At the following fine-dining restaurants, entrees range between $18 and $25. For a unique dining experience, try Mortimer's Idaho Cuisine, 110 S. 5th St. (tel. 208/338-6550), featuring inventive regional cuisine based on locally sourced produce and meats. One of Boise's favorites and right on the Greenway, Cottonwood Grille, 913 W. River St. (tel. 208/333-9800), offers French via Northwest cuisine in a lodgelike dining room dominated by a massive stone fireplace. The Milky Way, 205 N. 10th St. (tel. 208/343-4334), features fun, sophisticated dining from a pair of chefs who got their start in California with Wolfgang Puck. For old-fashioned elegance (think Steak Diane) and fine service try The Gamekeeper, in the Owyhee Plaza Hotel (tel. 208/343-4611). In a city known for steaks, try Lock, Stock and Barrel, 205 N. 10th St. (tel. 208/343-4334), for hand-cut steaks and old-fashioned atmosphere. To experience Basque cooking, drive a dozen miles west of Boise to the town of Meridian, where cozy family-oriented Epi's Basque Restaurant, 1115 N. Main St., Meridian (tel.) 208/884-0142), serves fantastic northern Spanish country-style cooking that many consider the best Basque cooking outside of Europe.
Boise's pubs are popular for lunch and inexpensive dinners ($8-$12) and locally brewed beer. TableRock Brew Pub, 705 Fulton St. (tel. 208/342-0944), has classic pub fare, while Bittercreek Ale House, 246 N. 8th St. (tel. 208/345-1813), verges on gourmet. Gernika Basque Pub & Eatery, 202 S. Capitol Blvd. (tel. 208/344-2175), features Basque cooking in addition to traditional soup and sandwiches; and Ha'Penny Bridge Pub, 855 Broad St. (tel. 208/343-5568), is the local Irish pub. For a truly unique experience try Bardenay, 610 Grove (tel. 208/426-0538), the first "distillery-pub" in the United States, featuring its own rum, vodka, and gin in addition to excellent food. For Boise's favorite breakfast spot, don't miss Goldy's, 108 S. Capitol Blvd. (tel. 208/345-4100).
