Nick-N-Willy’s Pizza - CLOSED

If you've been paying attention, you'll know that I've recently moved.  And as I'm sure most people with kids in tow do, one of the first things I did was check into the available pizza options in the area.  There is, of course, a Domino's nearby, but as I said we're talking about pizza here.  Groupon helped recently by posting a deal where you could get $15 worth of pizza at Nick-N-Willy's on State Street in Boise for $7.  How was it?  Well, it was definitely better than Domino's...


A little Boise Urban Market follow-up

In my Spring Fling entry, I said that I would do a follow-up post when I finally got around to cooking the frozen lumpia from JJ's, but before I get into that I need to quickly address something else.  In that same entry, I mentioned that my roommate started off her evening by chowing down on a pesto roll that I didn't get a picture of.  Well it just so happens that Pam, the maker of said pesto roll, ended up reading my blog and sent me a picture of the rolls.

Pesto rolls...really wishing I had tried them now...

Pam also confirmed my roommate's suspicions that the Thai pepper jelly and bacon roll wasn't as hot as it sounded, and advised that she'll be bringing maple bacon cinnamon rolls to the next Boise Urban Market in June.  Consider me intrigued!  Now, back to the lumpia...


Ling and Louie's Asian Bar and Grill

From the day I drove by the building being erected in the constantly evolving area just South of the Eagle and Franklin Roads intersection with the sign saying "Ling and Louie's Asian Bar and Grill / Rice To Meet You", I was intrigued.

No, it wasn't the punny tag line that got to me, it was the name.  Ling and Louie's Asian Bar and Grill.  Ling is an Asian name, yes.  But Louie?  I was mightily curious about this, and as soon as I could plant myself in front of a computer, I looked into it.  The "About Us" section of their website lays out a story of a young boy who fell in love with the cousin of an exchange student his family had hosted years before when the two reunited during Louie's post-graduation trip to China.  They married and later opened up the first location of the small chain in Scottsdale.  The overall idea is Asian-influenced comfort food.

This interested me even further.  During a rant some time ago, I suggested that Chinese restaurants in this country start referring to themselves as Asian-American Fusion, since the recipes have been so bastardized from their original versions.  Now, here was a place that was leaning even more heavily toward the American side of the fence, and proclaiming it from the rooftops.  A perusal of their menu yielded dishes that were decidedly more Asian, some that were barely Asian at all, and others  that met at very interesting places somewhere in the middle.  Throughout all of this, their Facebook page posted constant updates:  pictures of the construction, early looks at menu items and drinks, etc.  The whole thing was so fascinating to me that I couldn't wait for them to get around to their grand opening, instead choosing to visit a restaurant doing a soft opening for the first time ever...


How about a little home cooking for a change?

o my roommate feels that occasionally I should blog about our favorite recipes to make at home.  I can't be certain if this is because she feels we should show that we actually can cook and/or do eat somewhat healthy from time to time, or just that she wants to share recipes she really enjoys, or that she's too lazy to start her own blog...anyway, I'll try it a few times and see what the response is.  So, without further delay, today's recipe is Delicious Black Bean Burritos...

The finished product


Boise Urban Market - Spring Fling

Another night of successful eating at this month's Boise Urban Market.  Unfortunately, not quite as successful on the picture-taking side of things...

I don't really feel like explaining how the BUM works again, after having just gone through it in my February write-up, but I'll give you the short version here just in case you're too lazy to click either of the preceding links.  Members-only foodie gathering, monthly or every other month, date and time announced early enough to make plans but location given out only a few days beforehand, various hand-made foodstuffs available from non-professionals (though some of them seem to be becoming more professional by the day).  Sound interesting?  Go to their website or Facebook page for more information, and then go here to sign up.

Now that we've dispensed with that, let's talk about some food, shall we?

Uncle Giuseppe's Italian & American Eatery

A while back, I invited the people who follow my Facebook page to recommend any great places I may be missing.  The lone response came from a woman named Jennifer, who shared her enthusiasm about a relatively new deli and sandwich shop called Uncle Giuseppe's Italian & American Eatery.  I was very happy to have someone recommend it to me, as the place had already been on my radar for a few weeks (so many eateries, so little time money).  Finally, opportunity presented itself in the form of what I refer to as a "grab bag day".  Just to clarify, when nobody wants the same thing or can even agree or compromise on what to eat, sometimes I just shrug and take everybody to get exactly what they want.  In this instance, there were three of us.  The toddler got Wendy's, the roommate got Panda Express, and I'm pretty sure you can guess where I went.

Shake 'n Take Burgers (CLOSED)


For what it's worth, here's what I think I know about the story of the fried onion burger:  It was originally created at a diner during a time of economic hardship when meat was pricey and onions weren't.  So, a thin burger patty was covered in a large amount of shaved onions which were smashed down into the meat while it cooked, charring the beef and caramelizing the onions, and lending the whole more substance.  Like many dishes born out of times of hardship, it had fans who kept it going far past the point when it more or less stopped being necessary.  Now, there are festivals devoted to it, and it's a popular item on the fair circuit.

Or at least that's the way I remember the story.  And while I do dig carnival food, I have to admit that I had never tried an onion burger, or fried onion burger, or onion fried burger, or any of the other variations or names.  My fair food consumption is pretty habitual at this point: Pronto Pups, fresh lemonade, candy apples, funnel cakes, whatever the latest deep-fried thing that shouldn't have been deep-fried is...my point is, I usually restrict myself to things that you don't generally just find in any restaurant, so I tend to leave the burgers alone.  Then someone decided to open a restaurant in Meridian that showcased this interesting little regional/carnival curiosity, and now that I could try it at my leisure rather than trying to decide between it and a gyro or something, it finally seemed like the right time.


My Thai "gateway dish"...

I'm not in the habit of writing a second blog entry about places.  At least so far.  Even though I will revisit places that I love, albeit far less often than I would like, I would rather focus on ground I haven't already covered.  There have been a few exceptions, like Boise Fry Company and Lorena's, where particularly interesting circumstances justified (at least in my opinion) further attention.

In this case in particular, it's a single dish from A Taste of Thai that I really want to draw attention to.  A few days ago I happened to be long on appetite and short on cash, I pulled out the old coupon folder and came across a $20 voucher for A Taste of Thai which I had purchased from CitySmart for $10.  I knew my sister was in more or less the same financial boat, so I offered to use the certificate to buy us lunch.  She went with the Pad Thai, which to most people is the "gateway dish" that draws them in to the exploration of Thai cuisine, much in the same way that the California Roll is most people's first sushi experience.

For my own part, I don't dig Pad Thai too much.  I don't like the odd sweet/tangy seasoning combination.  I kept dragging my eyes over their lunch menu again and again, trying to find the dish that would suit my tastes and keep me wanting to explore.  Eventually I decided that I wasn't going to find that dish amongst their lunch specials, and I decided to peruse the dinner menu.  And that, my friends, is when I saw it...

38. Pad Gai - Wide wheat noodles, eggs, onions, roasted garlic, black pepper and your choice of meat stir-fried in a mild sauce

DK Donuts

Saturday morning, and way too early for someone who's slept as little as I have during the past week to be up and moving around.  I hopped in the car and headed down State Street, passing WinCo and Wal-Mart because there's no way I was going to be cooking anything this morning.  I kept going, passing The Egg Factory, Merritt's, The Lift, Dawson's, Big City, and any number of chain coffee/fast food places.  Today, I had two things to satisfy: hunger and curiosity.



Olive Garden (Boise)

In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm not much of an Olive Garden fan.  In fact, with the exception of their fettuccine alfredo, I can't think of a single entrée I've ever truly enjoyed from any of their locations that I've visited.  It should be said here that I don't like fettuccine alfredo, so if there's only one place I DO like it from, they're probably not doing it right.  I don't dislike Olive Garden per se, they're just kind of...there.

However, there are a few saving graces.  I've always enjoyed the toasted ravioli appetizer quite a bit, and there's an amazing Black Tie Mousse Cake on their dessert menu.  In between the appetizer and dessert, well it's very hard to go wrong with soup and salad, so that's usually what I get.  As much as I bristle at the word "safe" when used to describe food, at Olive Garden those are my safe choices.  Of course, there are always exceptions...

Sorry, no picture of my local Olive Garden, as they're doing construction of some kind on the roof right now.  But hey, if you've seen one Olive Garden...