I’m finally starting a feature I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, and one that I’ve had a lot of requests for. I was born and raised in Seattle, but have lived in Boise, Idaho for the past 10 years. I often get requests from locals, visitors, new move-ins, people here on business, etc. about great places to eat in the Boise area (which includes downtown, the suburbs in Meridian and Eagle, and out in Nampa. I realize these posts will have little interest outside of my local area, but even then, maybe some of you will have fun reading it anyway, or share with friends or family coming my way. I’d love to add other reviews from different cities when we travel, so hopefully this section of our blog will build out nicely over the coming months and years.
I’ll be honest- when my family eats out, 90% of the time we’re heading to Red Robin or Costa Vida or somewhere else where I can have a relatively painless experience with 4 children in tow. However when I have the chance to really enjoy a night out, my husband and I (two people who REALLY love good food) love trying out new places. So as I explore my city, I’m going to share my reviews here on The Scoop. I’ll do an extended post for each new restaurant (which is what you are seeing here), and then add a quick summary to one single post that can act as a quick reference guide if you’re looking for good eats in this area! I’m going to add a bunch of my favorites to that reference guide over the next week or two so it has some info on it, but for today, I’m just going to start with a review for the restaurant we ate at over the weekend for our Valentine’s date. Enough with the intro- here we go!
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When I was interviewed recently by the Idaho Statesman, before I hung up the phone I had to ask the writer, who happens to also be a professional chef and the author of the restaurant review section, for his top picks in Boise. The Dish was one of his top two recommendations so I’ve been dying to try it out. Note that none of my reviews involve complimentary meals. I’m just enjoying dinner as an everyday customer and sharing my experiences with you.
Restaurant: The Dish
Location: Downtown Boise, 205 N 10th St
The Dish sits in a great spot on 10th street. Take a little walk before or after your meal and you can pop into The Chocolate Bar or The City Peanut Shop, two of my favorite sweet stops downtown. It’s also right around the corner from Freak Alley, a hot spot for local graffiti artists and a fun stop for pictures.
Style: Upscale, bistro-style food with a neighborhood feel. (Their words. But I agree!) I loved the cool light fixtures and eclectic decor and styling.
Kid Friendly Factor: I would leave the little ones at home and save this one for a date.
What we ate: Browse the entire menu, here– although note that it is a changing menu (always a great sign of a good restaurant in my book) and this is not entirely current. I don’t see either of our entrees on there. We started with the Pita Nachos (Grilled Pita Chips, Smothered Black Bean Hummus, Crushed Falafel, Pico de Gallo, Spicy Tahini Sauce, Herbs) and it was killer. I could have had another plate of that for dinner. I didn’t decide to write this review until after we had left, otherwise I would have taken notes or grabbed a menu for the entrees! I had an awesome steak with grilled butternut squash and mole sauce and my husband had the most amazing buttermilk fried chicken I’ve ever tasted. We nicknamed it doughnut chicken because the batter was slightly sweet and reminded us eating both fried chicken and doughnuts and how can anything be better than that?? Speaking of doughnuts, for dessert we shared the Sweet Potato-Ricotta Beignets, which I would recommend 5 million times over. They come with a little scoop of maple 5-spice ice cream and caramel sauce for dipping. The shared serving was perfect for the two of us after a big meal.
Service: Outstanding. Our waiter was friendly and helpful, and we appreciated his opinions on the menu. Staff members walked by often and never passed without a smile or a hello. They replaced silverware, removed dishes, and filled up water and beverages often.
Would we eat there again? Definitely.
Have a recommendation of somewhere I should eat? Would you like me to test out a restaurant before you try it? Let me know!
Questions & Reviews
When we lived in Boise 4 years ago, our FAVORITE restaurant was The Reef, downtown. (The last 3 times we have been back to visit we always make a stop there for delicious voodoo fries and anything else on the menu.)
Also, loved Goldie’s for breakfast!!!
We just tried Asiago’s from a Groupon I purchased and it was SO GOOD. You’ll definitely need to check it out….although we went as a lunch date, so I’m not sure on the kid friendly factor, but the food was A-MAZE-ING. Also, you NEED to go to K Fusion, it’s a Korean place that my husband (who served a mission in Korea) said has the BEST Korean he’s had since being over there (and the fact that the 3 times we’ve gone we’ve been in the minority as white people among Koreans tells you something too!). Did you attend the international food and cultural festival last summer? It was one of the first things we went to after moving back to the Treasure Valley, I TRIED to eat small amounts so I could try more things, but it didn’t work…..I made a suggestion on their website that the vendors sell a “sample plate” for $5 so I could try a bigger variety of food, lol 🙂
Thanks for the review. I live in the Boise area so this is a great resources for me. One suggestion I have is put the general price of the meal, so the readers can know the price range before heading out on the town. Thanks!
Have you tried Thailand Express in Nampa? It’s on 12th just north of Greenhusrt. It’s a little place in a strip mall, but it is the BEST Thai food. I would save it for a date night as the place is on the smaller side. The food does not disappoint!!!
Fork in downtown Boise is also fabulous. The grilled cheese/tomato soup fondue appetizer is to die for; too many great entree choices to list, and the butter cake with raspberry sauce for dessert….my my my…
Don’t promise us you aren’t getting complimentary meals…because if that opportunity presents itself….you’d better run with it!!!!!
My husband and I are in the process of moving from California to Boise. Thanks for the review, hope to see more!
Oh, I love this! I will read every restaurant post you write. I’m sorry to report the only place I know of up there is Boise Fry Company, so I’m all ears (eyes).
You had to mention the City Peanut Shop! *SIGH* I made the mistake of buying a tub of their Honey Peanut Butter at a Farmers Market nearly two years ago when I was in town visiting. Now I have to have the blasted stuff shipped to my home (in Utah) because it’s the only peanut butter I can eat any more! I have become a peanut butter snob! I’ve tried every other peanut butter on the market and have even tried making my own; it just doesn’t compare.
For a little while now I’ve been wanting to contact you about a banana cream pie at a restaurant in Brigham City, UT. The restaurant is called Idle Isle, a timeless ma and pop place. Recreating this pie has become my new purpose in life ever since my husband has told me about this pie from his childhood– probably his favorite thing to eat, ever. I’ve tried banana cream pie recipes since we’ve been married, 6 years ago, with no success. We’ve discovered some delicious desserts, but nothing that can compare to this pie! I’ve finally tried it for my first time last November (yes, I’ve been trying to recreate it without even having tried it, but we don’t live near there), and never having been a huge fan of banana cream pie, this stuff REALLY is amazing. Very unique crust, too. If you’re ever passing through there for some reason, please try that pie and recreate it for us!!
Very excited to see your restaurant picks! We moved to Boise a few years ago and are still discovering new places. We do love The Dish! My first experience with them was their Bon Mi (spelling?) fries. Melt in your mouth flavor explosion!! Okay now I need to go back!!
Ok. This is awesome. I’ve been curious about The Dish and now I definitely want to try it. We recently had dinner at Bonefish Grill downtown. Loved it. It’s so nice to try new places after a recommendation. Have you eaten at Fresh Off the Hook? Little place on Milwaukee near Target. They do a Grilled Salmon on Foccacia that is fantastic.
Yay! I’m excited to read your reviews! We live in Boise and enjoy trying out new places to eat, too! I’m sure you’ve tried The Boise Fry Company, but that’s one of our favorites. My husband loves the bison burger. It’s fun to try out their different combinations of fries/salt/sauces.
We also like the gyros at Mazzah Mediterranean Grill. And the Pad Thai at the Pad Thai House on five mile and Overland is really yummy, too. We finally went to Chandler’s Steak House. It’s expensive, but delicious. We got the filet mignon there and it was perfect. I’m looking forward to trying The Dish!
You should try Willowcreek Grill. The one we go to is off of Vista and is always packed. It is our go to spot when we have out of town guests.
Their Anaheim Turkey is a must-have according to my husband while I prefer the SBLT or CBLTA.
http://willowcreekgrill.com/
I love this! I get to join my hubs on a business trip to Boise in May and this will be on our list of places to try. Thanks!
LOVE this. We moved from San Diego to Meridian last year and are always looking for great restaurants to explore!
Thank you, thank you for starting this section of your blog! We just moved from Seattle to Boise & now have a good resource for exploring new restaurants.
Love this new part of your blog. Restaurant reviews!! Yeah!!
Shhhh, don’t let everyone know how cool Idaho is.
We don’t want that to leak out! Wink, Wink.