Beer, Deer and Gear at Payette Brewing, anniversary party at County Line Brewing on April 1

Saturday, April 1, marks the day for the first-ever Beer, Deer and Gear event at Payette Brewing, 733 S. Pioneer St., from noon to 6 p.m.

If you are wondering about the name, it’s a fundraiser for the Idaho chapter of the Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.

“It’s going to be a fun event. The idea was always to have it at Payette, especially with the new outdoor courtyard,” says Randy King, events co-chair for the BHA and author of “Chef in the Wild: Reflections and Recipes from a True Wilderness Chef.”

“Plus, it’s on the first day of Craft Beer Month.”

April 1 kicks off the inaugural Idaho Craft Beer Month, to take place all across the land of hops, barley and spuds.

It’s not just about beer at this free event, though. Chapter members from BHA will be doling out gratis samples of creatively prepared venison and elk (it’s illegal to sell wild game in Idaho), and you can purchase wild game-themed grub from Kanak Attack Katering’s food truck. Sink your teeth into maple-hoisin duck confit lettuce wraps, boar pot stickers with ponzu-Mountain Dew dipping sauce, and bison tongue tacos with slaw and fermented chili paste.

And you can wash everything down with pints of Payette beer.

Steve Weston, a chef and local outdoor cookbook author, will be putting on a cooking demonstration at 1 p.m.

The gear sale part of the equation is how the money will get raised, which benefits various conservation projects around the state. An assortment of vendors will be on hand selling everything from tents to cooking gear to clothing. Also expect to find a swap area. Gear will be taken on consignment or donation. You can drop off items that morning from 9 a.m. to noon.

Also, Payette Brewing and Kanak Attack are donating some of their proceeds for public land conservation.

Online: backcountryhunters.org, payettebrewing.com.

County Line Brewing second anniversary

Beer enthusiasts should also check out the second anniversary bash at County Line Brewing, 9115 W. Chinden Blvd., on Saturday, April 1, from noon to 9 p.m.

The Garden City craft brewery has earned an ardent following for its lineup of flagship and seasonal beers, including Barnwood Brown Ale, Porch Swing Porter and Shade Tree IPA.

The Rusty Dog and Mister BBQ food trucks will there to feed the crowd with a gamut of beer-friendly grub. Entertainment includes a performance by Tractor Beam, a local roots rock band, starting at 6 p.m.

County Line will be launching a new brew that day, the first batch of Kiehl’D Over Double IPA, a play on co-owner and brewer Zack Kiehl’s name. There will also be specials on brewery merchandise, including hats and T-shirts, throughout the day.

Online: countylinebrewing.com.

New restaurant to ‘keep it raw’ with fast, fresh poke bowls

When Dan Landucci was rafting last summer in Riggins, whenever they hit a rapid, the guide would yell “Paddles up!” to put everyone in attack mode.

The phrase stuck. “I kind of took it as a life motto,” Landucci says.

So when he decided to open a restaurant specializing in uncooked fish, the name was obvious: Paddles Up Poke.

“I’m putting my paddles up and attacking my dream,” says Landucci, 27. “... I just love poke.”

“Keepin’ it raw in Boise,” Paddles Up Poke will open Monday, May 1, in the former Mixed Greens space at 237 N. 9th St. in Downtown Boise.

The counter-service restaurant will specialize in fast, fresh poke bowls. A Hawaiian tradition, poke recently has become a nationwide trend. In Downtown Boise, it will be a healthy option for the lunch crowd.

Because not everyone is familiar with poke (pronounced “PO-kay”), Paddles Up Poke explains the concept online. “This tasty lunch is simple: chunks of raw fish marinated in our special house Piranha Sauce, packed with all the tasty toppings that you can find on your classic sushi rolls and served on top of a bed of brown rice, white rice or fresh mixed greeens.”

Paddles Up Poke bowls will be customizable. If customers don’t want to choose their own ingredients, selections will be available, such as an ahi tuna bowl.

“You’ll walk in, walk up to the counter, pick your base, pick your protein, walk down the line and pick all your toppings ... and kind of make your bowl the way you like it,” Landucci says.

A regular poke bowl will cost $10.95. A large will be $12.95. Other menu choices will include poke tacos and poke nachos.

There’s seating for 34 inside, Landucci says, and a small patio area probably can handle six to eight customers.

Remington’s coming to Cascade

If all goes well, Remington’s should be open by the end of April in the former Chief Restaurant and Hotel spot, 116 Main St., along the main drag in Cascade.

Owners Larry and Carrell Morton are working around the clock to get the restaurant part of the business open, followed by a lounge and wine room later in the summer. They are currently waiting for their beer and wine license to go into effect.

Chef Larry Morton is a popular fixture in the culinary scene around Long Valley. He formerly cooked at Morel’s at Tamarack Resort and most recently at Jug Mountain Ranch. Morton is still fine-tuning his opening menu, which will certainly have lots of globally inspired small plates, sandwiches, steaks and seafood with Pacific Northwest flair.

“It will be a little bit like Brick 29 Bistro (in Nampa),” Morton says.

“Some of the dishes are odes to chefs I’ve worked for in the past; others will be new dishes with fun spins on them.”

Besides the regular seasonal menu, the restaurant will have two chef’s tables where diners can get a $100 tasting menu that features 15 small courses with wine pairings.

The restaurant will start out doing dinner five nights a week (Thursday-Monday), with a lunch program to follow in the coming months.

Now open for business

▪ Cinnaholic, a build-your-own vegan cinnamon roll restaurant, opened at The Village at Meridian on March 24. The shop’s menu includes more than 20 frosting flavors and many toppings. Online: Cinnaholic.com.

▪  Native Grill & Wings opened March 27, at 7700 W. State St. in Boise. The sports bar offers 21 wing flavors and lots of nonwing options. It’s the latest restaurant to appear in the mixed-use North Pointe development across the street from Walmart. Chipotle, Jersey Mike’s Subs and Smashburger recently opened there. Black Bear Diner is on the way. Online: nativegrillandwings.com.

New menu items at Eureka!

Eureka! on the 8th Street corridor recently tweaked its menu by adding some new items that play well with beer. After all, the upscale burger joint and bar maintains a rotating selection of 40 craft beers, many of which are from Idaho.

Appetizer upgrades include shrimp ceviche ($9.50), chicken wings with two new sauces ($11/ firecracker aioli or sweet orange chile sauce), and mac n’ cheese balls ($7) made with a beery cheese sauce and Fresno chiles. You can now also get a rice noodle shrimp salad ($13) and watermelon salad ($11.50) with quinoa, arugula, kale, walnuts, feta and lemon vinaigrette.

New taco bar items include shrimp tacos ($11) and vegan falafel tacos ($10.50). Or you can go big with a New York strip steak ($24) or a turkey chipotle burger ($12) gussied up with charred tomato salsa, arugula, feta and avocado, served with hand-cut fries.

Online: eurekarestaurantgroup.com.

This story was originally published April 1, 2017 at 8:54 AM with the headline "Beer, Deer and Gear at Payette Brewing, anniversary party at County Line Brewing on April 1."