Michael Deeds

Boise

Entertainment Reporter, Columnist and Host, The River at Idaho Statesman

Restaurants, concerts & columns @IdahoStatesman. Radio 8-9 p.m. Sundays @949riverboise. Big kid still crashing bikes & boards with his 2 kids.

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Articles

Idahoans are some of the worst tippers in the nation, study says. Buying it?

1 week ago | idahostatesman.com | Michael Deeds

Normally, I’m a 20%, full-service tip kind of guy. But hanging with friends on the patio of a Boise bar and grill Tuesday night, I tipped $20 on a $61.58 tab. We’d been treated well. And finger steaks put me in a generous mood. At an outdoor concert hours earlier, I didn’t tip at all when I got handed two cans of beer. Transactions involved tokens. I had no cash, despite the “Feeling tipsy?” bucket stuffed with a few dollar bills. At a food truck last Friday, I tipped 15% on a $15 order.
This food truck is ‘absolute fire.’ Now it’s opening a Meridian restaurant

1 week ago | idahostatesman.com | Michael Deeds

Stop the tortilla presses!A food truck praised for authentic Mexican cuisine is opening its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in Meridian. For a city with no shortage of national chains, this feels like potential front-page news. Tacos Loteria plans to debut Saturday. It’s taking over the recently closed Vons Chicken space at 950 E. Fairview Ave.
After ‘massive’ Meridian debut, California chain opens 2nd Boise area restaurant

1 week ago | idahostatesman.com | Michael Deeds

When Wienerschnitzel opened a Meridian restaurant last year — returning to Idaho for the first time in over four decades — some folks practically did cartwheels. “There was a massive wait at the drive-thru line,” one Google reviewer wrote, “but I learned from In-N-Out to just go stand in the wait line outside, which only took me about 30 minutes.”Half an hour? For a freakin’ hot dog? Seriously? Start lining up again, Wienerschnitzel fans.
After ‘massive’ Meridian debut, California chain opens 2nd Boise area restaurant

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Michael Deeds

When Wienerschnitzel opened a Meridian restaurant last year — returning to Idaho for the first time in over four decades — some folks practically did cartwheels. “There was a massive wait at the drive-thru line,” one Google reviewer wrote, “but I learned from In-N-Out to just go stand in the wait line outside, which only took me about 30 minutes.”Half an hour? For a freakin’ hot dog? Seriously? Start lining up again, Wienerschnitzel fans.
An Idaho chef just won a James Beard Award. It’s only happened once before

1 week ago | idahostatesman.com | Michael Deeds

A chef from Idaho has won a James Beard Award for only the second time in state history. Salvador Alamilla, co-owner of Amano in Caldwell, was named “Best Chef: Mountain” during a ceremony Monday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He was one of five finalists in the region, which includes Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana. Alamilla made the trip to Chicago for the event, according to Amano’s social media.
An Idaho chef just won a James Beard Award. It’s only happened once before

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Michael Deeds

A chef from Idaho has won a James Beard Award for only the second time in state history. Salvador Alamilla, co-owner of Amano in Caldwell, was named “Best Chef: Mountain” during a ceremony Monday at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. He was one of five finalists in the region, which includes Idaho, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Montana. Alamilla made the trip to Chicago for the event, according to Amano’s social media.
This chef opened a ‘risky’ Boise restaurant in ’92. Now his last one will close

1 week ago | idahostatesman.com | Michael Deeds

A chef whose name is synonymous with sushi in the Boise area is preparing to say goodbye. Shigeki Matsuzawa, who opened his first Boise restaurant 33 years agod, will close his final one this month — in Meridian. Located in a strip mall at 520 S. Meridian Road, Shige Sushi Express will shutter June 27. “Shige is retiring,” explains a farewell announcement on social media attributed to Matsuzawa, his wife Deborah and daughter Shirah.
‘Delicious chaos’ is now served where a high-profile Meridian restaurant failed

1 week ago | idahostatesman.com | Michael Deeds

After Biscuits & Hogs opened in south Meridian in 2020, the buzz soon grew. The burgeoning Idaho brand — which urged customers to “release your inner pig” — eventually expanded to Ogden, Utah, and to northwest Meridian in Orchard Park. But by the end of 2024, all three restaurants had closed. Now the first Biscuit & Hogs, at 2032. E. Overland Road — previously an Original Sunrise Cafe — has been reborn yet again, as El Molcajete.
Treasure Valley taco bracket 2025: Vote for your favorite eateries in Round 2

2 weeks ago | idahostatesman.com | Michael Deeds

The weather isn’t the only thing that’s heating up, so is the competition for the Treasure Valley Taco Bracket. Or is it just the salsa? We’ve entered round 2, narrowing the matchup of 28 restaurants to the choice between 14. Some are a tough call like Calle 75 versus Spitfire Tacos + Tequila. Some surprises have emerged, but the winner has yet to be chosen! It’s up to you to help crown the area’s best taco spot — whether traditional and unexpected.
Good news! With dozens of 5-star reviews, Boise restaurant quickly closes

2 weeks ago | idahostatesman.com | Michael Deeds

When a modest but popular Italian dessert cart went brick-and-mortar in December, Boise fans were thrilled about the expansion — but not always wild about waits at the small, overwhelmed bakery and cafe. “The line was so long we couldn’t stay,” an online commenter admitted on Caffè Sorrento’s Facebook page. “We’re planning on trying again soon!”Prepare for more mixed emotions. Caffè Sorrento, 10668 W. Overland Road, has closed. But wait — that’s good news.