restaurant listings/east Casa MexiCo—See North End description. 3083 S. Bown Way, 208-345-8464, casamexicoidaho. sU om com. $-$$ Fiesta Guadalajara—Specializing in tacos, burritos and enchiladas. 3552 S. Findley Ave., 208-424-8580, fiestasguadalajara. sU om com. $-$$ Flatbread CoMMunity oven —See Downtown. 3139 S. Bown Way, 208-343-4177, flatbreadsU om pizza.com. $-$$
boise, south boise, garden city
FoCaCCia’s—A rotating menu featuring specialty food items ranging from seafood and vegetarian to French and Italian cuisine. Dessert made in-house. Breakfast nachos are a surefire morning hit. 404 E. Parkcenter Blvd., 208-322-2838, focaccias. sU om com. $-$$ la tapatia—Mexican grill that does enchiladas right. 401 E. Parkcenter Blvd., 208-343-6403. sU $-$$
loCavore—Local-centric food with one heckuva salad selection. Just about everything—including the tempting breakfast pastries—is made in-house. 3110 S. Bown Way, Res 208-338-8887. $$ sU luCky 13 pizza—Pizza, beer, salads and sandwiches at just about halfway between Boise and Lucky Peak. 3662 S. Eckert Road, 208-344-6967, lucky13pizza.com. sU om $-$$
Mazzah—See State Street listing. 404 E. Parkcenter Blvd., 208-3332223, mazzahboise.com. $-$$ sU om Mott’s deli— Bagels, bagelsandwiches, breakfast bagels, bagels and lox. Did we mention bagels? 577 Park Blvd., 208-3456555. $ northern liGhts CaFe—Imagine a diner that prefers salmon and caribou to burgers and chickenfried steaks. 650 E. Boise Ave., sU 208-424-9111. $$
LAu R IE P EAR M AN
the reFuGe—A neighborhood stop with pool, TVs and plenty of pub grub. 404 E. Parkcenter Blvd., sU 208-424-8211. $-$$ royal dynasty—Chinese all the way. Hot and sour soup is a musthave here. 415 E. Parkcenter Blvd. Ste. 137, 208-336-3113. $-$$ siaM thai—Siam is known for its fresh, delicious Thai food in family style proportions, cozy setting and impeccable service. Dishes are spiced to your liking. 590 E. Boise Ave., 208-383-9032, mysiamthai. sU com. $-$$ sMoky Mountain pizza and pasta—See State Street listing. 415 E. Parkcenter Blvd., 208-429-0011, smokymountainsU om pizza.com. $$
Boise eatery Green Chile offers an important lesson for the food snobs out there: It’s what’s on the inside that counts. GReen chile While some people would rather face grievous per5616 W. State St. 208-853-0103 sonal injury than sully their reputations by being seen at a restaurant in a strip mall, those who let the bland exterior of the State Street restaurant keep them away aren’t hurting anyone but themselves. Green Chile is a bastion of Southwestern cuisine in the High Desert, where a bowl of green is a dish that will keep your insides burning for the better part of a week and a bowl of red will clear up any lingering sinus problems. The menu is filled with what would appear at first glance to be run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant standards—burritos, tacos, enchiladas—but a Southwestern twist makes things go from mundane dinner to a culinary test of heat tolerance. Green Chile takes full advantage of the Hatch chiles that are the trademark of New Mexican cooking, creating green and red sauces that will slowly simmer their way up to nearly volcanic intensity. If you ignore the fact that the green chile looks like a bowl of bubbling snot, the slow-cooked tenderness of generous chunks of pork will keep you diving in, despite the fact that your insides are steadily burning. If you’re more interested in the smoky sweetness of the ancho pepper, go for the bowl of red, which though less spicy, is about as good of bowl of chili as you can experience. Nearly everything at the modest restaurant comes either smothered in, or sided by, red or green sauce, a fact which those who make it past the strip mall exterior will relish. —Deanna Darr 36 | RESTAURANT GUIDE 2011 | boiseweekly
tavern at bown CrossinG— Choose between the first level streetside balcony where all the passersby can watch you enjoy a bottle of wine and a steak, or lounge on the second-level patio with sushi and a martini. Pot roast nachos are the dish everyone talks about. 3111 S. Bown Way, 208-345-2277, tavernatbown.com. sU om $$-$$$ the trolley house—A favorite neighborhood diner with a giant menu from eggs Benedict to burgers to a low-cal section. BYOB. 1821 Warm Springs Ave., 208-345sU 9255. $-$$ zeppole bakinG Co.—See Downtown listing. 983 E. Parkcenter Blvd., 208-338–1499, zeppolesU om bakery.com. $
south boise ChiCaGo ConneCtion—See Downtown listing. 7766 Lemhi St., 208-323-1231, chicagoconnection. sU om com. $$ Ck hawaiian bbQ—Asian/ Hawaiian fusion on a budget and a schedule. 7709 Overland Road, Ste. 110, 208-376-4380, om ckhawaiianbbq.com. $$ diGG’s pizza—Neighborhood pizza restaurant offering a large variety of pizza options. Free delivery. 4646 S. Cole Rd., 208-362-3177. sU om $$
Goodwood barbeCue CoMpany—If it can be barbecued, chances are, Goodwood has it. If barbecue isn’t your thing, have steak, fish or chicken. 7849 W. Spectrum St., 208-658-7173, goodwoodbbq.com. sU om $$-$$$ le CoQ rouGe—This quaint French restaurant is family owned and run. Reservations are highly suggested. 1320 S. Maple Grove Road, 208-376-9463. $$-$$$ Res sU leGends sports pub and Grill—Legends is a stop for a weekend afternoon of game watching or a quick bite to eat before a movie. Burgers, sands, salads and lots of ice-cold beer. 7609 W. Overland Road, Ste. 100, 208-377-1819, legendspubandgrill. sU om com. $$ pad thai house—Pad Thai House is so confident that its Pad Thai is the best in Boise, the restaurant is named after it. 1473 S. Five Mile Road, 208-375-6014, om padthaihouse.net. $-$$ pollo rey—See Downtown listing. 7709 W. Overland Road, 208-375-4642, polloreyboise.com. sU om $ sushi ya—Huge selection of all-you-can-eat sushi, made fresh to order. 8915 W. Overland Road., 208-377-2000, sushiya-allyoucaneom at.com. $-$$ twisted tiMber pub and Grill—One of South Boise’s only neighborhood pubs. The menu is pub grub, and the barbecue chicken quesadilla gets all the attention. 4563 S. Cloverdale Road, 208-362-7157, ilovethetimber.com. $-$$ sU om
garden city Chapala—See Bench listing. 3447 W. Chinden Blvd., 208-3425648; 5697 Glenwood St., 208-321-8262, chapalarestausU om rants.com. $-$$ Cobby’s—See Broadway listing. 4348 W. Chinden Blvd., 208-3227401, cobbys.com. $-$$ sU om el Gallo Giro—Seafood orders come with oysters, shrimp and octopus. The fish tacos are fantastic but the real draw is the sizzling fajitas. 5285 Glenwood St., 208-321-0355, elgallogiroidaho. sU om com. $-$$ Fortune wok—The restaurant is owned by the Fong family, whose great-great-grandfather immigrated to America from southern China five generations ago to work the mines in Idaho City during the gold rush. They offer a good, but not overwhelming selection of Chinese favorites. 5163 N. Glenwood St., 208-378-4645 fortune-wok.com. sU om $-$$
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