Monday, July 12, 2010

"Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives" to Take On Cataldo's Mission Inn?

Many of you already know that it was recently confirmed that host Guy Fieri and crew will be cruising into the Spokane/Coeur d'Alene area some time in August. I've heard that Spokane reastaurants will be the main  focus of the show, but that they will be crossing the state line to Idaho to do a shoot at just one location. The mystery at this point is which eatery will be lucky enough to get the Food Network spotlight from the spiky-haired kind of Flavortown.

I've spoken with a Hudson's Hamburgers employee who told me that despite several years of wooing and begging from the producers of the show, Hudson's will not be featured due to the fact that they wanted the 101-year-old burger mecca to cough up the "secret" recipes for their famous spicy ketchup and mustard. Well, the nerve. Anyway, Hudson's would have been pretty great, but I honestly think the show needs Hudson's more than Hudson's needs the show and they'll be juuuuuust fiiiiiiine without all that Hollywood jazz.

On the Get Out Facebook page, I've had two comments from people who claimed to KNOW, without a doubt, where the show would be shooting in North Idaho. One person said that they had a relative that worked at Rogers Ice Cream and Burgers and that the former Dairy Delite was all-a-twirl getting ready for it. Another commenter suggested that Capone's in Cd'A was Fieri's confirmed destination. Both make a fair amount of sense I suppose but so far nothing has been verified.

The mystery thickened yesterday in the form of the biggest clue I've had so far. Kerri Thoreson snapped a photo (see above)  this weekend of the reader board outside the Cataldo Inn which reads "STAY TUNED...DINER'S, DRIVE INS, AND DIVE'S". "They spelled everything correctly but are guilty of apostrophy overuse," notes Kerri, and dangling participles aside, this is an interesting development.

The place really hadn't crossed my mind as a candidate, and it's certainly a bit off the radar, but I'm all for it. The Cataldo Inn is older than Councilman Ron and is certainly a funky, fun, and highly featurable establishment. Reading back on the review of the place I published over a year ago, I described it as having a "roadhouse ambiance", thrilled about the fact that they sell that divine rare form of caloric ecstasy, Chester Fried Chicken, and included a photo of the tallest, overstuffed cheeseburger ever (photo on left) - I'd forgotten how much we truly enjoyed the place. It's unique and kitschy and perfect for the show, methinks.

4 comments:

Patrick Jacobs said...

From Huckleberries Online:

Question: Which North Idaho eatery/eateries should be featured on “Diners, Drive-ins, & Dives”?
Seven comments on this post so far. Add yours!

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Nathan Empsall on July 12 at 4:39 p.m.

I'm a huge fan of the hamburgers at Nosworthy's.

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Kootenai_Conservative on July 12 at 4:40 p.m.

Burger Heaven in Rathdrum has always been a personal favorite.

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keithincda on July 12 at 4:41 p.m.

The Snakepit (Enaville Resort)

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Eddie Torreal on July 12 at 6:14 p.m.

I'll second that keith.

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JohnA on July 12 at 6:51 p.m.

Joe does a nice sandwhich at the Snakepit but nothing beats the Hilltop Burger nearby. You can find it at the Hilltop in Kingston, just turn right instead of left like you would to go to the Snakepit. Then another right and go to the top of the hill. Just the best burger around IMO. Not much atmosphere but the grub is great.

They also do killer prime rib on the weekends for less than nine bucks (no kidding), but get there early. Check it out, OTV.

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Arpie on July 12 at 7:36 p.m.

the Elmira Store halfway between Sandpoint and Bonners. A complete Diner with the best Burgers in North Idaho and the best Huckleberry shakes-served with the mixing cup next to the serving cup the way it should be.

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HonestGeorge on July 12 at 10:05 p.m.

Lewiston had a couple of good burger joints - up until a couple of months ago when, as if on cue, they all went to a cheaper hamburger meat.

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Anonymous said...

Sprag Pole in Murray. Great food and he could spend a lot of time in that museum

Anonymous said...

If you ask my kids, they will definitely tell you that Paul Bunyan's makes the best milkshakes. They're so thick you could seriously hurt yourself trying to suck a marshmallow peanutbutter fudge one up through a straw! Plus all their yummy hamburgers, including the bacon double cheeseburger, are only $1.99! To be honest, though, there's really no contest. Hudson's wins hands down. In fact, they're the only restaurant that I've written about on my blog about North Idaho. As a Coeur d'Alen local, I consider Hudson's Hamburgers to be THE hamburger joint in CDA. It's an institution for crying out loud! :)

Anonymous said...

The owner of the Mission inn is Kelly Thompson not Kerri, just thought I'd let you now