Noodles & Company

Noodles & Company
2274 N. Eagle Rd., Suite 100
Meridian, ID 83646

+1-208-884-3379

 

Chain of >100 "fast casual" restaurants specializing in noodle dishes with international influences ("American", "Asian", "Mediterranean").  For a rapidly-growing chain, the food is relatively decent.  The Indonesian Peanut Saute is spicy (more than one would expect from a chain) but without being over the top.  The roast pork (a recent addition to the meat selections on the menu) was tasty and tender, but the flavor didn't really mesh with the Indonesian dish.  It would likely be better with the American-themed dishes.  The noodles were somewhat gluey on our to-go order, but that might be a result of the 20 minutes or so between picking up the order and actually eating it.  Eating in is likely to be a better option.

 

The soup choices (chicken noodle, Thai curry, tomato basil) seem rather limited and uncreative for a noodle house.  Would be nice to see an Asian-inspired noodle soup on the menu.

Lucky Fins Seafood revisit

Lucky Fins Seafood Grill
1441 N. Eagle Road,
Meridian Idaho 83642
(208)888-FINS (3467)

Tried one of the daily specials: New Zealand Blue Moki. The fish was a nicely prepared filet, moist, with a very light flour crust. The salsa and avocado were fairly bland, as was the rice (which was also somewhat mushy). Overall just passable, and only because of the fish itself. Also tried the Atomic Roll again. They really like to pour on the heat with this one. The jalapeño pieces are large and numerous, and still have some rib and the occasional seed. That plus the Sriracha sauce on top make this a very spicy roll, and the fish is completely overwhelmed. We ended up pulling a lot of the jalapeño out just to tone down the heat. Can't really recommend this roll in it's present form.

Lucky Fins Seafood Grill

Lucky Fins Seafood Grill
1441 N. Eagle Road,
Meridian Idaho 83642
(208)888-FINS (3467)

Extensive seafood menu, wide range of preparations.  Only tried the sushi so far, but we're already certain to go back and try other items.

The sushi selection is very limited, dominated by ahi and hamachi, but that definitely helps them focus on getting really good quality fish.  The hamachi nigiri was the best we've found in the area so far.   Their rolls are creative, and the menu is clear on which ones use Krab vs. Crab.  They could trim the jalapenos a little better - too much of the rib and seeds in one of the rolls, and unevenly distributed, so there was more heat than expected in a couple of the bites.  Otherwise, a definite hit.

Los Betos

Los Betos
6906 West State Street, Boise, ID
(208) 853-1494

Classic hole-in-the wall taqueria reminiscent of all the *bertos (Roberto's, Robiberto's, Alberto's, Aliberto's, etc) in San Diego. Grilled tortillas for the burritos (not steamed!; What's with steaming the tortillas in San Francisco??), short list of ingredients for most burritos - meat, guac, pico de gallo - and generous serving sizes. Tacos are also generously sized, with more ingredients, making them tasty but a bit difficult to eat without a fork.

They have several other locations in the area (one more in Boise, 2 in Nampa, one on Eagle Road in Meridian). And, most importantly, some locations are open 24 hours!

Not high cuisine, but if you need a quick burrito fix in the Treasure Valley, Los Betos is the place to go.