Red Feather Lounge

Red Feather Lounge
246 N. 8th Street
Boise, ID 83702
+1-208-429-6340

Half of the Bittercreek Alehouse/Red Feather Lounge group, serving "seasonal American cuisine" and focusing on very local ingredients as much as possible.  The menu changes frequently based on availability of ingredients.



The seared pork belly was, as pork belly usually is, quite tasty but the Asian-style broth it was served in was too vinegary throwing the entire dish somewhat out of balance.

The Kale Caesar is an interesting twist on a classic. Fire-roasting the kale is a fantastic idea, adding great roasted flavor and keeping the kale crunchy while still breaking it down enough to not be excessively chewy.  The Ceasar dressing had enough tang and just enough creaminess to mesh well with the kale.

The smoked trout had just a very light smoke flavor, which didn't overpower the trout itself.

Somewhat disappointing was the roasted root vegetables, mainly because the mix was far too low on the more interesting root vegetables (parsnip, turnip, etc), and ended up being mostly potatoes, carrots, and some kale (which would have been ok if it wasn't being compared to the Caesar).

The Fraser Couloir Cuvee was a solid, well-balanced red blend that fit the menu nicely.

RAM Restaurant and Brewery

RAM Restaurant and Brewery
709 East Park Boulevard
Boise, ID 83712
+1-208-345-2929

The downtown Boise outpost of a family-run chain of about 20 sports bar/restaurant/brewpubs (currently in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, and Indiana). Lots of TVs for viewing games from the bar or restaurant seating.

The Big Horn Blonde ale is light and clean with just a hint of hops. The 71 Pale Ale is fairly mild at first, but has lots of hop at the very end. A "Short" beer is 18 oz. but looks far bigger. The sodas are similarly generous.

The menu includes salads, sandwiches, and lots of burger creations, some of which seem overly complicated. I didn't see any build-your-own choice on the burgers, but also did not ask.  The burgers are flame grilled, which gives them a good classic taste, are very generous (1/2 lb probably), and relatively sloppy given their complexity.  Medium rare ended up closer to rare, but medium well came out just right.

The Border burger had lots of sliced Jalapeños (including seeds and ribs), which provided some decent heat, but the salsa wasn't realy memorable and the cheese was virtually absent.

The sweet potato fries are passable but not stellar - could be a little crisper, and they seemed to be significantly flavored by the cooking oil.

The decor is a somewhat upscaled Marie Calender's, with brickwork columns by Gaudí.

Overall a decent place for a burger and a beer, especially if you're hungry after a cold day on the slopes at Bogus Basin.

Rembrandts Coffee House

Rembrandts
S. Eagle Rd.
Eagle, ID

Great coffee house atmosphere in a converted church in downtown Eagle. Fair trade, sustainable coffee roasted on-site. Full espresso bar. Large selection of house-made baked goods - muffins, scones, cinnamon rolls, etc.

Tried the Caesar salad with grilled chicken for lunch. The caesar dressing was somewhat oily and not very ceasar-ish. The chicken breast was a little dry but had good flavor. Service was fairly quick, but had been surprisingly slow in the past-  even for just a regular coffee and scone to go. Hopefully the service issues are all behind them.

Live music and open mic occasionally, and sometimes closed for special events.