So busy it rejects Boiseans, new 15th-story restaurant, bar serves view, snake meat
Interest has been strong since The Boise Post began service atop the new 15-story AC/Element Hotel days ago.
For some curious walk-ins, stepping out of the elevator has ended in polite rejection.
“Fortunately for the business, unfortunately for some folks in the community,” Executive Chef Hunter Durgan says, “the demand for tables was higher than our capacity to welcome them in the first week. But we hope as we kind of get our feet under us, we’re able to expand our operation and ... accommodate everyone coming in.”
Good luck with that. Redefining the phrase “setting the bar high,” the new lounge and restaurant at 1005 W. Grove St. is the tallest rooftop food-and-drink spot in Boise. Equally troubling, it has not one but two outdoor patio areas. This is a city where if you slapped an upside-down milk crate and folding chairs in the middle of the street, Boiseans would scurry over, sit down and ask for a menu.
Still, these are positive opening-week challenges. Even if the stampede of Idahoans hungry for a breathtaking, panoramic view never wanes.
“I think it’s going to continue to ramp up,” Durgan admits.
Global yet local
With capacity for 120 including its patio spaces, The Boise Post is positioning itself as a welcoming, entertaining spot for both hotel guests and the general public. It’s built for casual cocktail hour in a T-shirt and Chacos, or for an anniversary celebration in a jacket and tie.
With two decades of food-industry experience, the Montana-raised Durgan brings a culinary vision that is globally influenced while valuing Idaho ingredients. He spent the last year as sous chef at the nearby Hotel Renegade — home to its own rooftop bar, The Highlander — in downtown Boise.
“I think above all, we want to be open and approachable to anybody,” Durgan says. “So not doing food that’s going to scare people away, or big complicated presentations that you feel might poke your eye out. I think about that scene in ‘The Departed’ where Matt Damon is like, ‘I don’t know whether to eat it or shoot it.’ We don’t want anything like that.”
Well, there is snake on the menu. The Outfitter’s Board ($38) includes sausage made with a blend of rabbit and rattlesnake, along with cuisine the menu describes as “blueberry and boar, venison brat, huckleberry-sage mostarda, red cabbage, jalapeno-pickled corn and Gaston’s country batard.”
So far, The Boise Posts’s biggest hits have been less wild game-oriented, Durgan says: carne asada tacos with huckleberry mole ($23) and chicken lollipops ($25), a spin on chicken tikka masala.
Social dining
Socially powered dining is an integral part of The Boise Post’s philosophy. The menu includes more than a dozen small plates. “We want to encourage people to order in a way that they are sharing multiple dishes throughout the course of the meal,” Durgan says, “and even ordering multiple rounds.”
Feeling territorial instead? You can order your own larger entree — such as steelhead ($42) or a Wagyu skirt steak ($48).
There’s also a moderately priced bar menu. The most expensive choice is the double-smash Wagyu Post Burger ($25), which comes with spiced fries. It’s “great if you want to just go sit someplace with a great view, have a beer and a burger,” Durgan says. “We want to be that, too.”
Without question, some Boise Post customers will show up primarily for the sky-high drinks. Signature cocktails range from $12 to $17. Interesting selections include the Huck Around and Find Out ($16, tequila, mezcal, huckleberry, thai basil, lime) and Golden Hour ($14, Pisco grape brandy, apricot, rosemary, lemon, edible flowers).
Walk in ... maybe
Just remember. If you want to sip one — or nibble some of that rattlesnake ‘n’ rabbit sausage — reservations are “highly, highly recommended,” Durgan says.
For now, bar hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The kitchen shuts down an hour early.
The good news? As Boise Post staff grows into the space, Durgan expects increased accessibility to follow.
“I think we’ll be able to accommodate a larger crowd,” he says.
