Katherine Jones/Idaho Statesman Chandler's Steakhouse is a place for special occasions, and Lindsey and Shane Riffle chose Chandler's to celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary. "This is my favorite place," says Lindsey Riffle. She was debating about whether to get the filet mignon. "And then there's the lovely chocolate dessert to look forward to, too," she said.
I suspect that more pin stripes and jewels drift through Chandlers Steakhouse on an average evening than any other restaurant in the Valley. Beyond the bar’s backlit glassware, the bird-of-paradise spiked bouquets, the white linen and honey-colored light, there’s a bank of private rooms where more than a few deals are surely made over pricey cabernet and center-cut filets. It’s the kind of place where a waiter announces a surf and turf special for $75 and nary an eye bats.
But Idaho being the egalitarian oasis it is, Chandlers also welcomes a smattering of T-shirts, Hawaiian prints and white-socked sandals. Its menu, too, tries to accommodate that wide spectrum of sensibilities – without dropping downmarket.
The bar menu, after all, has a fairly long list of reasonably priced dishes, including truffled pommes frites ($5), mac & cheese ($7.50), sliders ($12) and a deliciously simple roasted artichoke ($9). A step upscale is Chandlers’ signature appetizer, the Tower of Tuna ($14.50). That vertical cylinder is stacked with rainbow-colored layers of diced raw ahi, white hamachi, tomato and avocado. I’ve popped in more than once just for that light yet richly unctuous appetizer, chasing it (when I’m feeling flush) with one of mixologist Pat Carden’s locally famous if not thrifty Ten-Minute Martinis ($8).
Also on the lighter side of the regular menu, I’ve enjoyed a rocket salad ($7) with some of the most delicate, tender arugula I’ve ever tasted. Those baby arugula leaves are dressed with pine nuts, pancetta, shaved asiago, translucent slivers of pear and a light vinaigrette. It’s a dish that deftly shows that Chandlers’ kitchen can let the clean flavors of simple ingredients shine through.
That kitchen can also be a little heavy handed. I found the beef carpaccio’s ($14) subtle, raw beef flavor overpowered by an aggressive mix of watercress, mustard and horseradish. A drizzle of young olive oil and a squeeze of lemon would have better suited my palate.
Katherine Jones/Idaho Statesman Mixologist Pat Carden presents his locally famous Ten-Minute Martinis - "Vesper Reconsidered," the 2009 Martini Mixoff winner.
What did suit was the salmon. Though Chandlers Steakhouse has never struck me as a bastion of seasonality, the Alaskan King salmon entree ($27) I ordered in late June was by design or happy accident the most memorable expression of spring I’ve tasted this year. An elegantly plated salmon filet came centered over mashed potatoes accompanied by fresh morels, peeled asparagus and sauteed spinach. Married with a delicate sauce and a silky Benton Lane ’07 pinot noir ($10) from Chandlers’ extensive, by-the-glass wine list, the meal was stunning.
Artfully plated, but slightly less ethereal was the Sunday prix fixe item called Duck Two Ways ($27). (The Sunday menu offers seven fixed-price entrees; each includes soup or salad and dessert.) Although the confit of duck leg was a perfect balance of crisp skin and soft, succulent meat, the sliced breast was overwhelmed, not unlike that carpaccio, by a too assertive sour cherry and port wine reduction.
But where, you may ask, is the beef? After all, Chandlers is a steakhouse. Well, there’s plenty, from prime rib ($26) to Kobe flat iron ($36) to porterhouse for two ($56). And each is accompanied by three sauces: peppercorn, barnaise and red-wine roquefort. I tried the Cowboy steak ($38). A 22-ounce bone-in rib eye, it arrived crusty from an intense 1,800-degree searing, yet still juicy. Nearly as memorable was a side of roasted vegetables ($7) made of rough-cut chunks of carrot, parsnip, fennel and string beans.
For dessert, the fresh fruit cobbler ($7) was sweet but only whispered fruit flavor. However, the Tri-Fecta ($8) – three flourless chocolate tortes finished with cream and raspberry sauce – was a solid winner.
Chandlers isn’t perfect, but its polished service, award-winning cocktails, wide-ranging wine list, nightly live jazz and urbane atmosphere make it one of the most elegant watering holes and eateries in this egalitarian oasis.
Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/07/09/1260951/chandlers-is-a-boise-classic.html#ixzz0tBjBMEV3
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Guy Hand is a writer, public radio producer and photographer specializing in food and agriculture. |
