#1872 - Fat Cat's, Walla Walla, WA - 8/25/2011

Okay, I did not do a good job searching for the interesting bars in Walla Walla.

430 West Main St, Walla Walla, WA 99362 - (509) 529-8233
Reviews: insiderpages - yellowbot - tripadvisor - yelp 

#1871 - Bojack's Broiler Pit, Lewiston, ID - 8/25/2011

Named for original owners Bob and Jack, who for some reason decided to put a steakhouse restaurant in the basement of a rollicking dive bar upstairs, Bojack's is a local institution. It was founded in 1951, purchased by Wally and Katie Eglund in 1969 (the restaurant that is, they bought the bar later), and run by the Eglund family ever since.  The bar upstairs is fun, if a little intimidating for some diners to traverse, and there are nifty signs on either side of the building.  Locals recommend the Bite Sized Steak (tender deep fried pieces of steak).

311 Main Street, Lewiston, ID 83501 - (208) 746-9532           
Est. 1951

Web site: bojacksbroilerpit.com - facebook  
Best Reviews: inland360 - yelp - tripadvisor - urbanspoon 

#1870 - Brodock's, Grangeville, ID - 8/25/2011

Although it was staffed by nice people, this bar in Oscar's Restaurant seemed boring and formulaic when we visited, with the vibe of an Applebees.  But I've seen a few Oscar's reviewers who complained about all the noise coming from the bar, so we clearly did not come at a good time to judge.

Grangeville, Idaho is the largest town in Idaho County, at the base of the state's pan handle. It arose in a large meadow at the edge of the Nez Perce National Forest -- traversed by gold prospectors whose fortune seeking was not to be slowed by the treaty granting the Nez Perce control of the area. It was incorporated in 1889 and now has a population of around 3,000 people.  Brodock's is the most genteel of the handful of bars in town.

101 E Main, Grangeville, ID - (208) 983-2106
Reviews: localtom - tripadvisor - yelp - travel.yahoo  - beerandwhiskeybros

#1869 - The Establishment, Grangeville, ID - 8/25/2011

"The Establishment" was admittedly our second choice in Grangeville, after finding our original target, "Earnie's Man Cave," closed.  Earnie's was marked by the name formed in rope light above the door, signs on the door itself only partially obscuring the old NAPA Auto Parts signs, and a confusing sandwich board that listed the hours as "Open 1am to close."

So confused and disappointed, we wandered down to The Establishment, "North Central Idaho's Premier night spot."  That it may be, as one bitter online reviewer includes among his complaints that the (fairly sizable) place is "way too small for the crowd that it draws, especially in the summer time."  But on this lazy Saturday afternoon, it was just us and a bored bartender.

142 E. Main St, Grangeville, ID 83530 - 208-983-1830
Reviews: bermtopia - lewisclarknightout  - travel.yahoo

#1868 - The Silver Dollar, White Bird, ID - 8/25/2011

White Bird, Idaho, is named for the chief of the Lamátta band of the Nez Perce, a leader in the Battle of White Bird Canyon, where in 1877 the Nez Perce routed the U.S. Army in the opening skirmish of the Nez Perce War.  Although White Bird's resistance continued beyond the surrender of Chief Joseph (attributed with the line "From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever"), the U.S., of course, eventually prevailed, in what an 1877 New York Times editorial described as "On our part, the war was in its origin and motive nothing short of a gigantic blunder and a crime." (1)

In the current town of White Bird, population 91, down the canyon along Old U.S. Highway 95, is the Silver Dollar Cafe and Saloon.  You walk in under a baggie of water hanging over the door, which people believe keeps away flies.  The saloon is in front, where a woman with a beehive hairdo serves strong, cheap drinks.  Through the saloon is the cafe, where locals play cribbage and refresh their coffee at the self-serve stand.  The locals do not immediately cotton to out-of-towners, and it takes a while to find who might eventually warm up to chat with you.  We didn't find out how long the Silver Dollar had been around, but apparently an old version burned down, and this one was rebuilt around 1951.

100 Old US Highway 95 White Bird, ID 83554 - (208) 839-2293
Est. 1952 - Building constructed: 1951?
Reviews: barflyzen - earthwormenvy - richardbiking - yelp 

#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

#1860 - Lake Grill at Shore Lodge, McCall, ID - 8/22/2011

I don't know how old the "Lake Grill" name is, but this has been the bar area of the log cabin style Shore Lodge since 1949. The lodge itself opened in 1948, on the side of the Payette River once called "Lardo," and on the grounds of the old Shellworth campground, where campers once included Bannock Indians on their annual summer migration to White Bird to fish for salmon. Just eleven years later my parents spent their honeymoon at the lodge, so it was nice to return with them for an anniversary dinner, just a few days after this particular visit to meet an old high school friend who happened to be in the area.

The Shore Lodge is a sort of keystone of the Idaho recreational town of McCall.  It has been restored to its original name and reopened to locals and all visitors after two decades in the hands of a Montgomery Burns sort of ownership. Originally designed to be unpretentious, in 1989 it was acquired by a San Diego real-estate developer in a hostile take-over, and in 1999 was closed for two years for extensive remodeling.  When it was reopened, it was as a private club for high-end clientele, with rooms starting at $385 a night, and renamed "Whitetail Lodge."

Happily, a grandson of local grocery magnate Joe Albertson eventually got control of the lodge, and reverted it back from a plutocrat's private club to the sort of open, nice but affordable community destination that he remembered as a boy: "My grandparents and parents built a cabin in McCall in 1957, 58. Growing up, spending time in McCall with my family, are the best memories I have. Taking our boats to Shore Lodge for Saturday night BBQ on the patio, having the chef prepare a large Mackinaw trout that my grandfather caught in the lake ..." (justluxe)  They even restored the old sign.

The Lake Grill includes a patio looking out across the Payette Lake. It is not a great bar, in terms of either character or quality of cocktails, but it is quite a good destination for a nice dinner, particularly on a warm evening in central Idaho.

501 West Lake Street McCall, ID 83638 - (800) 657-6464
Est. July 3, 1948 (lodge), May 1, 1949 (current bar area),

Web site: shorelodge.com - facebook  
Reviews: link - tripadvisor - justluxe (nice lodge photos) - McCall's Historic Shore Lodge

#1859 - Si Bueno Southside Grill and Cantina, McCall, ID - 8/21/2011

Update: Si Bueno closed July 19, 2019

This is a pleasant place just across the street from the little McCall Airport (hence the tail of the airplane sticking out the top of the roof). They serve very average American Mexican food, steaks, margaritas and cocktails.  My favorite review comment comes from April R. on Foursquare:

"I am the only female in this place. The odds are good, but the goods are ODD."

339 Deinhard Lane McCall, ID 83638 - (208) 634-2128

Est. 1989 (bar section, 1978 as restaurant - Closed July 19, 2019 - Building constructed: 1978
Previous bars in this location: None
Web site: sibueno.com
Reviews: tripadvisor - yelp - urbanspoon