You Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Menu at Cucina di P...

It was during his sojourn in Italy that Paul Wegner realized that his perception of Italian cuisine as a boy from small town Idaho was a pale reflection of the genuine article. “The culture of food and wine is what Italy is all about, and I was in absolute shock and awe of the simplicity of Italian cuisine, and at the complexity it achieved by using the food for what it was meant to be, and not some grandiose production. It...

The Chocolat Bar: Can You Smell the Love?...

The Chocolat Bar’s mission can best be described has bringing the true experience of chocolate to its grateful customers. “Chocolate makes people happy, and when you have a high quality chocolate, you enjoy the experience even more. We use 100 percent chocolate with high cocoa content and all the cocoa butter that should be there to create a quality experience,” says owner Chris Preston. Read...

La Cantina Sociale...

The most immediate way to connect with the culinary possibilities that line the shelves of La Cantina Sociale is to simply come in with a dinner dilemma. In my case, it was to put on a meal that would resemble something Mama Veneziano might have set in front of me in Motta San Anastasia – in under 20 minutes! Under Giuseppe’s guidance, my shopping basket was full in a matter of minutes, and I had my marching orders. Read...

The Brick Oven Bistro: 25 Years…But Who’s Coun...

For 25 years, the Brick Oven Bistro has been a culinary fixture in the downtown Boise scene. And while its menu has evolved toward toward “new adventures in comfort food”, one thing has remained consistent: slow food served quickly using “from scratch” recipes, and served in an environment as unpretentious as the kitchen table at home. Read...