‘Super-exciting’: 3 Boise eateries plan to open at new neighborhood food-and-drink complex

Before you read this, do yourself a favor. Grab some ice cream. Spoon a mouthful into your face. Forget it’s winter.

Then slowly close your eyes with Kasey Allen, co-owner of The STIL.

Imagine this idyllic Boise scene.

It’s June. The city’s coolest ice creamery has just opened its third Boise store. The scoop shop is part of a new, three-building entertainment complex that replaced a torn-down car wash at 13 S. Latah St.

Next to The STIL is a coffee shop known for pour-over brews and funky T-shirts. Adjacent to that is a creative restaurant from a James Beard-nominated chef.

In front of these new taste buds, a fuel-pump canopy serves as a utilitarian reminder of the property’s past. Kids devour ice-cream sandwiches in its shade. Their parents savor burgers made with hand-ground patties blended from four different cuts of meat. A young couple cools off by sipping iced lattes.

A handful of people drink beer and play cornhole in a common area. It’s a weekend. A local band begins setting up gear.

This is Allen’s dream. By summer, much of it could be reality.

“Seemingly, the Bench is kind of hungry for a spot like that,” he explains. “Just a community space for people to gather and hang out — and activities to do.”

The STIL is committed. The lease is signed. Two other local businesses expect to follow suit.

John Cuevas, owner-chef at Boise taqueria Madre, plans to open an American gastropub with his wife, Julie.

And the owners of Push & Pour, which opened in Garden City in 2017, intend to expand there with a second coffee shop.

Demolition has begun on the car wash. New construction will begin shortly afterward, Allen says. The tenants hope to open June 1.

“I think it’s a great mix,” Allen says. “Hopefully, that’s what the residents of the area are looking for, and something they’re excited about.”

It’s a significant step for all three businesses. In The STIL’s case, the 1,900-square-foot operation won’t just make the Boise chain’s frozen footprint bigger. It will alter The STIL’s day-to-day process. “For us, it will be store number three,” Allen explains, “but, also, all of our production will move to that location.”

Cuevas, who launched Madre in Boise’s Lusk District in 2018, calls the prospect of this new food-and-drink mecca “super-exciting.”

His restaurant would be around 2,000 square feet, he says, or about the same size as Madre. Signing a lease is not a done deal, but he feels confident it will happen. And soon. Consequently, Boise diners should prepare to climb another rung on the culinary ladder this year. The restaurant would focus on nontraditional hamburgers and whatever else strikes Cuevas’ fancy. “We’ll just be playful with it,” he says.

“For me, I’m a classically trained French chef, but I aspire to deliver comfort food that’s different and unique without reinventing the wheel. That’s essentially what we’ll do with burgers. If you’re looking for a hamburger with lettuce and tomato on it, we’re not the place.”

The menu also might include flatbreads, steak frites, and fish and chips, he says.

“We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves to just burgers. We think there’s a demand for American fare — whether it’s a smoked, fried baloney sandwich with an egg — just really good comfort food that’s approachable.”

Although all three businesses would strive to be family-friendly, alcohol is part of the mix. Booze-infused treats and ice cream/beer pairings are part of The STIL’s concept. Push & Pour offers beer and wine. Cuevas strongly prefers that his restaurant would have a liquor license, adding cocktails to the mix.

Allen, who opened a second location of The STIL at Harris Ranch last year, knows there is no guarantee of success. But he loves the potential. The popularity of French bistro-inspired restaurant Petite 4, which opened kitty-corner from the car wash building in 2017, proves that there’s demand for food and drink in the area, he says.

Gourmet burgers. Ice Cream. Coffee. Beer. Outdoor socializing.

What’s not to like?

“Obviously, with the kind of product that we serve, we need other food and beverage options in the area,” Allen says. “That kind of drives traffic. I think people like those kind of experiential destinations right now.”

This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 1:42 PM.