May 10, 2007
Cuisine: New American

913 W River St Ste 913
Boise, ID 83702

Phone: 208-333-9800
Website: www.cottonwoodgrille.com/

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Bread and butter (complimentary)

Appetizer: Mixed Greens with Cottonwood Grille Vinaigrette

Entree: Salmon in a Cage – Fresh farm raised salmon filet wrapped in crispy Idaho potato and finished with a lemon beurre blanc ($17.95)

Dessert I: Crème Brûlée – Creamy fresh vanilla bean custard with a thin caramelized sugar crust ($6.95)

Dessert II: Raspberry Brûlée – Ripe raspberries mixed in a creamy fresh vanilla bean custard, topped with a thin caramelized sugar crust ($7.95)

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Just three days in Boise and I’m totally infatuated with the place. It turns out I’m a sucker for cities with great running terrain, dry heat, and friendly people.

For my final meal in The City of Trees, my colleagues and I dined at The Cottonwood Grille—a local restaurant serving up “Contemporary Northwest Cuisine.” The bill of fare includes pastas, vegetarian options, prime beef, chicken, pork, and fish, but due to our large group (30+), we were limited to a smaller menu.

For appetizers, we had a choice between a Caesar salad and mixed greens; I went with the mixed greens. The salad was composed mainly of Romain lettuce with a few spinach leaves, julienned carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes. The vegetables were fresh and the vinaigrette achieved a perfect balance of acidity and oily, which is more difficult than it sounds.

Our main course choices were steak, seafood linguine, salmon, chicken, and a vegetarian stir fry with tofu and seitan. After many days on the road, palate fatigue set in and none of the options sounded particularly appetizing. I was initially leaning toward the stir fry because faux meats are fabulous, but was suspicious of the singular Asian-esque dish in a sea of American fare. What is most bothersome about Cottonwood’s menu is their lack of mentioning side dishes. Oftentimes when I’m deciding between different entrees, I take accompaniments into account. I eventually settled on the salmon after much internal debate.

The salmon was better than I expected due to the buttery hash browns seared into its flesh. The tastiest bites included potatoes and lemon beurre blanc, while the bites of plain fish were bland. The salmon was served with green beans, rice pilaf, and butternut squash. The green beans were sauteed in garlic and shallots and were delicious. The rice was unadorned and good. My favorite side dish was the cinnamon-y butternut squash; its sweetness contrasted well with the other elements on my plate.

For dessert, we had a choice between raspberry brûlée and hazelnut cheesecake. I ordered the raspberry brûlée, but was brought a regular brûlée by mistake. I did not realize the error until I could not find any raspberries in my dessert. The regular crème brûlée was excellent. The sugary crust was evenly golden and the crème was luxuriously smooth and contained tiny flecks of vanilla bean. The raspberry brûlée was stellar as well. Wonderfully ripe raspberries were placed into the custard post-baking, but pre-torching. The berries paired amazingly with the crème brûlée.

May 8, 2007
Cuisine: American

205 N 10th St # 101 *CLOSED*
Boise, ID 83702

Phone: 208-343-4334
Website: www.milkywayboise.com/

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Squaw bread with butter (complimentary)

Entree I: Grilled Black Forest Ham and Swiss Cheese with Dijon mayo on whole wheat bread served with House Salad – tomatoes and cucumbers tossed in a Sherry vinaigrette ($7.25)

Dessert: Lemongrass Cardomom Crème Brûlée ($5)

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Conjuring up Idaho in my head, I pictured an agricultural landscape with countless miles of potato fields and farmers tending to their crops in denim overalls and straw hats. Imagining the food scene in this unfamiliar state, I saw myself eating spuds at every meal prepared in a plethora of ways—au gratin, mashed, fried, baked, stuffed, and scalloped.

Although Idaho and potatoes will always be synonymous with one another in my mind, the offerings in Boise are much more interesting than I anticipated. Downtown Boise contains a fair number of chains, but also boasts Thai restaurants, a few sushi joints, and even a handful of Basque eateries. I haven’t been able to sample much of the fare due to work, but am thoroughly impressed by the variety and quality of eats available in this town. Maybe we are the United States of Arugula after all.

I read rave reviews about The Milky Way prior to arriving in Boise and headed there for a casual lunch on my first day in the city. With temperatures in the mid-80’s, I could not resist dining alfresco on their front patio. The menu consists mostly of classic American comfort foods like meatloaf and macaroni and cheese with a few twists thrown in such as braised beef cheeks and shrimp and scallop potstickers. In an uncharacteristically unadventurous mood, I chose the Grilled Black Forest Ham and Swiss Cheese sandwich.

I was brought a small loaf of squaw bread to munch on while waiting for my entree. The bread was freshly baked, subtly sweet, and tasted like a cross between rye and whole wheat. I liked it quite a bit. My sandwich arrived not too long after.

The sandwich and side salad were both simple and delicious. The whole wheat bread had a tinge of sour and was toasty without being greasy. The cheese and ham were good, but nothing out of the ordinary. The Dijon mustard added some zing; I’ll have to start adding mustard to my homemade grilled sandwiches. The salad was fresh and evenly dressed.

For dessert, my waitress recommended the Lemongrass Cardomom Crème Brûlée, which sounded fabulous. I find crème brûlée irresistible even though it has become commonplace—there’s just something about tapping through the sugary shell and reaching the creamy custard that gets me every time. There were definite notes of cardomom within the crème, but the lemongrass was unfortunately not strong. The candied sugar crust was beautifully golden and thick. The crème brûlée was satisfying, but I would have enjoyed it more had the custard’s temperature been even and the shell uniformly scorched.