Rick's Press Room - Meridian ID

Stop the presses! There's something punny going on here!

Via buzzfeed.com

Headlines are what draw your interest to a newspaper and can sometimes make or break an edition. Not that anyone under the age of thirty knows what a newspaper is anymore, or even what news is that doesn't involve a social network link. Rick and Julie over at Rick's Press Room know a little bit about newspapers and headlines; or at least it would appear so to the casual observer in their little restaurant in downtown Meridian. The walls are littered with headlines of dead people and old crap nobody cares about anymore. But don't  judge the place by the decor.

The one thing everyone that comes to Rick's Press room does care about, other than trying to catch a glimpse of Guy Fieri and his trademark Comaro (give it up kids, Guy has left the building!), is the food that has received quite a few raves from some of the locals and international customers, many of which have adorned the walls of Rick's Press Room with their own headlines via Sharpie. So, I decided to follow the crowd and try out this little joint. 

I was in the mood to sniff out a good story and it just so happened that the smoker was spewing its little love puffs right outside the front entrance. Nice marketing! Not sure what was in the smoker, but I'm certain it was worthy of its own story below the fold. Now, I think I know what Rick and Julie (the owners - hence the name "Rick's Press Room" - keep up kids) were going for with the interior of the place; that eclectic, shabby, recycled newspaper design with a feeling of casualness and fun, but it was more reminiscent of my old college dorm room than a restaurant setting you would expect to see based on all of the published raves. But my college dorm room was a lot of fun and as I recall, there may have been a bit of smoking going on in there too. So, maybe it works. 

I asked about the specialties of the house and was told that pretty much everything was good (canned answer. C'mon, grow a pair! This is your chance to push the highest margin dish!). So I decided to go with a bit of seafood and ordered the Crab Melt with a bowl of the Clam Chowder. Say it with me . . . chow-dah! My dining partner had the raved about burger with simple bacon and cheddar (che dah). we also ordered a loaf of their warm sour dough bread with butter to get our taste buds hopping. 

As promised, the bread was warm and also moist in the center with a crispy crust. The accompanying real butter was a nice contrast to the whipped look-a-likes you normally get at restaurants. Not bad.

The chowder was the soup of the day and I found myself wishing for a little more density to the bowl. A bit loose for my taste and a little shy on flavor, but it did have plenty of clams, potatoes and celery and went well with a bit of the sour dough bread. Pretty good, but not great. 

The crab melt was not what I expected. The copious amounts of mayo and Parmesan really overwhelmed the mechanically separated crab meat, that didn't have much flavor to begin with, and it became lost in the struggle for prominence within the sandwich. The crab filling was topped with melted Swiss cheese. Typically, the blending of cheese and seafood is a no-no situation and liable to make chefs and food critics a bit crabby. In this instance, I happen to agree. Even though there was a good amount of crab meat in the filling, the combination of the other heavy handed ingredients really didn't do the sandwich any favors and I would have opted for a smaller portion with an emphasis on the crab than the mayo and cheese. 

The burger was cooked well done (as requested by my dining partner) but still retained its moisture and was tender. A bit of salt would have enhance the meat flavor. The bacon was slightly limp but not bad and the cheddar was typical for the area. The accompaniments seemed fresh and crisp, but the most redeeming quality of the burger was the bun; it was warm, moist and was toasted nicely for a bit more added texture. The fries . . . . frozen! Seriously?! We are in Idaho, people. What does it take to get some good fries around here?! The service we received was outstanding! Prompt, attentive, but not overbearing. Kudos!

Overall, really not a bad meal, no headlines worthy of the National Enquirer, but maybe the Red Bud Gazette might be an option. 

Culver's - Twin Falls ID

Wisconsin is known to many as only having two distinct seasons; nine months of winter and three months of bad sledding. But weather is not the only thing that I remember about the state; cool summers, no poisonous snakes, Badgers, brats, pig on a cow (you gotta be from there to get that one), a bar on every corner (sometimes two) and the omnipresent fried cheese curds are all iconic images that are conjured up whenever you think about the dairy state. Oh yeah, there is one more thing . . . Butterburgers!

Butterburgers are another icon that have been making their way out of the borders of Wisconsin, and we have Culver's to thank for it! Culver's, from its origins in Sauk City, WI (a location I have personally frequented), to their newest location in the heart of Idaho, has been providing some of the best quick service burgers in the country! Andrew Zimmern seems to also agree with my opinion over at his site.

Photo from Culver's.com

I migrated to Idaho less than a year ago and have been jonesing for a good quick service burger since I got here, so when I heard of the new Culver's Twin Falls location, I made a point to schedule a visitation! As I pulled up to the parking lot, I felt right at home! The interior was also reminiscent of all other locations and I began to anticipate the flavors.

I was greeted with extreme warmth. And even though the young girl taking my order was new, she was being assisted by the owner's mother who was there from Beloit Wisconsin to help her son open the store and train the new employees. Shen engaged each customer and thanked them for coming in. A nice personal touch.

The food at Culver's has always been quick and delicious. The fries are always hot and fresh and I have never had a complaint about messed up orders or poor quality food. Never. Today was no exception. Good food and friendly service at a  reasonable price. Add to that the cheese curds and the frozen custard and you just made me a very happy customer!

I sincerely hope that Culver's continues their expansion into Idaho. Rumor has it that a Meridian location is planned for 2015 which is where I currently reside. I, for one, can't wait!

Farewell to Urbanspoon. You suck!

It is with great sadness that I announce the removal of my blog from Urbanspoon. Urbanspoon passed away from my repertoire of ratings sites after a long battle with my writing style and its inability to understand the term "profanity".

Urbanspoon was always a pretty good fiddle player. In fact, with a lot of practice, its fame grew rapidly over the years and evn though it never quite made it to Carnegie Hall, Urbanspoon eventually became second fiddle to other players such as TripAdviser, Zagat, Yelp and, of course, the piece of corn I shat out last week.

Here is a picture of Urbanspoon I borrowed from a great blogger (I hope he doesn't mind). You can find him at http://danielshortell.com/:

Urbanspoon is survived by a slough of bland, vanilla, poorly-written, Liberal-I-can't-think-for-myself putrefied food blogs who wouldn't know how to wipe their own corn holes if there wasn't a welfare check attached to it.

Rest in peace, Urbanspoon!

Busters Restaurant - Eagle, ID.

Everything in life goes better with peanut butter (i.e. jelly, celery, ice cream, navels and yes, burgers!) I made the bold move to try the PB&J burger at Buster's in Eagle and I was pleasantly surprised. Granted, it wasn't a gourmet burger by any stretch of the word, but a pleasant combination, even when combined with lettuce, grape jelly, tomatoes, onions and pickles on a sesame seed bun! Don't knock it till you try it!

Mac & Cheese with Bacon Burger

PB&J Burger

I also had a taste of their Mac & Cheese with bacon burger and it proved to be good combination. Hell, we all know everything is better with bacon and I found myself wishing I had had a bit of it on my PB&J burger! The fries were typical disappointing  Idaho spuds which still baffles me. I've had better fries in just about every other state in the union. WTF?

Although not an establishment known for its fine cuisine, its fine decor or exceptional service, some of the flavor combinations are a welcomed deviation from the all too familiar Californication cuisine bastardizing the local food scene.

Yard House - Meridian, ID

Didn't your mother ever tell you to go out and play in the yard? Did you go out there with your underwear outside of your pajamas with your Mickey Mouse towel cape and pretend you were a Green Beret, or Bear Grylls, or perhaps Gilligan sneaking a three hour peak at Marianne in a grass skirt? Or was that just me?

So it was just me. I can deal with that. What I can't deal with is ordering a hamburger cooked medium and getting one that is cooked well done! Dry meat in between dry buns is not an ideal situation. Not even in the bedroom. A dry burger patty is a rookie mistake and it's exactly what I got at Yard House.

Surf and Turf Burger

I chose to try the Surf and Turf burger. At about $15, it is topped with Maine lobster sauteed in garlic butter, grilled asparagus and Swiss cheese, all on a bed of raw spinach with a side of tomato Bearnaise and a brioche bun. Great combination. The lobster was tender (shocker) and the tomato Bearnaise was actually quite flavorful but not to the point of being overwhelming to the rest of the flavors in the stack. The meat, although a bit dry since it was overcooked, still held on to a bit of char and flavor which made it quite pleasant. Overall, the burger had good flavor but lacked a bit of moisture internally. I chose to moisten my meal with a traditional flight of brews. At least the beer was wet and offered a nice contrast to the burger. Many beers from which to choose. The accompanying fries and service were nothing to write home, or blog, about, so I won't.

I had a decent experience and I would be tempted to try other dishes and beer flight combinations in the future. So, if you are in the mood for a burger experience that's slightly better than you can belly up to at the counter, try The Yard. It's better than any dangly goat balls Mr. Grylls would likely eat, but not as juicy as you might expect from a three hour tour.

Pebble Score