WESTSIDE DRIVE-IN

1939 W. State St., Boise, 342-2957,1113 ParkCenter Blvd., Boise, 424-0000

www.cheflou.com

Westside Drive-In’s finger steaks taste great by themselves, but the atmosphere adds even more flavor to the order.

Whether you stay in your car or grab a table on the patio, it’s easy to forget about the present as the finger steaks are being prepared. Neon signage and the drive-in’s color scheme of turquoise, white and cotton-candy pink fool the mind into thinking that a cherry-red convertible with white-walled tires will pull into a space any second. “Remember the happy days,” it says on the menu.

Once the finger steaks come out on a bed of fries, the smell makes mouths water and tastebuds eager. They’re juicy with the right amount of breaded crunch, and Westside Drive-In doesn’t skimp on your order. Belts cringe when they hear a finger steak order, knowing they’ll be stretched until they’re mercifully loosened.

Chef Guy Fieri once visited Westside Drive-In for his show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” and an autographed poster hangs on the drive-through menu with Fieri’s hand-written approval: “Just what you would expect at a drive-in!”

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• Dutch Goose, 2502 Cleveland Blvd., Caldwell, 459-9363; 3515 W. State St., Boise, 342-8887, www.dutchgoose.com

• Busters Grill & Bar, 1326 Broadway Ave., Boise, 345-5688, www.busterssportsbar.com

• Ben’s Crow Inn, 6781 Warm Springs Ave., Boise, 342-9669, www.facebook.com/benscrowinn

• Pinnacle Sports Grill, 2902 N. Eagle Road, Meridian, 884-4400, pinnaclesportsgrill.com