Our New Favorite Place

As aforementioned, Jeff and I were ready to chow down on some burgers and fries for Valentine's Day. I'd been dying to try Boise Fry Company since I'd first heard of it, and they recently opened a bigger location on the east side of town that seemed like it could be appropriate for date night. Fries at BFC are the main attraction, complete with about 20 different flavored salts and dipping sauces to try, and the burgers are the side dish. This is a concept I can get behind!

We showed up around 5:30 p.m. for an early dinner before catching a movie, and about four tables were taken. When we got up to the counter, we were greeted by a very friendly server who took us through the whole menu and helped us make our selections. They serve six kinds of potatoes cut any way you want them, three kinds of burgers (including a vegan burger), and local wine and beer. We both chose bison burgers with all the fixings - garlic aioli, red onion gastrique, cheese, and mixed greens, Jeff got regular cut purple fries, and I got homestyle cut gold fries. We found a table and headed over to the dipping sauce station. Here, we found sauces I would never think to try, so we decided to taste them all. By now, the restaurant was starting to fill up, and we were soon surrounded by couples and families. When our order came (quickly and piping hot), we shook rosemary garlic salt on our fries and got down to business.

(Menu)

This meal was, in a word, great. For a side dish, the burgers were delicious, unique, and while large in size, didn't leave us feeling like we needed to be rolled out of the place. The onion gastrique was sweet and crunchy, the meat was tender and perfectly cooked, and the garlic aioli was the right creamy addition to soften up the bun. Of course, the fries were awesome, and dipping them in every sauce was lots of fun. My favorites were the spicy fry sauce, chipotle, and blueberry ketchup (I was surprised, too!). Best of all, everything BFC serves is local or organic. On top of the yumminess of the food, the atmosphere was spot on. The vibe is a little funky, with recycled bicycle lights hanging from the ceilings, modern art for sale on the walls, and tables made from re-purposed wood, but it felt clean and bright. Plus, there were a few conveniently placed TV's around the restaurant, giving the boy a chance to check out some college basketball while waiting for our meal. This is easily a place that I'll return to again and again, especially when summer rolls around and outdoor seating in Boise is at its peak.

The spread

Yum

Sweet mustard, garlic pear, blueberry ketchup, fry sauce,
spicy fry sauce, garlic aioli, chipotle