Eating Out in Idaho

Glenns Ferry: Carmela Vineyards, 1289 W. Madison, Phone (208) 366-2313 Stopped by for a wine tasting, bought some, stayed for lunch. Excellent prime rib sandwiches, cheesy broccoli soup and salad. Dine on the patio overlooking the golf course. Well worth the price. (9/2005)

Hagerman: Larry and Mary's Restaurant, 141 N. State St., Phone (208) 837-6475 According to Mary, our waitress and the Mary of Larry and Mary's Restaurant, we broke a waitress rule by not closing our menus after perusing them to show that we were ready to order. Wow, I have to admit we were ignorant of that particular rule of restaurant behavior! We knew, of course, to turn our coffee cup up if we wanted it filled or to leave it down if we didn't, but she also told us a good waitress watches to see how far one tilts their mug to judge whether or not she needs to come by with the coffee pot to refill said mug. Need I say that we were the only customers in the restaurant at 8:15 in the morning? Restaurant etiquette course 101 on a Sunday morning in a small town.

All kidding aside, the meal was quite good and Larry prides himself on his hand-grated and carefully friend hash browns which he insisted on serving us in spite of our protests of following an Atkin's diet. I caved in and took a couple of bites and they were, indeed, deliciously crisp. It's a nice restaurant, the owners are friendly and the food is good. And townspeople arrive in shiny, highly polished, mint-condition Edsels so ya gotta love it!
Oldtown:  Riverbank Family Restaurant, 402 N. Idaho Ave. Phone (208) 437-0892  We stopped at this restaurant that sits on the Priest River due to the large number of cars in the parking lot.  Little did we know that all of the patrons were in the bar and for good reason.  Denny and I both ordered the Friday night special of all you can eat fish which was cod.   The meal came with a salad bar which included old lettuce, a few toppings and about eight types of salad dressings.  The fish looked wonderful when it arrived at our table, but it turns out what we were served was fish fritters.  The cod itself was pieces of fish about 3/8 of an inch thick, one inch wide and about four inches long.  With the breading, the fish appears to be two inches wide and seven inches long.  When I finished my three pieces of fish, after removing all the breading, I had a pile of breading that was about four inches deep on my plate.  We brought that to the attention of the waitress who said she'd tell the cook (and we did hear her telling him) but that was it.  There was only us and one other couple in the restaurant at 6PM on a Friday night.  I guess that says it all.  Not recommended. (7/2010)

Weiser: Homestead Cafe, 813 State St. Phone (208) 414-3962 Popular with locals, relatively inexpensive and lots of food. We ate breakfast there. (9/2005)