New Boise restaurants open next week where downtown Irish pub, sushi bar closed
Jerry Miller knows what you’re thinking about him and his business partner, Alex DeLuca.
Who in their right mind launches a new restaurant during a global pandemic? A fine dining establishment, no less?
What are these dudes, crazy?
Not exactly. Just Italian.
Actually, only DeLuca can make that claim.
Either way, the two men — who purchased the Barrelhouse bar and restaurant less than a year ago at 5181 N. Glenwood St. — made another acquisition in October. They bought the former Ha’Penny Bridge Irish Pub, closed recently after 18 years in downtown Boise.
On Dec. 9, the Ha’Penny will be reborn as DeLuca’s, offering Italian fine dining at 855 W. Broad St. The former Happy Fish sushi space next door was part of the deal. It will reopen as a takeout-focused lunch counter, DeLuca’s Nook.
Miller and DeLuca know all too well that current restaurant economics are challenging. But they’ve kept the Barrelhouse rocking since the initial pandemic shutdown in March. “It’s staying alive,” Miller said.
Survival breeds optimism.
“Honestly, we wanted a second restaurant — it sort of helps with the labor and stuff,” Miller said. “But frankly, we always wanted to go Italian. Alex, he’s from the old country. His parents came over from Sicily right before he was born.
“He’s got the right recipes. He’s got the goods.”
Italian restaurant
DeLuca’s will accommodate about 60 diners with tables spaced for social distancing, Miller said.
Patrons will enjoy upscale dishes in a casual setting. “We’re fancy so they don’t have to be,” he explained.
The menu will be powered by 10 pasta choices. They range from roasted garlic and prosciutto ($17) and bolognese rigatoni ($20) to chicken parmigiana ($18) and spicy spaghetti diavolo ($18).
Meat connoisseurs can slice into a Manhattan-cut steak ($35) or enjoy a fresh Atlantic salmon filet ($25).
Craving a hamburger at an Italian joint? Plow into the DeLuca’s lasagna burger ($16), “our Double R Ranch burger topped with a lasagna from our Sicilian recipe.”
Soups, salads and starters round out the DeLuca’s menu. Vegetarians and vegans also will find a handful of options.
DeLuca’s has a full bar, too, so cocktails, beer and wine will be served.
Online ordering, takeout and third-party delivery will be available. DeLuca’s will be open from 4 to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
Soup, sandwich spot
DeLuca’s Nook, also slated to open Dec. 9, will offer lunch. It will be served as a soup, salad and sandwich combination.
The half sandwich combo will cost $15; or pay $17 for the full sandwich deal.
“Basically, it’s sandwiches with an Italian bent to them,” Miller said. “We’re doing a meatball, of course. We’re doing a bruschetta.”
The soups, however? They might be anything. Well, anything “crazy good,” Miller said.
“Man, my soup chef,” he raved. “We just want to let her be creative with that. She could take a mushroom and a rock and make good soup out of it.”
Carryout will be the main goal at DeLuca’s Nook, but minimal seating also will be available. The Nook will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.
When the Knitting Factory next door reopens, DeLuca’s Nook might tweak things to better serve fans on concert nights, too, Miller added.
Opening any restaurant nowadays — be it Italian fine dining or a lunch counter — is a journey into the unknown.
“We just kind of have always had the philosophy that if you’re running with scissors against traffic, you’re doing it right,” Miller said with a laugh.
Although COVID has made the restaurant industry difficult, today’s economy also created a unique set of circumstances for Miller and DeLuca, he said. “... Because we’re small. We’re not a corporate chain.
“This is an opportunity that we took because we’re like, ‘OK, we normally wouldn’t have gotten this for this kind of investment. So let’s go for it, and see if it pans out.’ ”
This story was originally published December 2, 2020 at 4:00 AM.