Sometimes the past should remain just that...

Well, time to clear the inbox of a few more places I'm having trouble making myself write about.   Today's theme is "What the hell happened to these places I used to love?!"


Crooked Fence Brewing Co. Barrelhouse

Okay, so I know my last review was of a brewpub as well.  Sue me.  The roommate and I hit two pretty much back-to-back.  Crooked Fence Brewing Co.'s Barrelhouse is a little closer to home and with plenty of parking, so that made it a little easier for us to make it to.


10 Barrel Brewing Co.

You may have noticed that I don't make it downtown much.  It's not that I don't want to (though there are things about it that annoy the hell out of me), but I just rarely have cause to be there.  I don't work there, I don't live there, and there generally isn't much going on in the area that draws me down.  When I do go, it's usually a multi-tasking trip.  Occasionally I'll go to see a play or catch a movie at The Flicks, maybe do a little shopping at Whole Foods or the Co-op, and of course I'll grab a bite to eat while I'm in the area.  That's exactly how I finally wound up checking out 10 Barrel Brewing Co.


They grow up so fast...

Believe it or not (and trust me, I'm having a hard time believing it at the moment), I've been doing this food blogging thing for just four months shy of four years.  Of all the people I've met while eating my way across the Valley and beyond, both good and bad, a handful have ended up being very special to me.  Chefs with passion that inspires, history that fascinates and, most importantly, food that delights and challenges me.  Looking back over the years, there is probably one that stands out just a little more than the others, who pops up almost like clockwork through my Facebook and blog posts.  As my audience (and hopefully my skills as a reviewer) have grown, so has this chef's business and menu continued to develop and evolve.

When I first met Phu Tran, I had been indulging in this little hobby of mine for just over a year, about the same amount of time that he had been on the street in his RiceWorks truck slinging fresh, traditional Asian food to grateful office workers.  I ended up going back two more times in as many weeks, and the resulting write-up has had over 900 views (it doesn't sound like a lot, but it was for this site back in 2011).  Phu was the first chef ever to learn who I was before I actually ended up reviewing him, and he was the first person I interviewed during my ill-advised stint with the Boise Weekly, and believe it or not at that point he was considering calling it quits.  Since then, the truck got a helluva paint job, the all-important semi-monthly Food Truck Rally events have allowed many more people to sample his wares, and Phu has begun to focus more on fusion cuisine.  All of this has culminated in the opening of an honest-to-goodness brick and mortar restaurant in The Village at Meridian.  I considered writing a big, overall retrospective piece on the evolution of RiceWorks, but something tells me that Phu hasn't peaked yet, so let's just talk about last night's dinner instead.



And the gold medal for drunk food goes to...

I'm just one man.  One man with limited time and financial means.  I would love to visit more places than I do, but even in a mid-sized metropolitan area like Boise, there are a lot of eateries to choose from.  I will sometimes catch some static about which places I choose to visit and when, but there are a lot of factors.  First of all, the tastes and cravings of the people I'm dining with often come into play.  Then there is the location factor; if you're close to my home or work, I'll probably get around to you more quickly.  If it's a place I'm really interested in, I will go out of my way.  Sooner or later.  Of course, I get recommendations for places to hit from people on Facebook, through e-mails to my site, from people I know in everyday life who are aware of this little hobby of mine...and of course, every once in a while I'll get an invite from a proprietor or PR person.  I keep track of them, and I usually get around to trying the places.  It may take a while (sometimes a LONG while).  I've gotten hints, suggestions, passive aggressive insults.  In at least one case I've gotten continuous, albeit friendly, pleading.  It's been going on for quite some time now, the kind of length of time that makes me feel guilty.  But here's the thing, the guy is only open from 10 PM until 4 AM and in one of the busiest downtown nightclub areas, and I tend not to be downtown much, especially in that area and during those times.

Last night, there was a big shindig downtown to celebrate our new skyscraper, and the man in question opened up a couple of hours early to take advantage of the crowds.  It seemed as good a time as any to keep my word, so I braved the crowds, the parking headaches, and the lame music.  David, this one's for you...



Better late than never, right?

Occasionally I'll go to a very new restaurant and have a frustrating experience, but see enough promise in them to realize maybe I should give them another chance down the road.  That instinct has rarely let me down, but in this case pretty much everything I've heard and read has led me to believe that none of the things I saw as issues have really been resolved.  So, rather than hold off on the write-up until a return visit that isn't looking like it's going to happen at this point, I figure I might as well just post what I've got and move on to the next place.  So, with that in mind...



The Saladman cometh...and cometh back...and back again...and again...

If you've spent any time at the Western Idaho Fair or other local festivals, then the name "Saladman" probably rings a bell.  Chris was a longtime vendor at those sorts of events, turning out wraps, sandwiches, fried things, and of course, salads.  Some of the more in-the-know people might recall that when he wasn't at the Fair, Chris had his shack set up in a few different places in Boise to serve the lunch crowd, the last of which was on State Street.  Eventually he decided to give up the food truck/shack life for a brick and mortar restaurant called Chris' on Broadway (guess where that was located), but it wasn't long before location issues reared their ugly head and drove him to the other side of Boise.  Chris finally landed in a strip at, of all places, Emerald and Maple Grove.  I didn't hold high hopes for his success, seeing as how many restaurants have tried and failed in that strip.

Somehow, he's been making it work so far, odd location and limited hours aside.  The new spot is open only for breakfast and lunch, and only on weekdays.  If you haven't caught up with Chris yet, here's some of what you've been missing.


Cacicia's II: Home Is Where the Hearth Is

I don't know if there's anything I can tell you about Cacicia's at this point that I didn't cover in my first review (which you can read here).  Since that review, they've tried the brick and mortar thing once and found out pretty quickly that the location wasn't a good fit.  Their second stab at a sit-down eatery is now live at The Village at Meridian, in a cozy little glass-walled building with a great view of the fire pit and fountains.  Best of all, the food is just as good and reasonably-priced, and the menu has expanded a bit.  Since I don't have much of anything new to say, let's just look at some pictures, eh?


The Chains That Bind (or, How Many People Can I Piss Off This Time?)

Story time, kiddies!  Once upon a time, there were two natural foods stores in Texas.  The couple who ran one of them actually lived at the store for a while after being evicted for storing foodstuffs in their apartment.  Rather than compete with each other for business, they decided to join forces and create a natural foods supermarket.  The supermarket was 10,500 square feet and started with 19 employees.  Believe it or not, that was pretty big compared to most of their ilk at the time.  Less than a year had gone by when a flood basically destroyed the uninsured store.  In most cases, the whole thing would have been a huge loss, but customers, neighbors and friends pulled together to clean the place up.  Vendors and creditors cut them some slack as well, and the store re-opened mere weeks later.  Over the next few years, the supermarket grew more popular and financially stable.  Eventually, expansion was inevitable; first into other cities, and then into other states.  Other natural foods stores were absorbed, and other natural foods chains.  Exposure grew through partnerships, including ones with foodie television shows.  The little supermarket that could eventually became something of a benchmark of the natural foods juggernaut, a trend that shows no signs of stopping.  Have you figured out who I'm talking about yet?

Putting their money where my mouth is part 2: Marie Callender's calls my bluff

A couple of weeks ago I did a write-up on Del Taco, but let's not go too far into that.  As a matter of fact, let's not go into it at all. Ever again.  The point is, they sent me a gift card so I could try a new menu item, I obliged them, and I wrote a pretty negative review of the experience (which they apparently didn't read since I keep receiving all kinds of e-mails from them about new promotions and products).  At the start of that write-up, I mentioned that Marie Callender's PR people had been doing something similar, except that they seemingly just wanted me to share their press releases for no compensation and use their professionally-taken photographs.  I even included an example e-mail.  I figured why not, it's not like they actually read my blog!

Four days later, I received an e-mail from those same PR people.  They had seen my post, and would be happy to provide a gift card not only for myself, but one for my roommate as well.  They also said that they actually do read my posts, and that I should feel free to take my own pictures.  I'll admit it, I was shocked.  My first instinct was to apologize for what I'm sure seemed like obvious hinting on my part, but then I realized I had put it out there that if they would cover the cost of whatever it was they wanted me to promote, I would try it and write about it.  They had called my bluff.  I had done it for a place I all but knew I wasn't going to like, and at least I had fond memories of visiting Marie Callender's in the past.

And that's how I wound up having an early dinner at Marie Callender's this week.