restaurant listings/meridian, Kay and Traci’s 127 club—A bar with a full dinner menu. Prime rib every Friday and homemade soup is the house specialty. 127 E. Idaho St., 208-884-0122. $ louie’s Pizza and iTalian resTauranT—Traditional American Italian food including hand-tossed pizza, tortellini and cannelloni. 2500 E. Fairview Ave., 208-884-5200, louiespizza.com. sU om $-$$ Miss TaMi’s coTTage exPressions and Tea rooM— Miss Tami’s follows the British tradition of tea as a meal in between meals, when everyone settles in around an aromatic brew and nibbles on savories, scones
eagle, caldwell
with Devonshire cream, finger sandwiches and miniature desserts. Tami’s offers a variety of packages for afternoon teas, some of which involve costumes. Serving breakfast and lunch. Reservations suggested. 1030 N. Main St., 208-888-1770, misstamis.com. $-$$ Res om ohana hawai’ian bbQ—Affordable and authentic Hawaiian food with a Pacific Rim influence, including ahi poke and Spam musubi. 1735 W. Franklin Road, 208-8910813, ohanahawaiianbbq.com. om $-$$ Pie hole—See Downtown listing. 726 N. Main St., 208-888-0482, sU om pieholeusa.com. $
Pinnacle sPorTs grill—A comfy, casual spot to bring the whole family after the game or to watch one. Pub grub all the way. 2902 N. Eagle Road, 208-8844400, pinnaclesportsgrill.com. $$ sU om ricK’s Press rooM—Chef/ owner Rick Valenzuela has created a menu of simple, gourmet food for his news-themed neighborhood pub. Lunch and dinner are both casual with sandwiches, salads and steak options. After dinner, cigar fans can retire to the plush smoke room. 130 E. Idaho Ave., 208-288-0558, rickspressroom. net. $-$$
rudy’s Pub and grill—A sports pub with a full menu of diverse offerings with locally grown beef and no trans fat in the fries. Soups are homemade daily and entrees served after 5 p.m. include pastas, salmon and New York steak. 2310 E. Overland Road, Ste. 150, 208-884-4453, rudyspubnsU om grill.com. $-$$ saKana JaPanese sushi and sTeaK—A classy sushi and steakhouse. 1718 S. Eagle Road, 208-888-6278, sakanaboise.com. sU om $$-$$$
LAU R IE P EARMAN
sa-wad-dee Thai resTauranT—This Meridian Thai restaurant offers an extensive menu of traditional Thai cuisine and a few surprises. 1890 E. Fairview Ave., Ste. B, 208-8840701, sawaddeethai.com. $-$$ sU om schooner’s—Pub food with a few knife-and-fork staples like salmon and steak. It’s also one of the few places in town to get Rocky Mountain oysters. 601 S. Main St., sU 208-884-3737. $-$$ sMoKy MounTain Pizza and PasTa—See State Street listing. 980 E. Fairview Ave., 208-8841067, smokymountainpizza.com. om $-$$ Tree ciTy Juice and sMooThie cafe—See University listing. 3355 E. Fairview Ave., Ste. 105, 208sU 846-8180. $ whiTewaTer Pizza & PasTa— Serves pizza with fresh ingredients, as well as sandwiches, soups, pastas and salads. 1510 N. Eagle Rd., 208-888-6611, whitewaterpizza.net. $$
eagle Once an exotic food that few Westerners had experienced, sushi has become as ubiquitous as Tater Tots and barbecued steak here in the High Desert. 100 N. Eighth St., But it wasn’t always that way. For a long time, Boise Ste. 215 was home to only one Japanese restaurant, and when chef 208-338-8423 Shige Matsuzawa and his wife, Debbie, opened Shige shigejapanesecuisine.com Japanese Cuisine in 1992 on the upper level of the building on the downtown corner of Eighth and Main streets, it was definitely a gamble—a gamble that paid off. All of these years later, weekend dining warriors still have to wait for a table. And the Matsuzawas are still gamblers. In the midst of this most recent recession, the couple scooped up the empty space left where Gino’s Ristorante once lived, and they expanded by adding a tepanyaki room and Shige’s Red Carpet Fine Dining. Terrace seating is available, but inside is where it’s at. A high-end bar and two-person tables give the low-lit scarlet, chrome and dark-wood lounge its red-carpet feel. The fine dining comes by way of foie gras a la Japonais, Kurobuta pork chops and the Red Carpet Salad, a beautifully arranged mix of sweet miso dressing, breaded and deep-fried goat cheese, bright fresh greens and watercress. And, of course, a tantalizing array of sushi, which few do better than Shige. —Amy Atkins shige’s Red caRpet Fine dining
44 | RESTAURANT GUIDE 2011 | boiseweekly
ahi sushi—The atmosphere is chill—especially for Eagle—but the sushi rollin’ team doesn’t slack. The menu includes katsu to rolls, poke to agedashi tofu, and nigiri to the ubiquitous California roll. Happy hour specials include appetizer deals. 1193 E. Winding Creek, Ste. 104, 208-938-3474, om ahisushibar.com. $$ baan Thai—Elegant and authentic Thai food as it was meant to be. 78 Eagle River St., 208-938-8424, mybaanthai.com. Res om $$ bardenay—See Downtown listing. 155 E. Riverside Dr., 208-938-5093, bardenay.com. sU om $$-$$$ bella aQuila—The riverside restaurant boasts one of the best patios in the area. The restaurant serves a wide selection of Italian fare for lunch and dinner, with a weekend brunch that’s certainly worth raving about. 775 S. Rivershore Lane, 208-938-1900, bellaaquilarestaurant.com. $$-$$$ Res sU om
The blue door cafe—Pizza, crepes, sands and live jazz six nights a week. 3300 W. State St., 208-938-6128, bluedoorcafe.com. $-$$ sU om The blue Moose cafe—Bistro fare like soups and salads, sandwiches and wraps. Think about dining in the new sunroom or outside. 79 Aikens Road, 208-939-3079, thebluemoosecafe. om net. $ busTers bar and grill—See Broadway listing. 1396 E. State St., 208-938-1800, busterssportssU om bar.com. $-$$ cafe russian bear—Owner Oleg Mironov and his wife make every single thing on the menu from scratch. Borscht, Russian crepes, beef stroganoff, potato pancakes “it’s all homemade.” 600 S. Rivershore Lane, Ste. 160, 208-939-1911, caferussianbear. com. $-$$ om casa Mexico—With restaurants all over the Treasure Valley, it has an extensive menu and an attentive staff. 393 W. State St., 208-939-7795, casamexicoidaho. sU om com. $-$$ chicago connecTion—See Downtown listing. 344 W. State St., Eagle, 208-939-9100, chicagoconsU nection.com. $-$$ om daVinci’s—Casual Italian cuisine in quaint downtown Eagle, the “locals’ Italian restaurant” is housed in a historic bank building. A wide variety of Italian selections such as lasagna and chicken Parmesan are accompanied by warm bread and all-you-can-eat salads. 190 E. State St., sU 208-939-2500. $$-$$$ eighTeen one aT eagle hills golf course—Fine dining featuring locally procured, New American cuisine. Catering available. 605 N. Edgewood Lane, 208-939-0402, eaglehillsgolfcourse.com/EighteenOne.htm. Res sU $$$-$$$$ fiesTa guadalaJara—See Downtown listing. 3210 E. Chinden Blvd., Ste 100, 208-938-1116, fiestasguadalajara.com. $-$$ sU om The griddle—See Meridian listing. 177 Eagle River St., 208939-9070, thegriddle.com. sU om Joe MaMa’s—Homestyle deli serving up breakfast and lunch, made with locally grown ingredients when possible. 600 S. Rivershore Lane, Ste. 170, 208-939-3917, joemommaseatery.com. $-$$ sU om lily Jane’s cuPcaKes—Specialty cupcakes featuring a rotating selection of unique flavors including You Mocha Me Crazy and raspberry lemonade. 664 S. Rivershore Lane, Ste. 164, 208-938-3408, lillyjanesom cupcakes.com. $
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