Krung Thai

One thing I'm learning about eating in Nampa is that the further you get away from the historic downtown area, not a lot of attention is paid to how a business looks on the outside.  I have stepped across the thresholds of several eateries that were a little sketchy-looking, only to find myself in a cozy little place staffed by friendly people who made me feel welcome and were happy to share their love of food.  One such place is Krung Thai.



A fast review of some fast food...

I've been hearing a lot of noise (primarily through Groupon) about Skippers promoting the sustainability of their seafood.  I'm unsure if it's just the Nampa location or a company-wide thing, but recently I found myself in that area of town and shrimp sounded pretty good.  I guess you know what happens next...



Golden Wok

So a reader recommended Golden Wok to me just over two years ago now.  I know, aren't I just the worst?  To be honest, I find it hard to get excited about Americanized Chinese food.  There's no shortage of those types of eateries around here, and let's call a spade a spade: most of them suck.  It seems to be all about nostalgia.  If a place is one you visited long, long ago or is remarkably similar to that place, you like it.  That's the only way I can explain the loyalty to some of the more popular Chinese restaurants around here.  Still, she was adamant and I felt bad for delaying, so I finally gave them a chance...



An Afternoon in McCall

Before we headed out from Cascade (more about that in my previous blog entry), the roommate and I decided to grab a soda at what is basically the town's "last chance" gas station, Howdy's Gas & Grub.  We didn't grab any food there but, believe me, we could have.



A Night at The Ashley Inn

My roomie is a very spontaneous person.  Here's a perfect example:  last week when I was griping about wanting to get out of town, even if only for a day, she said that her kids were on spring break the following week, so if I wanted to take Monday off we could drive up to Cascade Sunday afternoon, spend the night, then grab lunch in McCall the next day.  After confirming that she wasn't joking, I figured why the hell not?  I got the OK from my boss, made sure I had some money that wasn't doing anything better, and it was all set.



Bodacious Pig

A while back, I posted a list of restaurants that had failed to impress me over on my Facebook page, some of which I'd written up, and a few that I hadn't bothered with.  I asked which of them was worthy of a second chance.  El Gallo Giro (my review is here) was the overwhelming winner, but nobody named a dish that was worth going back to try.  Bodacious Pig came in second place, and since I love good barbecue and I'd only visited the place once when they had first opened, I figured why not?



2nd Street Deli

I like sandwiches.  A lot.  The convenience factor is nice of course (assuming it's a sane sandwich, if I need a knife and fork it's hard to think of it as a sandwich...I'm looking at you, open-faced "sandwiches"), but it's the sheer versatility that is the best thing about them.  The possibilities are basically endless.  And like many of you, I have my favorite places to procure sandwiches.

A few months back, the company I work for moved our offices from Boise to Nampa, much too far away to make it to any of my former favorite lunch haunts.  While many of my co-workers were content once they learned there is a Jimmy John's within driving distance, that didn't satisfy me.  So, I started searching the nearby area, and one of the first eateries I stumbled upon was the 2nd Street Deli.



Potentially amazing thing developing here!

How would you feel about Boise having a fixed, permanent spot for food trucks?  Check out the video below, and then please consider contributing to the West End Food Park Kickstarter campaign at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2138950445/west-end-food-park.



Like a Hawai'ian Boomerang...

My luck with Hawaiian-style food has been pretty hit and miss, especially for someone who has had so little of it.  Way back in the day before I decided I needed a domain name and a blogging platform so I could use a few thousand words to describe a cheeseburger, I did my reviewing on Urbanspoon, and that's where I posted my first review of a Hawaiian-style restaurant.

I hope it's not authentic
by Track
September 03, 2010 - Doesn't like it 
There was only one occupied table when I went, but I still had to wait several minutes to place my take-out order because the proprietor/cook was chatting with the people at the table. When he did return to the kitchen, he sang along loudly with the songs on the sound system. I understand the "just dropped by a friend's place for some homestyle island fare" vibe they're going for, but it's not my cup of tea when I'm eating at a strip mall. The rice was fine and the macaroni salad was rich but good, but the char siu pork left something to be desired. I've considered returning to try something more traditionally Hawaiian, but there are several other places around Boise I've yet to try, and it will depend on how they stack up.

That eatery was Kana Girl's Hawai'ian BBQ, Mark I.  Before I jump into discussing Kana Girl's Redux, a little context is probably in order...



Pad Thai House

Well, since I'm starting to get backed up on Thai restaurants I need to review, I might as well get one of them out of the way.  Pad Thai House has become a favorite over the last several months, not just of mine but my roommate, my mother, my sister, my sister's boyfriend, etc.  They were one of those places I drove by a million times and never stopped at until my loved ones basically held an intervention to get me there.  Sometimes visiting a place a half dozen times in a few months makes reviewing them tricky, because I don't really recall my first visit or any anecdotes about it with any real clarity, but by the same token there are usually a lot more pictures to show and dishes to talk about.  So let's talk about some food, eh?