Eating My Way Through Boise

After 15.5 hours in a car eating nothing but soy crackers and grapes, you can imagine how excited I was to find out Boise is the farm-to-table mecca in the Pacific Northwest. Really sad I didn’t pack elastic waistband pants.

The Hyde House, Boise ID

The Hyde House in the historic Hyde Park neighborhood was our first stop. I ordered like a boss (also like my food critic friend Susie Davidson Powell (@susiedp) and said yes to everything the waitress said was her favorite. What? The chicken tarragon sandwich comes with soup and salad? Yes to both. Oh there are two soups? Yes to both.

I was talked out of the pumpkin waffles (but ignored my allergy to apples and drank the ACE Pumpkin Cider) so of course we had to get dessert somewhere else. Four of us split (because I’m not a savage) a tahini bar from Certified Bakery. Gluten free and vegan, this was like eating a formed cookie dough version of a pecan chocolate pie. Magic.

At 5:00 (when I could button my pants again), we hit up The Franklin House, a bed and beer establishment. Yes, you read that right. Bed and beer. Genius since who eats breakfast and then goes back to bed? They have a large backyard with fire pits, hammock swings and very delicious blackberry cider on tap. (Who said I was allergic to apples?)

Dinner almost undid me. It only makes sense that Idaho would have a burger joint that lets you choose what type of potato you want made into french fries. Thank you Boise Fry Co. And that there are at least 7 (that’s all we could carry) dipping sauces (garlic aioli, spicy ketchup, blueberry ketchup) to try. But did it really make sense for me to eat the Bourgeois Fries; russets crisped up in duck fat and sprinkled with truffle oil and sea salt? No one ever said I make a lot of sense (see: apple binging).

Today we are on the hunt for more of Boise to shove into our mouths. With a side of culture on the side. And we’ll be shopping for yoga pants.