sliders. Trust me.

Whole Foods Boise press release

2012-10-30T14:31:00.000-06:00

I've added emphasis to some things I consider particularly relevant, and struck through stuff that really isn't (the pre-opening tours are filled, so if you're not already signed up then you're out of luck). Anyone else as excited about this as I am? - Track

*****

Whole Foods Market Boise store opens November 14

Two days of sneak peek tours planned for first Boise store

BOISE, Idaho (Oct. 29, 2012) — The first Whole Foods Market in Boise is opening its doors on Wednesday, November 14 at its 401 S. Broadway Street address. With a commitment to offering quality organic and all-natural products, partnering with local vendors and supporting community nonprofits, the store will feature something for everyone in the Treasure Valley. The new store is 42,000 square feet, will employ more than 120 full-time team members, and will include several unique features that embody the spirit of Boise.

Boise residents are invited to attend the ~~pre-opening tours and~~ official opening celebration:

~~· Sneak Peek tours, Sunday, November 11 and Monday, November 12 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Visitors should sign up in advance athttp://wfmboise.eventbrite.com~~ ~~starting today.~~

· Official opening, Wednesday, November 14

o 8:30 – 9:30 a.m., Oatmeal breakfast to benefit the Food Bank of Idaho.

o 9:30 – 10:00 a.m., Speeches by Matt Collins, marketing and community relations specialist, Mayor David Bieter, Bruce Green, store team leader, and Will Paradise, regional president of the Rocky Mountain region. Check presentation to community partners and bread breaking ceremony.

o 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Local vendor fair.

o 7 p.m., live bluegrass by Reilly Coyote in the River Room.

“The Boise store was designed to complement and represent the independent and creative spirit found in Boise,” said Bruce Green, store team leader. “From our strong lineup of local vendors to our community partnerships, our store’s number one priority is to be a reflection of the community, a true neighbor.”

The new store will feature a variety of food venues – from catering to quick, convenient lunches – including a coffee bar, hot bar, soup bar, juice bar, salad bar, sushi, pizza, full bakery, grab-and-go meals and a sandwich station. Whole Foods Market Boise will also feature a pop-up food cart that will feature a rotating menu of “street-style” foods.

In addition, the Boise store will have its very own restaurant, The River Room, located on the second level of the store. Customers can order food from the store’s Prepared Foods department and have it delivered to their table. In addition, the River Room will have at least 16 beers and wines on tap and will boast an extensive bottle selection. Live music will also be featured every Thursday. For River Room updates and events please visit: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/service/river-room.

The Boise store will continue the Whole Foods Market tradition of regularly supporting local nonprofits to give back to and be closely involved with the community. Supporting local vendors, farmers and ranchers is a core value of Whole Foods Market. The Boise store will sell products from more than 50 local businesses, including Homestead Natural Meats, Ballard Cheese, Wildflour Bakery, Big Bend Trout and Cinder Wines.

The store plans to expand the local vendor list and, additionally, aims to help companies grow their businesses through the Local Producer Loan Program. The Boise store will also host a variety of local demos and tastings throughout the week post-opening, with a hyper-focus on Boise locals.

Staying true to the natural beauty and rustic feel of the mountainous region, Whole Foods Market Boise was built with numerous green practices, including recycled materials.

Along with these green practices, the store will also undergo a “Green Globes” certification process. Green Globes (www.thegbi.org) is an online rating and assessment system for eco-friendly design and operating functions. The store is currently on track to receive a Globe certification based on features such as: easy-access public transport, energy efficient lighting, water efficient faucets, and use of sustainable, local building materials.

Boise residents can stay in touch with store opening celebrations and giveaways through the store’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/WFMBoise.

###

About Whole Foods Market^®
Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market (wholefoodsmarket.com, NASDAQ: WFMI), is the leading natural and organic food retailer. As America’s first national certified organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” byHealth magazine. The company's motto, “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures its mission to ensure customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and environmental improvement. Thanks to the company’s nearly 60,000 Team Members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America byFortune magazine for 14 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2010, the company had sales of more than $9 billion and currently has more than 300 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Giant Pork Burrito Chain Challenge: Taco Del Mar

2012-10-18T22:30:00.000-06:00

I'll bet you thought I forgot all about this, didn't ya? HA! Actually, I just lost interest for a while. Anyway, let's move on!

Once again, here are the rules: I will only be reviewing pork burritos because, well, it's me. Also, it saves me from having to take places like Taco Time and Taco Bell into consideration. I will not be purchasing any premium add-ons; if it isn't available as a standard choice, I ain't getting it. I'll only be reviewing burritos from fast food chains, because bringing restaurants and taco trucks into it just casts too wide a net. And because this is a series about a specific food item from fast food chain eateries, I won't be using my standard rating system for the atmosphere, service and so on (though I may mention those things in passing). Also, keep in mind that I'm rating this stuff for what it is, not measured against authentic Mexican food or restaurants, so an A+ doesn't mean it's the best food ever. And now...

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Crescent "No Lawyers" Bar & Grill

2012-09-16T13:59:00.001-06:00

Those of you who follow "foodie" news may be aware of the fact that cases of chefs and restaurant owners taking legal action against bloggers are on the rise. Currently this is mostly happening in other countries, but how long can it really be before it catches on here? When I first started out, there were only two or three other local bloggers on Urbanspoon. Now there are at least 20, not all locally based perhaps, but who have written about Treasure Valley eateries.

So, in the interest of playing it safe, I'm going to take something of a "just the facts" stance while reviewing my worst restaurant experience of the year so far. I will try to keep the ranting to a minimum, and attempt to refrain from jokes about the name of the eatery and the nature of my meal. At the very least, I can hope the establishment has alienated the legal community to the point where I should have little to worry about...

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Saint Lawrence Gridiron

2012-08-08T20:44:00.000-06:00

Friends and readers, I feel I need to come clean about something here, something that I've never really kept hidden, but which may not have been stated clearly enough: I am a meat lover. Voracious, unrepentant and insatiable. This is not to say that I don't love fruit and veggies, but if the world was ending in a few hours I wouldn't be throwing together a salad for my last meal.

All sarcasm aside, I've gone on at great lengths about my favorite places for a protein fix, whether it's pulled pork from Big Daddy's Barbecue (opening an actual restaurant soon!) or Greg Lamm's (formerly of Brick 29 Bistro / B29 Streatery, now at Red Feather Lounge / Bittercreek Alehouse) unique and challenging interpretations of classic comfort foods. Today I want to talk about someone else, a man who makes classic meat dishes sing, and who works in protein the way Picasso worked in paints. Which is to say that the guy is creative and his food is really good, ya dig?

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MoMo Food of the Himalayas

2012-07-13T06:30:00.000-06:00

MoMo Dumplings may be celebrating their grand opening on Saturday, July 14th, but they've been doing pretty steady business since their soft opening on the 6th. I'll just admit now that I'm not unbiased when it comes to this place. I first met the MoMo crew at last October's Boise Urban Market, and over the months between then and now I have slowly become addicted to their food. The second I heard that they were opening a storefront, I started checking their Facebook page daily for news. If all you want to know is whether or not you should go check them out, the answer is YES. They're open seven days a week from 11 AM until 9 PM (7 PM on Sundays), so odds are they're dishing up dumplings as you're reading this and you should stop reading and go there. If, on the other hand, you can't get away right now or you're on the fence about it, allow me to rave a bit about my current favorite restaurant...

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Westside Drive In (State Street)

2012-06-13T00:32:00.001-06:00

One thing I've learned in the time I've been doing this is that some places are, for lack of a better word, institutions. These establishments have fiercely loyal fanbases, including individuals who will resort to base insults and nonsensical rants should you speak ill of their darlings. Normally, I don't like to give a lot away in the opening paragraph of a write-up, but I get the feeling I'm going to anger some people with this one. If you don't want to hear any negative comments about Westside Drive In, I'd suggest that you stop reading now.

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Just a little Taste208 follow-up...

2012-05-19T18:38:00.000-06:00

As I discussed in my most recent post, I was recently invited to attend Taste208 as a member of the media. I was confused by this at first, as I don't really consider myself a member of the media. Perhaps to a very small extent during my brief stint as a freelancer, but I was contacted regarding the event because of this site. Even more interesting is the fact that I really only write about food here, and the emphasis of Taste208 was Northwest wines, beers and spirits. Beyond knowing what I like, I don't know much about alcohol, so I figured this might be a chance to learn a thing or two. Besides, I was so flattered to be invited that there was no way in hell that I wasn't going!

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Awesome event coming up!

2012-04-28T14:09:00.000-06:00

What: Taste208
When: Saturday, May 12th, 6:00-10:00 PM
Where: Riverside Hotel, 2900 W Chinden Blvd
Why: To showcase regional craft beers, wines and spirits (so 21 and over, obviously)
Who: This is where it gets fun...

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The Blue Moose Café

2012-04-21T13:57:00.001-06:00

My roommate has lived in Eagle most of her life, and the one thing she complains about over and over in regards to my site is the fact that I've done very few reviews of Eagle eateries. In particular, she's been fixating on The Blue Moose Café for a while now, despite the fact that she'd never actually eaten there. As for myself, I was dubious. To be certain, some of the things on their menu certainly sounded appetizing, but I'm leery of any restaurant that would review one of their own dishes on Urbanspoon. Still, the other day when I had to be home all afternoon waiting for the cable guy, I could no longer use their very limited hours as an excuse. We perused the sandwich menu, chose two we could both agree on, and I called in the order...

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West Coast Weiner Company

2012-03-31T19:28:00.000-06:00

If you follow the local street food scene at all, there's a good chance you've heard about West Coast Weiner Company. Proprietor Mike Grim recently made the move here from Spokane and started working the social networking scene pretty quickly. I was lured by posts about big coils of Italian sausage and meatball sandwiches on Facebook. I was pretty sure neither of those things would be available today, but the very fact that he has them on occasion made me curious to try his standard fare.

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Welcome to the complaint department!

2012-03-28T17:31:00.000-06:00

What follows is a long-winded diatribe regarding a couple of responses to what I do (or do not do) on here. It is not a review of an eatery or a dish. You've been warned. Click below if you're so inclined.

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Giant Pork Burrito Chain Challenge: Qdoba

2012-03-25T11:18:00.000-06:00

Once again, here are the rules: I will only be reviewing pork burritos because, well, it's me. Also, it saves me from having to take places like Taco Time and Taco Bell into consideration. I will not be purchasing any premium add-ons; if it isn't available as a standard choice, I ain't getting it. I'll only be reviewing burritos from fast food chains, because bringing restaurants and taco trucks into it just casts too wide a net. And because this is a series about a specific food item from fast food chain eateries, I won't be using my standard rating system for the atmosphere, service and so on (though I may mention those things in passing). Also, keep in mind that I'm rating this stuff for what it is, not measured against authentic Mexican food or restaurants, so an A+ doesn't mean it's the best food ever. And now...

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Shanaz Home Kitchen Cuisine and Catering, a mouthful in more ways than one...

2012-03-11T20:24:00.001-06:00

Recently an Island-influenced Southern-style comfort food restaurant opened in a strip mall on Meridian Road. If you think that's an odd combination, what would you say if I told you they share kitchen space with a conveyor belt sushi joint? If you're intrigued, the little place with the big name is Shanaz Home Kitchen Cuisine and Catering.

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I keep my promises. Usually. Sooner or later.

2012-03-03T12:23:00.001-07:00

Bear with me here, I'm so used to cramming my thoughts into 400-500 words now that it feels strange to do my usual rambling. Anyway, I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't set foot in the Russian Bear Café until I went to talk to Oleg and Lana for BoiseWeekly.com, even though I'd been living in Eagle for many months. Of course there are a ton of restaurants in the Boise area and I can never hope to make it to all of them, but I have a definite soft spot for foreign cuisine, especially comfort food. And Russian Bear has that in spades.

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Yes, I suck. Now in other news...

2012-01-22T10:37:00.002-07:00

I'll just be honest here. I know I've been doing a lousy job of updating this site for a while now. In the last couple of months I've gotten sick, moved, gotten sick again (but with something else), dealt with the holidays, and been running around town doing my pieces for BoiseWeekly.com (by the by, here are links to my profiles on Oriental Express, Russian Bear Café and tres bonne cuisine). I haven't even been making it to the gym, so blogging hasn't really been near the top of my priorities list. Also, for some reason I've been working through this intense desire to go back and revisit favorite places rather than checking out new ones, and usually posting pictures and brief comments to my Facebook page afterward.

Now that things are beginning to settle down, and I'm finally getting caught up with my life again, the desire to explore new ground has been returning. The upshot is that you can safely expect to start seeing more reviews soon. Yes, really. I promise!