DININGGUIDE BUNGALOW RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE—Sometimes sweet and other times savory, always delightfully delicious. Stop in for a light lunch (served Monday through Friday) with items varying from soups and salads to an extensive “munchies” menu, including shrimp, grits and calamari. The entrees cover the dining spectrum as well, with marinated pork chops, pan roasted wild salmon and stuffed free range chicken. 1520 N. 13th St., 208-3319855. $$-$$$ P SU OM . CHEF LOU’S AT 8TH STREET— Westside Drive-in’s Chef Lou Aaron has expanded into BoDo with sit-down service and a menu of favorite dishes featured on his TV clips. Breakfast is a twist on familiar items (lemon ricotta pancakes), and the lunch menu offers Chef Lou’s infamous monte cristo as well as lots of small plates for the sharing. 409 S. Eighth St., 208-331-2080. $-$$ OM . CHEF ROLAND’S—Chef Roland Joseph is serving up Cajun fare complete with hushpuppies, locally grown collard greens and red beans and rice. Choose between gumbo or jambalaya to go along with fried catfish, Cajun barbecue ribs or savory brisket. If there is room after all that flavor, go for a piece of key lime or sweet potato pie. 1221 W. Boise Ave., 208-344-4387. $-$$ SU. DONNIE MAC’S TRAILER PARK CUISINE—Located in the developing Linen District, Donnie Mac’s Trailerpark Cuisine may be downhome, but it’s certainly
not from the trailer park. Burgers, chicken sandwiches, onion rings, fries, some very tasty fry sauce, the valley’s only frozen custard, mac ‘n’ cheese and breakfast. Yowza! 1515 W. Grove St., 208-3387813. $-$$ P SU OM . FOCACCIA’S—Chef Bill Green transformed his catering business into a full-service restaurant with a rotating menu featuring specialty food items ranging seafood and vegetarian all the way to French Classical, Mexican and Italian cuisine. Soups and salads may be a good choice if a diner is going for the house specialty dessert made in-house by the pastry chef. Selections include a Chocolate Truffle Ugly Cake best experienced with closed eyes and an open mouth. 404 E. Parkcenter Blvd., 208-3222838. $-$$ SU OM . GRAPE ESCAPE—Fine wine, delicious lunch and dinner, delectable desserts and light bites make this little bistro a great place to meet with great friends. And, if you can’t get to Grape Escape, they’ll bring their casual elegance to you at any of your functions or events with their fabulous catering. 800 W. Idaho St., 208-3680200. $-$$ P SU. ONO HAWAIIAN CAFE—A wide variety of the flavors of Hawaii are offered in the form of pupus, sushi, sandwiches and satays. And wherever Ono’s catering operation, the Kanak Attack van is parked and serving, a BW staffer is most likely in the vicinity with money in hand. 2170 Broadway Ave., 208-429-9111. $$-$$$ P SU OM.
PAIR—Delicious breakfast and dinner in an atmospheric, upscale bistro downtown. A cozy place for cocktails. The fruit cup—with lovelies like pomegranate and coconut—is recommended. 601 W. Main St., 208-343-7034. $$-$$$ P SU OM. WILLOWCREEK GRILL—Contemporary cuisine in a casual atmosphere and a fine place to dine with friends and family for lunch or dinner. The extensive menu features Northwest favorites such as salmon served up a little different in a fish and twigs option, (twigs are fries at Willowcreek). Choose from a selection of yummies like fried portobello sticks and a wide selection of burgers topped with treats like pastrami and Swiss. New to the mix is the addition of sushi in the sister establishment right next door at RAW Sushi. One kitchen serving something for everyone; it doesn’t get much better. 2273 S. Vista Ave., Ste 150, 208-343-5544. $-$$ P OM.
Diner BLUE JEANS CAFE—Breakfast ÃÌ>ÀÌ }Ê>ÌÊÈÊ>° °Êv ÀÊÞ ÕÊi>À ÞÊ birds) and lunch with some of the biggest biscuits and gravy in the state. Freshly baked pastries, salads and sandwiches. 9140 W. Emerald St., # 300, 208-658-5053. $ . Want more? Get more at www.boiseweekly.com
WINESIPPER BY DAVID KIRKPATRICK
DRY RIESLING If your first introduction to riesling was in the form of Blue Nun, that oh-so-popular V>À >Ì ÊÌ >ÌÊÀÕ i`Ê ÊÌ iʽÇäÃ]Ê ÀÊ vÊÞ ÕÊ` à ÃÃÊ ÌÊ>ÃÊ>ÊÃÜiiÌÊÜ iÊ> `ÊÞ ÕÊ ÕÃÌÊ` ½ÌÊ like sweet wine), you need to get reacquainted with what is easily one of the most misunderstood white wine grapes in the world. Sure, some of the finest and richest dessert wines are made from riesling, and at all levels, it can have some residual sugar, but that is typically balanced by crisp acidity. Still, for this go-around, we limited ourselves to dry riesling—those with sugar levels below the threshold of sweetness—and the winners came from three widely separated regions. Here are the panel’s picks for one of the world’s best wines, perfect for spring and summer sipping: 2007 DR. VON BASSERMAN-JORDON RIESLING, TROCKEN, $18.99 The German word “trocken” translates as dry, which this wine definitely is. It offers classic riesling aromas of ripe peach, citrus and spicy apple with an intriguing bit of diesel, which is definitely varietal and smells better than it sounds. Creamy peach and juicy nectarine fruit play against crisp citrus and grapefruit on the palate. This is an exceptionally well-balanced wine, and the finish lingers nicely. 2008 VALE RIESLING, $13.99 Bright and zesty aromas are highlighted by sweet lime, pineapple and mandarin orange with a light touch of nutmeg. The green apple and citrus fruit flavors are crisp and lively, dominating the palate and showing persistence through the long, smooth finish. Score one for an Idaho winery as Vale continues to prove that their world-class offerings are worthy. 2007 YALUMBA RIESLING, $9.99 This Australian entry opens with soft honeysuckle, gooseberry, grapefruit and ripe apple on the nose, backed by a nice hint of mineral. Light and refreshing in the mouth, that mineral element comes through as well, complementing the sweet grapefruit and tart apple flavors that linger nicely. This is a well-made, bone-dry riesling with a refreshing finish that is punctuated by a nice hit of lemon zest. UPDATE: IDAHO WINE COMPETITION: It’s been brought to my embarrassed attention that I left out one of the Gold Medal winners: Ì iÊÓääÈÊ*>À >Ê, `}iÊ,iÃiÀÛiÊ iÀ Ì]Ê> Ê outstanding wine dense with dark cherry aromas and filled with beautiful berry fruit flavors backed by smooth, ripe tannins. My apologies for the unintentional omission of this top- flight wine. This week’s panel: David Kirkpatrick, Boise Co-op Wine Shop; Cindy Limber, Bardenay; Karen McMillin, Young’s Market; Kevin Settles, Bardenay.
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