FOOD
On one plate then the other ... BW sends two critics to one restaurant.
PEREGRINE STEAKS & SPIRITS
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LAURIE PEARMAN
leave very little room for surprise in my vision of a Kuna don’t know what I expected when I headed out to explore Peregrine steakhouse. I expect a meat-and-potatoes-menu, reasonable Steaks and Spirits in Kuna. It certainly wasn’t trains, a BMX racing prices and down-to-earth service. Situated away from the track or wandering beagles, yet that’s what I got. town’s center, along Indian Creek in one of Kuna’s newer strucI tend to like the quirky, and Peregrine solidly falls into this category. tures, Peregrine Steaks and Spirits stays Entering the dining room at Perewithin the confines of what I expected. grine, diners are greeted by the standard For those who live in the rural southdimly lit, dark wood with forest-green ern Ada County town, Peregrine seems accents of a regulation steakhouse. A a likely suspect for “a good dinner.” sea of square tables spreads across the The separate bar area is reminiscent of expanse of the room, which occupies Boise’s Owyhee Lounge: rolling chairs, one half of a relatively new building just large dance floor, a tinge of class that off Indian Creek in Kuna. The other outweighs distinctive bar attitude. The half is filled by Creekside Lounge. dining room is appropriately awkWith a conjoined twin named ward—a large and airy space devoid of Creekside, my dining companions and privacy—but a good deal of attention I decided to sweep straight through the has gone into achieving a tasteful look. dining room and head to the patio, for A paneled, free-standing dividing screen which I had great hopes of quiet dining and large fake trees break up the monext to a babbling brook. notony, while mirrors draped with fake That bubble was quickly burst. flower garlands cover the walls. The The concrete patio is an understated bare tables each host a spray of artificial affair, where wrought-iron tables look silk flowers and the patio, overlooking over a rather large expanse of lawn with the rural scene, has a certain appeal. the aforementioned creek far below. But As quaintly tasteful as Peregrine and the feature that firmly throws Peregrine its conjoined Creekside Lounge may into the “quirky” category is the BMX be, neither have built a reputation as a track nearly abutting the patio on the destination among Boise-based diners. Creekside side. Without a bar to dance on or a party That night, young racers decked in bus for shuttling clientele, Peregrine’s multi-colored jerseys, pads and helmets only hope of increasing its pool of powere racing around the curving, jumptential customers is a damn good meal. filled track. As the announcements Unfortunately Peregrine has plenty blared over the loudspeaker and families of room for improvement. The salad cheered from lawn chairs, nearby diners course would be a good place to start. were provided with a bit of odd, albeit The pale, rust-streaked iceberg did free, entertainment. not make the best foundation, but it As we watched the action, we were PEREGRINE STEAKS & SPIRITS 751 W. Fourth St., Kuna, only got worse from there. I set aside my tomathrilled with an order of onion rings ($3.50) that 208-922-4421 toes after one unpleasant bite suggested they proved to be neither greasy nor over-battered, Open Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sat. were a little past due. Same with the slightly which, unfortunately, seems to be the prevailing 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.-10 p.m. shriveled cucumbers. method of preparation around the valley. creeksidekuna.com A mini loaf of bread served with salad, We were equally pleased with the bartender’s however, tipped the scales back to even. With a heavy hand when it came to pouring our glasses of middle section of lightly brown wheat bread cooked between two wine, which arrived at the table looking like goldfish bowls on delicate sections of soft white bread, the loaf proved to be a high point of stems. No complaints from our table. the meal. A friend used to say that good bread—even bread made I can’t help but think that our entrees would have seemed a bit more out-of-house—indicated an attention to detail that would inevita- worth the price tag had we been sitting in the darkened confines of the bly result in a decent meal. I take issue with parts of that theory, dining room. Instead, we ate steak while an occasional freight train but in Peregrine’s case, it led me to this conclusion: Somebody in rumbled past on the other side of the creek, the country music station the kitchen knows what they’re doing, but somewhere the execu- on the patio created a discord with the pop/rock played at the BMX tion of that vision is falling short. track and an inexplicable beagle wandered by the tables. My simple steak entree ($14.95) and my dining companion’s I chose the beef medallions ($15.95), while my dining companions fingersteaks ($7.95) delivered the same counterbalancing effect. selected the grilled pork chops ($13.95) and the flat iron steak ($11.95). Delivered on a hot skillet embedded in a wood plate, the sirloin, All meals come with a choice of potato—fried, baked, mashed or au baker and scattered corn and bell pepper medley earned an F in gratin—as well as soup or salad and bread. the presentation department. And while I’m a firm believer that a What stood out was the soft, homemade bread. The small loaf good-looking meal is essential, it’s also the most easily excusbrought to each table was both sweet white bread and earthy wheat, a able offense. A grossly overcooked steak, however, is not. When feat pulled off by some clever twisting of the dough. I was a little too medium rare arrives as thoroughly well done, either the server excited to find a half-and-half piece. summarily disregarded my preference or the broiler cook needs a Also a standout were the au gratin potatoes, which had plenty of thermometer. My guess is the latter. The overcooked corn medley gratin, with a touch of spicy that was a welcome surprise. didn’t help the kitchen’s case, but I will say at least I didn’t end up Overall, the main entrees were adequate, although whoever was with the pile of plain baby carrots I saw on another diner’s plate. manning the grill could have used a lighter touch, or possibly a timer. Countering my steak and veggies was first, my baked potato Calling the pork chops “chewy” would be an understatement. My and second, the fingersteaks. If an entire meal’s success could be medium-well beef medallions were a bit bouncy—and this is coming hung on a potato, Peregrine would have fared well. But that’s a from someone who orders her bacon “cremated.” lot of pressure for a tuber. Good fingersteaks are another matter. While the food wasn’t enough to win us over on its own, Peregrine’s Aside from one gristly piece in the sizable pile, the fingersteaks entertainment value diffused the disappointment, although the orange were tender, the batter committed and the flavor not at all oily. plastic fencing separating the patio from the lawn gives the place the By the time the minimally damaging bill arrived, I was neither distinct feel of a construction zone. persuaded nor dissuaded from another trip to Peregrine. I’d We decided to forgo dessert at Peregrine, instead opting for handneed more incentive to feel good about recommending it to a dipped ice cream cones at the nearby Sweet Spot. With waffle cones in Boise-based friend, but then again, maybe Kuna’s “good dinner” hand, we wandered over to watch a little more of the BMX racing. destination is fine without all the picky city slickers. —Deanna Darr thinks you should not be able to hear —Rachael Daigle is neither slick nor picky. anything else while chewing bacon.
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| JULY 8–14, 2009 |
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