The Porch Public House

The Porch Public House
1658 E Miles, Hayden Lake, 772-7711

Perhaps it was a little late in the season, but when I pulled up to the Porch Public House that sunny noontime Friday, I was mildly surprised to see that the place wasn’t already percolating with golfers and other random Hayden Lakers. Tucked away in a primarily residential area, the restaurant sits directly across the street from Avondale Golf Course so I expected to see at least a few of the pleated-pants crowd debarking from their climate controlled carts. Instead, the large lot behind the Porch was completely vacated, causing me to circle around the building a few times looking for signs of life. Are they even open?

It was my dad’s birthday and I was bearing the gift of lunch, so I suggested we meet at the Porch, which sits only a few short putts away from his house. “You think they’re open yet?” he asked, eyeballing the empty lot as we approached the door with some trepidation, half-expecting it to be locked. Thankfully for our grumbly tummies, it wasn’t. “Sit wherever you like” said our host, motioning toward the empty dining room. He grabbed a couple of menus and followed us to a bright corner table.

Our solitude wouldn’t last very long. People began drifting in like autumn leaves on a cool breeze and by mid-meal, the joint was filled with chatty lunch-goers, a network of neighborhood folks who likely make the Porch a regular ritual. Since opening a few years back, it’s become one of the area’s most beloved and classy gathering places. Co-owners John Grollmus, Brad Fosseen and Jeff Meagher are also the masterminds behind such other regional favorites as Coeur d’Alene’s Moon Time, as well as Spokane’s The Elk and Two Seven Public House. The atmosphere of the refurbished Hayden diner is warm and welcoming, rustic like an old cabin in the woods, but with a certain intangible quality of independent coolness that also makes the Porch’s sister restaurants so popular and return-worthy.

Honestly, I was so busy chit-chatting and catching up with my dad that the usual snarky details about décor and ambience went mostly unnoticed. I’d take that as a good sign actually; if the experience had been anything less than subliminal, surely I would be reporting the grim details. “Public house” must be the long form of “pub” and The Porch frequently conjures up the classic Britishness that term brings to mind, especially in the cozy, dimly-lit bar area. I can imagine spending an afternoon there, getting very well acquainted with some pints of ale before plopping into one of the comfy chairs in the well-stocked corner library.

Our host/waiter was brief, efficient and non-invasive, which I much prefer over to the insincere pomposity in effect at so many chain restaurants these days. Picture Jennifer Aniston in “Office Space,” waitressing at Chotchkie's, forced by the mega-corporation to plaster on a fake smile and show her enthusiasm with endless “flare” on her vest. There’s none of that kind of phony baloney attitude at The Porch. Creative originality reigns with fresh food put together and presented by people who actually seem to have a passion for what they do. There’s no perceptible theme to the menu at the Porch other than “everything looks so darn good I can’t even decide!” It seems like the chefs bounce between the four related pubs; the menus are so similar and the astoundingly consistent quality of the fare is the same as well.

We didn’t feel the need for an appetizer, although the “Ploughman’s Plate” with grilled sausages, potato cakes smothered in smoked cheddar and bacon, and both stone ground and sweet hot mustard could serve as a meal in itself. The famous Moon Burger sits at the top of the list of original sandwiches and burgers that have become the small chain’s trademark. One of North Idaho’s best hunks of beef on a bun, it’s a huge hand formed patty, char-grilled and topped with melted cheddar and caramelized onions. Both the Grilled Lamb Sandwich with its drizzle of cool tsatsiki sauce and the Anasazi Bean Burger are ridiculously addictive, the latter’s nutty flavor actually causes one to forget that cows even exist. With a meat-free cheeseburger that good, who needs any stinking gaseous bovines?

What the Porch menu lacks in volume is made up for by the wild variety of the available specialties. Hard to choose between a grilled New York Steak covered in peppercorn sauce, a breaded, pan-seared Idaho Ruby Red Trout with lemon cream and parsley, or some Marinated Pork Soft Tacos topped with mango pineapple smoked jalapeno salsa and fresh cilantro. My hungry eyes immediately spotted the Thai dish “Swimming Angels” on the menu and right away I began twitching and salivating. I have an intense thing for Peanut Sauce, cravings that render me helpless in the wee hours of the night. I’m in love with its initial hearty, sweet flavor and eventual spicy power, and it’s fully delicious as presented here, over thin, tender white chicken pieces, fresh spinach leaves and white rice. The Porch serves it up as great as any Thai place I’ve been if not better.

My dad was similarly satisfied with his sensible Turkey Sandwich, and I thought about ordering him a birthday Moon Unit. I’m completely sure he’d have rejected the molten brownie/chocolate syrup/ice cream concoction for fear of veering too far off the health kick he’s been so successful with recently and it would have been me stuck eating the decadent dessert, god forbid. I certainly didn’t inherit his fine sense of willpower.

The Hallo-Weenis Fetish Ball & Freakshow @ The Grail

Post Falls Lions Club Annual Haunted House

The narrow crawlspace was pitch black and the air was dank with the fetid moisture of time. I was nine years old and found myself on hands and knees slowly padding my way forward through the dusty darkness toward the unknown. The long tunnel finally led to a tiny, dirt-floored chamber in which absolutely no light existed. My friend Ricky and I, along with my mother, had waited in line for an hour in the rain to enter the abandoned, dilapidated old corpse of the Boat Drive-In Theater building in Coeur d’Alene, which had been converted into a Haunted House.

Just minutes into the experience and fear and dread were already setting in as we felt around the cement walls of the room wondering how to move on to the next segment of the journey. Time stood still as strangers crowded in from behind to join us in the silent chamber of darkness with no apparent exit. My claustrophobic mother began freaking out “Hello! Let us out of here! Heeeeelp!” and Ricky and I began to wonder the same thing, tears of panic welling up in our eyes. In her agitation, she very loudly began threatening Haunted House organizers with a lawsuit or even worse. Finally, a goblin with a flashlight pounced out of a corner with an evil snicker and nearly startled us all to death before opening a creaky hidden door into the next room, where some zombies and a token mummy were just wrapping up their coffee break and getting ready to finish us off for good.

Many years later I discovered that I had moved into an actual Haunted House, or more accurately a Haunted Apartment Building and my childhood experience in the old Boat had me fearing the worst. In reality, the actual haunting was much easier on the psyche, just some innocent disembodied footsteps in the hallway, boring old rattling doorknobs, clocks moving backwards and the usual flying objects. We merely burned some sage sticks and chased the entity away: “Follow the white light!” It was nothing compared to the cottonmouth-inducing terror of that musty old basement. With any luck, children of all ages will return home from this year’s Lions Club Haunted House in Post Falls with similarly fear-warped minds.

In fact, Post Falls Lions Club president Mike Jarrett wants to ensure that everyone comes away from the event with ice in their veins and dread in their heart. Jarrett says paradoxically that “one can expect to see lots of darkness” during their trip through the house at the corner of 4^th and Post, which has served as the annual spot for the event for 25 of the last 30 years the Lions have been putting it on. Jarrett and dozens of other volunteers come together for a month or so each year to convert the already spooky Idaho Veneer building into a place that Lillian and Herman Munster might timeshare with Mr. and Mrs. Dracula when they come to relax in North Idaho and work on that perfect moon tan.

Jarrett says it’s important to change things up each year, carrying over just a few of the most popular props and backdrops from year to year. “This has to be done or we lose the support of our customers,” he explains.”I look at it like it’s our ‘Field of Dreams’. If we change it, they will come and see what’s new and different each year.” Still, the basic elements of the project remain the same, including a lot of familiar faces, both in the form of the tireless Lions Club members who volunteer and also the many reoccurring characters that the kids who staff the house portray.

I’m pretty sure Satan will be there, along with his homegirls Vampira, Elvira, and Morticia. Expect to see lots of undead zombies, some werewolves and even a few evil psycho clowns. Set designer and make-up artist Kathy Edwards spends at least five hours each night perfecting the ghoulish appearance of each of the teenage staff members, many on loan from the Post Falls High School Band and Chorus. I’d love to hear these musical ghosts and goblins actually perform “The Monster Mash” or something, but they’ll be too busy entertaining customers by screaming their heads off and moaning and groaning in agony from beyond the grave.

The group’s efforts each Halloween are primarily motivated by the fact that all the money raised during the event goes to charitable causes. The main objective of the Lions club is to benefit sight and hearing conservation and money will also go to provide scholarships to students from Post Falls High. I had to ask Jarrett what made it “the best Haunted House in the area”, as they claim in their ads. “The fact that we've been at it for so many years and do change it around year after year.” He replied. “We put a lot of effort into it and that’s probably what the people who come year after year like and expect to see. We have to keep making it better for the customers.”

When asked to describe some of the key elements in putting together the Haunted House each year, Jarrett says “the kids acting as our ghouls are key due to the fact that we expect a lot from them and they put up with our tough expectations night after night. The customers are also vital to us because if they don't show up we can't support our various causes and most key of all are the Lions members who tirelessly show up to work on this project week after week, night after night.” He also gives a big shout out to the kids’ parents who put up with the frequent late nights, the teacher volunteers who help schedule the kids for their haunting shifts, Judy Thompson, who’s served as the ghouls’ cook for the last 15 years, and Matt Richardson a.k.a. "Ghoul Master", who makes sure the little terrors are ugly enough and ready to spook. Clearly, it takes a lot of kind-hearted folks to conjure up such a terrifically evil night.

The Post Falls Lions Club Haunted House runs from October 19th - 31st, 2008.

Cost is $5.00 per person. Hours are Sunday-Thursdays, 6:00-10:00 p.m. and Friday-Saturdays, 6:00p.m.-midnight. For more information and directions to the house call 660-8936.

Chow List: Coeur d’Alene’s Best Empty Spaces

1. Old Elks Building, 5th & Lakeside
Hasn’t everyone harbored a secret fantasy about turning this classic but crumbling old downtown building into something fabulous? Some kind of hot nightclub, for sure. Perhaps an art space of some type with a jazz lounge and a tapas bar. Maybe even a classy antique mall. Why oh why has it sat empty for so many years? Probably because it’d take a mighty wide lump of cash to bring it into modern times.

2. Lot between Dairy Queen and Baskin-Robbins/Radio Shack
I vaguely recall a gas station on this weedy plot of rubble, maybe disappearing in the late 80’s or so. Since it’s been nothing but a mysterious eyesore in an otherwise thriving stretch fast food and discount stores. Whoever owns it must be holding out for a really big name to make an offer – would a Trader Joes be too much to ask for?

3. Former Senor Froggy’s Lot, 7th & Sherman
I heard someone bought this tiny corner and plans to build a seven-story office building where our most beloved and dearly missed fast Mexican place one sat. I say right on. Question is: will the basement of the new building be haunted as well?

4. Former Mill Site near NIC
Can’t wait to see the development of the so-called “education corridor” here, despite all the pointless controversy. Naysayers are mad because plans include some retail, but so what? College kids like to shop and so do I. Driving by the other day, I was stunned by the cement plateau that exists there now with all the mill equipment gone.

5. Lot at east end of Ironwood Ave, where street ends.
It kinda drives me nuts that Ironwood doesn’t go all the way through to 4th street, and this inexplicably empty field of dead weeds is the only thing preventing it from happening. I’d like to imagine that some stubborn old coot owns spots of land like this and the only way the deed will pass to the city is through his cold, dead hands.

6. Silver Lake Mall
Last time I meandered my broke-ass though this always-tragic excuse for a shopping center, there were more vacant storefronts than occupied ones. If you go early enough you can catch the old ladies walking their rounds through the grand emptiness. Mall owners need to seriously pump up the excitement level, add a few floors to it, extend it, bring it into modern times, turn it into a real mall like Northtown. Or just put it out of it’s misery, tear it down and build another Wally World.

7. Empty stores on 2nd & Indiana near Lakers Tavern
Monster Muscle. Club Pendulum. 2nd Street Deli. These and others have come and gone from this ex-antique store that was converted to three smaller spaces that seem to be cursed. The Lakers sure isn’t going anywhere, and it seems like the right kind of businesses would really do well next door to the vintage hipster-haunt. Vinyl-only record shop? Funky thrift store? Trendy ethnic restaurant?

8. The Lofts at 609 Sherman.
Rumor has it they’ve sold like one of these so-spendy downtown condos in an ugly six-floor brick building. Supposedly the sides have no windows or other features in case someday they build similar monstrosities directly next door. Honestly though,I wouldn’t be complaining if I found myself living in one, the views look gorgeous both inside and out. Check out the photos here.

9. “Hobo Alley” between NW Blvd & Railroad tracks
Mean old CDA Blue recently kicked all the homeless folks out of this little “city within a city” that thrives each summer in the dense brush and under the US95 bridge. Now that the proposed education corridor is looming, I imagine the city wanted to put an end to the camping fun that those darn homeless like so much to do there. Why not take a hint and put a nice, warm building there with some cots and a bathroom and a soda pop machine and use it as a way for social students to study the ins and outs of homelessness?

10. Rathdrum Prairie
From the onset, Coeur d'Alene has been sprawling ever north-westwardly, encroaching on what was for centuries nothing but miles and miles of farmland. Now identikit housing developments cover much of the northern flatlands, and eventually the suburbs will stretch out so far that Cd'A/PF/Rathdrum will just be one big blotch of stuff. If it still kinda seems like there's a lot of space left up there, just think back to what Ramsey and Atlas roads were like twenty, ten, even five years ago. Personally, it doesn't bother me too much, it's when they threaten to develop the lush, foresty places that I start to bristle. Meanwhile, more mini-malls please!

Owl Café

Owl Café,
9178 N. Government Way,
Hayden, ID

Bright Lights, Dark Wood Panelling, Mediocre Eggs

For the most part, owls are strictly nocturnal and actively hunt their prey only under the cover of darkness. A very few owls do exist who are active at dawn or during the day; examples are the Burrowing Owl, the Short-eared Owl, and the Dust-Gathering Owl. The latter have been sighted at the Owl Café in Hayden, roosting daily on display shelves and peering out sagely over hungry breakfast and lunch patrons. There are dozens of them looking down from fusty heights with wide eyes or hanging sternly on ancient wood-paneled walls. Some are brass, some are ceramic, some are wooden; all are from some long-forgotten time when decorative owls were somehow the hottest thing going. Everything about the Owl Café is a definite flashback, from the grungy, retro ambience of the décor, to the un-fancy comfort-food lean of the menu and daily specials, and service that’s friendly enough to make anyone feel like an old-timer even on their first visit.

“Old-timer” is definitely the key word when it comes to describing the clientele of the mighty Owl. On a recent visit to the popular café with Weenis, her 7-year old daughter and their young friend, it seemed that many diners had been frequenting the same naugahyde booths and tables since the glory years of the Roosevelt administration. Even the less mature folks in attendance looked like they’d been eating meals there since before they could even say “Patty Melt”.

Somehow, both of us had gone our entire lives without experiencing the Owl Cafe, and driving by over the years we’d always pictured something dark and cave-like so it was kind of alarming to walk into overhead fluorescent lights casting an ambience similar to the waiting area at the DMV. Oh, our delicate morning eyes! We looked around the busy diner for a dark corner to hide in but such a place didn’t exist, so we grabbed an open booth near the register. Our waitress immediately dropped off cups of ice water with our menus, a simple but essential opener that all too often goes forgotten. Despite her young appearance, she was clearly a veteran waitress and displayed the talents and nuance of a pro.

For example, while we were spacing out into our menus, she came blazing by our table, both arms piled high with steaming plates of food and a face indicating not even vague concern that one little half-stumble or urge to sneeze could turn an entire table’s breakfast into Hurricane Benedict. When she arrived to take our order, we complimented her on her amazing dish-balancing routine. She laughed it off saying “It’s just my job” but she did pull up her sleeve and show us her “battle scars” that had resulted from various hot food injuries over the years.

It was Sunday, so sadly we were unable to validate the chalk-scrawled menu board labeled “Harlan’s Weekly Specials”, a different old-fashioned comfort food for every day of the week. Monday was Navy Bean Soup and Cornbread, Tuesday was Meat Loaf and Mashed Potatoes, Thursday was Pork Chops and Green Beans. We couldn’t believe there was still someplace in existence serving such classic Mom food. The menu itself provides very few surprises, but does offer a variety of standard breakfast and lunch fare. I’d put my money on some standout items: the Chili Dog with fresh onions and cheddar; the Fried Egg Sandwich; the Northern Cod & Chips; the massive Taco Salad.

We all decided that breakfast was still in vogue so I decided to order up a Big Combo with one French toast and one pancake and two scrambled eggs and corned beef hash. The girls excitedly ordered Pigs in Blankets, strawberry crepes and hot cocoa with spray-can whipped cream. While we waited, we delved further into some of the subtle kitsch surrounding us like the window security bars molded cleverly into owl shapes or the massive old-school steel milk machine with a sign reminding us in big red letters that “Milk’s the One!” The two girls and I were getting busy with crayons and coloring books when our meals arrived all in one go on the amazing arms of our waitress.

I was glad Weenis ordered the Chicken Fried Steak since that’s usually how I shake down a new breakfast joint. I got to sneak a few bites and it wasn’t bad at all but it was nowhere near as fantastic as another I’ve raved about recently. On the other hand, she thought it was scrumptious. My French toast seemed like it had lived under the heat lamp a while before hitting my plate, but my pancake fared slightly better, large and fluffy as expected. The corned beef hash seemed to be the standard canned variety and perhaps I was expecting something different (home-made perhaps) but after three bites I suddenly remembered that I really don’t like corned beef hash anyway. One of the girls found a mysterious plastic strip in her hash browns, but unlike most kids, she wasn’t freaked out at all as she pulled the foreign object from her mouth and flicked it on the table. She just shrugged an kept on eating as we examined it, finally determining it to be a harmless piece of food packaging and if she wasn’t upset about it, why should we be?

I’ve heard there’s a cult of Owl Café regulars who probably find something magic here amongst the dusty owl bric-a-brac, the cramped booths and the darkly paneled walls. I’m willing to withhold full judgment until I’ve tested several of those rib-sticking lunch specials, but based on one experience, I haven’t got a great deal of excitement to report. The meal itself may have been slightly on the mediocre side, but the service was top notch and the time trip back to fifty-something years ago was an increasingly endangered treat.

Festa Italiana

Festa Italiana at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds

Think about smiling country folk, white scarves on their heads, gleefully stomping grapes with bare feet and making wine the old fashioned way. Think about heaping plates of fresh pasta piled with rich sauces stewed all day long, just like Mama used to make and served with loaves of oven-warmed bread. Think of warbling folk singers operatically expressing the agony of romance, or bearded artisans selling their finely crafted wares to passersby on the street. Think of a place with a three-syllable name that starts with the letter “I”.

Italy, you say? Wrong, my little manicotti. It’s our very own Idaho, at least for this weekend as Post Falls’ Bonaventura Lodge 2814 presents the 3rd Annual Festa Italiana at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds in Coeur d’Alene. The Bonaventura Lodge is the local chapter of the Order Sons of Italy in America, a group established in 1905 as a mutual aid society for Italian immigrants and as an excuse to wear an Armani suit and drink Campari. Today, the OSIA has over 600,000 members and according to their website their missions include “encouraging the study of Italian language and culture in American schools and universities, preserving Italian American traditions, culture, history and heritage and promoting closer cultural relations between the United States and Italy.”

They also firmly believe in throwing a totally bananas, weekend-long party and inviting the whole town to share in the festivities. Admission’s free and parking is $1.00 per vehicle with money earned going to the youth group collecting at the gate. In fact, all proceeds raised by the lodge during the Festa go directly back to community youth and school groups in the form of scholarship and donations, so you can eat some extra cannoli guilt-free, knowing you’re helping a child in need by doing so.

The action kicks off today at 10:30 a.m. with an opening ceremony that won’t quite rival that of the Beijing Olympics earlier this year, but should still create a few semi-pleasant mid-morning moments. First, the national anthem will be interpreted by an as yet un-named Post Falls High soloist, followed by some color guard action and then the Legion of Mary show up to do whatever fabulous thing it is they do. The entertainment line-up is literally all over the map, even incorporating the St.Patrick’s School Irish Dancers, representing yet another place with a three-syllable name that starts with an “I”. It’s truly not an everyday occurrence to see Irish folk dancing at an Italian festival in Idaho, but it seems like anything goes here at the Festa.

Event headliners The Singing Nuns of Mt. Saint Michael will be performing today at 1 p.m. One of Spokane’s hottest “pop groups”, these ladies have recorded over a dozen albums and even appeared on the Merv Griffin show in 1981. Things continue in rollicking fashion with the senior dance troupe Lake City Tappers, who are chased offstage by the Nonini Strings, a group of 16 violinists aged 3-15. According to the schedule provided by the organizers, both Saturday and Sunday evenings at the Festa finish with several hours of “Italian Music” from a mysteriously unspecified source. By that time, everyone will probably have had too much vino to even notice or care where the music is coming from anyway.

Naturally, the big draw of the Festa Italiana is the probability of extreme indulgence in the food and drink department. The Bonaventura Lodge themselves will be serving up Italian Sausages with green peppers and onions, hot meatball sandwiches, and a dozen flavors of Italian sodas. Pizza will be provided by the Pizza Factory and the friendly neighborhood Schwann’s man will be frying up artery-enriching goodies like pizza rolls, mozzarella sticks and jalapeno poppers. Desserts by Gelato Joe’s, Bakery by the Lake, and Chiappe Pastries will be on hand so you’ll have no trouble inducing a nice sugar coma to go with that immobilizing pasta bloat.
One of the highlights of the Festa is sure to be the hourly “Bolla Grape Stomp Competitions”, the idea of which brings immediately to mind hilarious visions of Lucy Ricardo wrestling wildly in a wine vat with her professional grape-stomping partner and nearly drowning. If you want to roll up your jeans and feel the grapes squish-squash between your toes, you actually have to sign a waiver attesting to your physical fitness and releasing festival organizers from all liability in case of ”injuries or damages”. The objective of each three-person team is to crush the most juice from 20 pounds of grapes in four minutes with the least amount of bruises on your behinds.

There’ll be plenty of non-food ways to laugh in the face of the shattered economy and spend some cash as well. Dozens of featured merchant booths will be vending everything from jewelry, spices and lotions, to diaper bags, salad dressings and lawn sculptures. Italian food would be all stuck together if it weren’t for olive oil, and the Coeur d’Alene Olive Oil Co. will be on hand with more varieties than anyone knew existed. With carnival games, jumping castles, face painting and a fake tattoo booth, there’s plenty of ways to keep the kids entertained, at least for a few minutes before they show up and start annoying you again. Hide out in the beer and wine garden where you can build up the liquid courage to belt out a Sinatra tune at the all-Italian Karaoke contest.

Festa Italiana is open today from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information about visit www.idahoitalianfestival.com or call 773-8522.

Bonners Ferry Harvest Festival

Chow List: Six Local Boozes

1. Coeur d’Alene Brewing Company
*2nd & Lakeside in Cd’A
*Opened in 1980 as TW Fishers
* Varieties include: Huckleberry Ale, Centennial Pale Ale, Lakeside British Ale, Pullman Porter, Rockford Bay IPA, Polar Bear Stout, Vanilla Bourbon Stout, Frozen Lake Winter Ale, Scottish Ale, Amber Ale, Golden Ale, Honeymoon Wheat Hefeweizen.
*Happy hour every day, 3-6 pm, $2 a pint.

2.Pend d’Oreille Winery
*220 Cedar St., Sandpoint
* Established on June 21, 1995 by Julie and Stephen Meyer
*Varieties include: Viognier, Huckleberry Blush, Rosette de Syrah, Merlot, Pinoh Noir, Bistro Rouge.
* Live music every weekend evening at 5:30 p.m.

3.Bardenay
* Next to the pond in Riverstone, Cd’A.
* Opened in 2007, it’s the third Bardenay – the other two are in Southern Idaho.
* All spirits are distilled on site, one variety of alcohol at each location
* Varieties include: Lemon Vodka, London Style Dry Gin, Cane Sugar Rum
* They claim the name Bardenay came from an old sailor term for a cocktail, but I Googled it like crazy and couldn’t find anything about it, so I think they just made it up.

4. Laughing Dog Brewing Company
* Laughing Dog Brewing is a dog friendly brewery.
* Located in the heart of the Selkirk Mountains just outside of Sandpoint in the city of Ponderay.
* Varieties include: Cream Ale, Pale Ale, Sweet Stout, Hot Chihuahua, Cold Nose Winter Ale, Dogzilla Black IPA.
* Taste healthy samples of all varieties in their tasting room or order up a full pint and enjoy with free pretzels and snacks.

5. Coeur d’Alene Cellars
*Tasting zone Barrel Room No. 6 located at 503 Sherman in downtown Cd’A.
* Free tastings are available daily, and guests can try several wines side-by-side with one of their “wine flights”.
* Varieties include: Alder Ridge Syrah, Columbia Valley Viognier, No. 6 Red, O Stillwater Creek Vineyard Syrah pulence, Sarah's Cuvee, L'Artiste.
* Gorgeous, eye-catching graphic design of labels by Signal Point Design.

6. 44 Degrees North Vodka
* Distilled in Rigby from Idaho potatoes, pure Rocky Mountain Water and Idaho state fruit, Huckleberries.
* Originally available in Mountain Huckleberry, the company has recently introduced Rainier Cherry and Magic Valley Wheat flavors.
* Recipe: Huckleberry Hound - Rocks Glass, 44 North Mountain Huckleberry Vodka, Grapefruit juice.
* Reviewed in Playboy Magazine: “For best enjoyment,chill a bottle in the snow next to a hot tub all day.When night falls, fill the hot tub with leeks and beautiful women, then climb in with shot glass in hand.” Huh?