#1867 - Summerville's Cafe and Bar, Riggins, ID - 8/25/2011

The small town of Riggins, Idaho lies deep in a canyon, just west of the deepest gorge in north America (the Snake River Canyon) and in the shadows of the Seven Devils Mountains, which the Nez Perce once said were seven giant, child-eating monsters.  It is also at the confluence of the Little Salmon and the Salmon Rivers, the latter the longest free flowing river in the contiguous 48 states, with it's portion to the north long known as the "River of No Return." It is the Salmon that makes this old gold miner's town double in population in the summer months, and claim title to the whitewater capitol of Idaho, or of the "universe," depending upon who you talk to.  It is a far cry from the days when the town was originally named "Gouge Eye," after a tussle between two gold miners at odds over the affections of a local woman.

Despite the tourists, the town of 500 or so residents is happily free of chain restaurants, and the few local watering holes might have an expansive area for hosting large numbers of visiting bikers and rafters, fronted by a cozy area attended regularly by the locals and peppered with photos of various citizens with their hunting and fishing trophies.  This is the case with Summerville's Cafe, and it was in the small bar area that we met old John, a throwback to the times when gold miners first settled in the area in the 1850s.  John looked the perfect example of a mountain man, with his bushy beard and missing ring finger he'd lost when his ring caught in some large machinery.

And indeed John actually moved into the area to pan for gold, and lived there with a fat, diabetic mutt he named "Dog," which he was nursing through various infirmities.  Despite John's gentle nature and our pleasant conversation ranging from highway routes to cell phone carriers, we could barely have imagined a more perfect bar stool companion for evoking the days of old Gouge Eye.

106 S Main St, Riggins, ID - (208) 628-3311                      

#1866 - Paradise Burgers, McCall, ID - 8/23/2011

Update: The gates of Paradise are now permanently closed.

This is an odd sort of paradise -- somewhere between a fast food joint, a sports bar, a classic diner, and a teen hangout.  The small, limited bar doesn't have any particular attractions to recommend it, but the place has personality.


319 North 3rd St, McCall, ID 83638 - (208) 634-8377
Reviews: yelp - tripadvisor

#1865 - Salmon River Brewery, McCall, ID - 8/23/2011

Salmon River Brewery is a nifty little craft brewery and pub in McCall, Idaho.  Although they are just a block off the highway, you need to know where you are going, as people would never see it in normal driving around McCall.  But once you find it, you'll have some very good beers, an eclectic choice of food from sushi to elk burgers (recommended), and a warm, funky atmosphere. The pub has that feel that the best cabins have -- built one section at a time with a hodge podge of random parts and decor assembled from personal collections and friends. There's a nice beer garden out back, with horseshoes and live bands.

SRB is run by two couples, Matt & Jennifer Hurlbutt and Matt & Ellen Ganz, who use local ingredients and work on promoting the community. Their pub is a welcome relief from the bland corporate development in various parts of McCall.

300 Colorado St, McCall, ID 83638 - (208) 634-4772
Est. Feb 27, 2009  (Brewery est. 2008)

Web site: salmonriverbrewery.com - facebook  
Reviews: link - yelp - ratebeer - beeradvocate - tripadvisor - urbanspoon

#1864 - Double Eagle Saloon, Donnelly, ID - 8/23/2011

Dave and Kathy's Double Eagle Saloon is a new cafe and lounge serving American classic comfort food and standard cocktails in a location that used to be Vigilantes Restaurant and Lounge. The "Double Eagle" portion of the name is a tribute to two members of the ownership team who are retired army colonels. 

263 Main St., Donnelly, ID 83615 - 208-325-4005
Est. 2012
Previous bars in this location: Vigilante's

#1863 - Beside the Mill, McCall, ID - 8/23/2011

"Beside the Mill" is the popular lounge portion of "The Mill" steakhouse in McCall. I've been there several times before, but never got it onto this list.  The buildings were remodeled from the Mile High Motel and Cabins into a restaurant and lounge (then the Green Lantern) in the late 50s.  One of the cabins had been used in 1937 to shoot a scene from "Northwest Passage," starring Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, and Walter Brennan.

 The interior is decorated in the now-familiar style of antiques hanging from the ceiling and upper walls -- tricycles, bicycles, and wagon; toys, sports items, and hunting trophies.  Much of the walls are covered by large, yellowed paintings of 19th century French street cafe scenes. There is a central bar surrounded by two levels of seats, with pool, shuffleboard and other games in the outer level.  The cocktails, wine, and beer options are pretty standard, and there is a mix of ages, but the crowd tends to be on the younger side, with more tourists than locals.

326 North 3rd Street McCall, ID 83638 - (208) 634-4441        
Est. 1989 (restaurant established 1971) 
Previous bars in this location: The Green Lantern
Web site: themillmccallidaho.com 

#1862 - Notch 8 Taphouse, McCall, ID - 8/23/2011

Notch 8 is a new beer mecca (51 on tap), which also sells comfort food, in an old railroad station on a bluff in McCall, Idaho.

411 Railroad Ave, McCall, ID 83638 - (208) 634-7700
Est. July 2012
Previous bars in this location: Chapala's
Web site: facebook
Reviews: rangewriter - tripadvisor

#1861 - Kahili Club, New Meadows, ID - 8/23/2011

The Kahili Club is much more classic small town dive bar than tiki.  The few hints of tiki-ness, beside the name, are a sign here and there and a couple quasi-tiki figurines.  But it is a quite nice local bar, with nightly dinner specials, photos of the old time regulars, and a warning sign commemorating a trip to Riggins when the owner and a friend passed out in front of the police station and were banned from town.  We were served stiff drinks and pleasant conversation from Gretchen, bartender and owner's girlfriend.

317 Virginia Street New Meadows, ID 83654 - (208) 347-3485
Reviews: tripadvisor