It doesn’t get more Idaho than this new Boise restaurant. Mmm, you’ll smell it
The way Thomas Watson imagines it, customers won’t discover Spud Daddy with their eyes.
It’ll be their noses.
As hand-cut french fries sizzle in a fryer on the front patio of his downtown Boise restaurant, the cooking process will produce a powerful, magically magnetic scent.
“You will smell it,” Watson predicts, “for a couple blocks.”
Opening this spring in the BoDo district at 404 S. 8th St. — formerly the longtime home of Bodovino wine bar — Spud Daddy will welcome hungry hordes with what might be the most Idaho-focused restaurant concept ever concocted.
The star of the menu will be loaded Idaho baked potatoes — served with customizable toppings in a Chipotle-style assembly line.
And as a walk-up option outside? Gourmet fries, presented in a fashion that’s deliciously unfamiliar to many Idahoans.
Spud Daddy also will sell potato- and Gem State-themed merchandise: calendars, stickers, hoodies, T-shirts, hats.
“This should be the most Idaho restaurant that exists when we’re done with this thing,” Watson says. “This is Idaho, through and through.”
Dozens of toppings
Licensed through the Idaho Potato Commission, Watson says, Spud Daddy will use taters grown by Sun Valley Potatoes. Known as 40-count potatoes, these russets are huge, he adds, weighing in at around 1 1/4 pounds.
The baked potatoes will be amped up with three primary protein options: smoked brisket, garlic chicken or smoked pit ham. Smothered on top of that? An assortment of vegetables, salsas, sauces, cheeses, baked beans — you name it. “It will end up being about 28 total toppings,” he says.
And the fries? Watson is excited to offer what he calls “kind of a new experience for Boise.” They will be Amsterdam-style: hand-cut extra-thick, placed in a big paper cone, with optional parmesan grated on top — and augmented with a choice of three housemade aiolis. Oh, and they’ll be double-fried for extra crispness. “Our fries will be nice and crispy even though they’re still fat and hand-cut,” Watson says. They’ll also be sprinkled with the Potato Commission’s newly unveiled Top That Tater seasoning.
Spud Daddy’s potato-based creations will cost between $8 and $14, he says, keeping the restaurant affordable and family-friendly. The restaurant also will sell Coke products, feature six beers on tap, whip up house-made root beer floats — and squeeze lemonade on-site.
Treefort launch
If all goes according to plan, Spud Daddy will debut March 25, during Treefort Music Fest, as a walk-up option selling fries. Customers will be able to go inside the 90-seat restaurant for self-serve sodas or to order beer. Loaded baked potatoes will be available a month later when Spud Daddy fully opens.
An Idaho native born in Twin Falls, Watson grew up in Kimberly surrounded by potato farms. He moved to Boise in 2008.
“I’ve just been thinking about this idea for years and years,” he says.
Opening across from The Warehouse Food Hall, Spud Daddy will take over one of several vacant spaces in the BoDo district. Kichii Sushi & Spirits most recently inhabited the spot. Notably — and kitty-corner to Spud Daddy’s future home — P.F. Chang’s closed last fall.
Spud Daddy could help re-energize some of the area, Watson says. “We think we can sort of be a beacon of light downtown.”
One thing is certain. If you call yourself an Idahoan, it will be difficult not to root for Spud Daddy. And to suppress the primal craving triggered by the wafting smell of tantalizing french fries cooking on an outdoor patio.
“If it’s not raining,” Watson says, “we’ll be frying.”