Brick 29 Bistro nearly ready to move; Thai opens in Nampa

Speaking of Nampa, Brick 29 Bistro, 320 11th Ave. S., will soon be moving into its new digs. It’s a short move, though. Chef and owner Dustan Bristol recently added a top floor on the existing Masonic Temple building, where he’s been since 2007, instead of looking for a different location. Bristol hopes to be situated in the lofty spot by mid-May.

The penthouse-like space has a much larger kitchen, enabling Bristol to expand his menu repertoire.

“We went from a 12-foot kitchen line to a 35-foot line, so we’ll definitely be able to do more,” he says.

Bristol and his staff have been trying out different dinner specials on the guests to see what will make the cut on the new all-day menu.

“At first, we’ll be taking the existing menu upstairs and adding new dishes as time goes on, probably by mid-summer,” Bristol says. “The menu will eventually have about 50 percent new items on it.”

To see progress reports, go to facebook.com/brick-29-bistro.

Quick-service Thai is coming to Nampa

Monsoon Asian Grill is slated to debut April 17 in Nampa at 16003 N. Idaho Center Blvd., near the Ford Idaho Center.

Owners Nick Duncan and Billy Pothikamjorn, who owns Mai Thai in Boise, have been kicking around the fast-casual idea for three years or so. (Monsoon has a third silent owner.)

The quick-service concept gives customers the opportunity to create their own Southeast Asian-inspired rice and noodle bowls, which are designed to be built in about 2 minutes.

“It’s kind of like Chipotle (Mexican Grill), only with Thai cuisine that has street-food flair,” Duncan says. “Instead of doing fine dining or a full-service restaurant, after doing some research, we decided that quick-service seemed like the best fit for this area.”

Here’s how it works: Diners decide on a protein picked from a list that includes Vietnamese pork, chili-spiced beef, yellow curry grilled chicken and spicy citrus-marinated tofu. From there, it’s a choice of ginger-cilantro rice, brown rice or yakisoba noodles. Then you choose a preferred sauce (orange curry, yellow curry, sour red curry or peanut and lime) and a vegetable to go in the bowl with the protein and starch. The veggie list includes Isaan-style mushrooms, drunken broccoli, summer squash with bell pepper and corn with grated coconut.

You’re not done yet. The bowls get finished with a choice of cucumber relish, chili dipping sauce, chives and sprouts or a flavorful khoa soi garnish (pickled mustard greens, cilantro, dried chilies, shallot and chopped scallion).

Bowls are 16 ounces and cost $7.85, unless you tag on the double-meat option for an additional $2.50 or double veggies for $1.50.

Monsoon doesn’t offer beer or wine, but it will serve boba teas and Thai iced tea and coffee for $3.75.

Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Online: facebook.com/monsoonasiangrill.

This story was originally published April 13, 2017 at 3:36 PM with the headline "Brick 29 Bistro nearly ready to move; Thai opens in Nampa."