New Restaurant News: April Gloom Edition

Alrighty then - apologies for the lack of updates up in here this month, but the April showers (rain AND snow - horrid!) have us busy staying in rather than getting out, and working our fingers and feet to the nubs to keep the roof on this joint to keep us dry from said April showers. Jesi and I both have found a a smidge of time to work on some re-reviews of a few places, which are nearly ready to post, but there's occasionally this nagging feeling that we've already reviewed pretty much everywhere in the area worth reviewing (okay - I know we've missed quite a few, but like I said, it's a feeling). Also, it seems the movement has been somewhat slow of late when it comes to new restaurants opening their doors.

Fortunately, there are several new local eateries coming to the surface soon, and while we don't have full details about all of them, they're at least worth a mention for the excitement value of it all.

The first week of June is the prospective opening date for Hayden's Rib Joint, according to their space on ye olde Facebook. It seems that even Paula Deen herself, if she happened to find herself in North Idaho as of late, would instantly burn out on the number of BBQ joints to choose from in the area. Still, there's always room in our hearts and colons for a big, sticky plate of spicy-sweet pork bones laced with melt-in-your-mouth morsels of meat (okay, it not even 11 o'clock yet and my tummy is grumbling) and some holler-riffic southern comfort side dishes.

The Rib Joint is located at 9420 North Government Way in that ever-changing strip mall on the right side just before Hayden Ave., in the southernmost spot which most recently housed Sahara Pizza. Details are vague at this point, but the pictures they've posted so far (sample above) tells pretty much all we need to know about what to expect. It's BBQ porn of the highest, raunchiest caliber, so much so that I do believe the photos are banned in Utah and various Midwest states.


The opening of Ugly Fish Asian Bistro was first reported in the CDA Press a few months ago, but apparently we were having a vodka holiday that week and somehow missed the news. I haven't driven by the newly-constructed Riverstone location (1927 W. Riverstone Drive) to see if construction of this place is indeed an actual reality but I'm assuming it's happening since they already have a presence in the various listings and maps on Google and the online yellow pages (the internet never lies).

Locals who bitch and moan about how there's no good Chinese cuisine in this town ought to be in for a pleasant surprise in the Ugly Fish turns out to be anything like owner Bin Sun's other restaurant, longtime Liberty Lake fave Ding How. I was generally impressed by Ding How in my review of the place last year, but what I like about them is that they offer a spectrum of fare from all over Asia, including everything from Korean specialties to good old-fashioned Americanized Chinese combo dinners, to an elaborate line up of sushi option. Get Out North Idaho is sitting at the edge of it's black Naugahyde bar stool waiting to see an opening date for this one.


I've known a few Sweet Lous before in my time, and they all seem pretty cool. So I'm giving props to Chad and Maggie Foust for bringing into existence Sweet Lou's Restaurant and Bar up in wee Hope on Lake Pend d'Oreille (46624 Highway 200 in the Holiday Shores Marina). The early buzz is so-far-so-good on the place, which opens it's doors on an as-yet-unspecified date at the end of this month.

I'm loving the idea of Manny's Beer-Battered Onion Rings (Manny's is a Seattle favorite ale), but the kicker for me is the fact that they're promising S'mores cooked right at your table. What!? Is my server going to put together a tabletop mini-campfire right in front of my very eyes and point a long marshmallow stick in the situation? God, I certainly hope so. That's worth the drive alone, but the promise of hotting the lounge to chase my S'mores with a couple of stiff White Russians makes the prospect even more tempting.