questions from yet another californian (Boise, Teton: real estate, homes, buying)

[Pineboy]

Gardening is great in north idaho. There are a lot of organic farms both large and small and many co-ops. The region around Bonners Ferry just north of Sandpoint is one of the largest areas in the world for hops (yes, the stuff grown to make beer). It is kind of cool seeing the hop fields in the wilderness with mountains and forests all around.

[Pineboy]

actually, here are a few links to some pics of Northern Idaho from skyscraperpage.com:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=115671


http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=115400

[huntman58]

Can not say what gardening is like in northern Idaho but the best veggie garden s I have ever raised were in south west Idaho. Again it all depends on the soil. In one house in Boise the ground would not grow almost any thing yet a few miles away I could not help but grow things even when I neglected them. The only way I like to garden is organic by the way.
I will also say Idaho is for the most part one of the most conservative states some thing that may take getting used to after all if a super conservative can live in calif I bet a liberal can live in Idaho LOL

[Pineboy]

I also forgot to mention that Boise has been ranked as one of the top cities for attracting well educated, young professionals to live here because of the unmatched lifestyle, the sophisticated art scene, and the progressive, clean city.

[burdell]

Sounds like there's great opportunity for young chefs to make their mark. I enjoyed Bar Guernika when I visited Boise, I like casual, neighborhood 'joints'. I would say I was a bit disappointed by what was recommended as an excellent Italian place downtown. Then again, I live a block away from one of the filming sites for The Sopranos and close to many authentic Italian mom & pop restaurants.

The nice thing with the internet these days is that if you like to cook virtually any ingredient in the world is as close as your mail-box.

One thing I find I usually miss when out of the NY area is really good bread, any 'killer' bakeries in Boise?

[burdell]

While you can certainly find hoity-toity 5 star places if you look you can also find about a bazillion blue-collar, unpretentious neighborhood places in NYC for one . While I plan on moving as I feel the need for change I will definitely miss being 1/2 hour from Manhattan. NYC does seem to get a bad rap in a lot of places. what many don't realize is that even though it's "the big, bad city" in many respects it's a bunch of small towns close to each other. The different neighborhoods have distinctly different personalties and it's a fun place to wander around.

[idahomama]

BTW... ANDRAE'S (NOT ANDREA'S) is the best food in town. Andrae is a wonderful, inventive chef, but male, not female. That said, the dining scene here is pretty weak. On the surface it appears to be better than it is, but I do think that people in this area have lower standards than other places I have lived in the country. Food and wine taste are fairly unsophisticated for the general population although there are certainly exceptions.....

[Boiseboy]

Originally Posted by idahomama

BTW... ANDRAE'S (NOT ANDREA'S) is the best food in town. Andrae is a wonderful, inventive chef, but male, not female. That said, the dining scene here is pretty weak. On the surface it appears to be better than it is, but I do think that people in this area have lower standards than other places I have lived in the country. Food and wine taste are fairly unsophisticated for the general population although there are certainly exceptions.....

You and enelson74 must have worn out taste buds because I think the dining scene in Boise is just fine. I moved here from Seattle a few years ago and was amazed at the variety and quality of restaurants especially in downtown. Before Seattle I lived in Boston for a few years and before that San Diego. The "fine" dining scene, meaning the upscale, could use a few more establishments, but Boise has really grown recently. Downtown Boise is like a shining example of smaller american cities with the variety and the quality of the restaurants. I have friends from Salt LAke who rave about Boise and the food here.
The wine scene is good. There are many wineries near Boise which have won many awards and even outshined California wines. Funny you feel like you do. I go to Grape Escape, the 8th Street Wine Company and see many people with sophisticated taste drinking very good wine. Remember many people in Boise are "transplants" which come from larger cities, so they bring their tastes with them.

I would definately have to say that you and that other poster make things sound pretty sad here which I do not think is the case.
I would also say that boise is cosmopolitan, much more than SLC for example.

Don't sell Boise short like you do. Everybody has different opinions and not everybody likes the same food. I have eaten at many high end restaurants in Boston and Seattle and the food is not always good.

[Boiseboy]

The Co Op is great. They have one of the best wine selections I have seen in a grocery store and is on par with similar stores in Seattle.

[idahomama]

[quote=Boiseboy;100379]You and enelson74 must have worn out taste buds because I think the dining scene in Boise is just fine. I moved here from Seattle a few years ago and was amazed at the variety and quality of restaurants especially in downtown. Before Seattle I lived in Boston for a few years and before that San Diego. The "fine" dining scene, meaning the upscale, could use a few more establishments, but Boise has really grown recently. Downtown Boise is like a shining example of smaller american cities with the variety and the quality of the restaurants. I have friends from Salt LAke who rave about Boise and the food here.
The wine scene is good. There are many wineries near Boise which have won many awards and even outshined California wines. Funny you feel like you do. I go to Grape Escape, the 8th Street Wine Company and see many people with sophisticated taste drinking very good wine. Remember many people in Boise are "transplants" which come from larger cities, so they bring their tastes with them. >>>>>>>

PUH-LEAZE................. You certainly can say many nice things about Boise... but please don't say that the wineries here are better than California wineries. I have never lived in California, so I am have no loyalty to the cause, but I do have a 2,500 bottle collection and not a single Idaho wine.

I must agree that the 8th street wine company has a great wine store, as does the CO-OP, but the food at the 8th Street is once again mediocre. I don't think that comparing Boise to SLC makes a very strong case, although SLC is changing too. I don't think SLC has ever been considered one of the culinary meccas.

Unless you work for the chamber, I can't imagine why you would take offense to comments that the culinary scene here is weak. It is true. Obviously there are other things that ARE a draw and make Boise a nice city. The food scene here has just not developed because there are too many people with the mentality that anything above Chili's makes for a good restaurant. Eventually people will demand higher quality and things will change, but for now, I wouldn't come to Boise just for a great culinary scene, you will be disappointed......