Food Notes: Canyon County Co-op debuts; Sakana expands | Idaho Statesman

Canyon County Co-op is slated to open Jan. 19 at 1415 1st St. S. in Nampa’s Belle District.

The nonprofit natural foods cooperative, housed in the former Lloyd’s Lumber cabinetry shop spot, is working with around 50 local vendors to bring its members and customers a wide variety of healthy foodstuffs.

“We’re trying to find the best products possible for our shoppers; things they want,” says Michael Worman, operations manager at Canyon County Co-op. “It’s really based on member input.”

While the store has already sold more than 1,800 memberships, people don’t need to be members to shop there. Becoming a member has its perks, though, such as daily store discounts, special event invites and the right to vote on business affairs. Memberships cost $75 for a lifetime plus a $35 annual renewal fee.

Besides a profusion of local produce and meats, don’t be surprised to find dairy products from Cloverleaf Creamery, goat cheese from Wild Country, locally milled flours and grains, including a selection of gluten-free flours, and much more.

The blanks will get filled by bringing in additional organic and natural products from around the region and other parts of the country.

Worman expects the produce selection to start out slow and increase once the local growing season kicks in.

The store will also stock a select array of Idaho wines and local craft beers.

Canyon County Co-op will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Online: canyoncounty.coop

Phone: (208) 960-0328

Westside Pizza opens on Overland

Westside Pizza debuted in December at 8489 W. Overland Road, Boise, kitty-corner from Walmart.

The Pacific Northwest-based chain and franchiser has around 20 eateries, mostly located across Washington and Northern California. This is the second Westside Pizza in Idaho; there’s also one in Star, at 11200 W. Hercules Drive.

Expect to find lots of combination and specialty pizzas, oven-baked pasta dishes and sweet, doughy desserts.

Westside offers three kinds of dough: deep dish, thin crust and gluten-free.

Meat lovers should definitely try the Death by Pizza, a blistered pie fully loaded with bacon, sausage, pepperoni, Canadian bacon, beef, pineapple and some veggies for good measure.

The pizzeria offers pizza by the slice from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday. Delivery is also available in the nearby neighborhoods.

Westside Pizza is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Online: westsidepizza.com

Phone: (208) 322-1000

Sakana to open third location

Sakana Sushi Bar & Grill is planning to open its third Treasure Valley location in late February at 7107 W. State St. near Glenwood Street.

Housed in a former Mountain West Bank, Sakana’s newest location will have the same menu as its two other locations: 925 S. Vista Ave., Boise, and 1718 S. Eagle Road, Meridian.

Besides saucy fusion rolls, nigiri and sashimi, the restaurant is known for its long list of Japanese starters such as barbecued eel, tempura sweet potato and gyoza dumplings (think pot stickers).

Other hot Nipponese items include don buri rice bowls, stir-fried yakisoba, ropy udon noodles and hibachi-style grilled meat entrées and combination dinners.

The restaurant serves a large selection of bento boxes at lunch.

Sakana Sushi Bar & Grill is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Online: sakanasushiboise.com

Chandlers retools Social Hour menus

Chandlers, 981 W. Grove St., at Hotel 43 recently revamped its Social Hour (4 to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday) food and cocktail menus.

The revised cocktail-friendly appetizer menu ($7-$8) now features duck carpaccio, teriyaki bites, steak tartare, osso buco with fennel slaw and the infamous Mini Tower of Tuna.

New winter-inspired craft cocktails ($7-$8) include a Grapefruit Lemon Drop, a tasty twist on a Manhattan called The Brooklyn, and The Blizzard, a bourbon-spiked coffee drink with Baileys Irish Cream and a puff of Frangelico cream.

Online: chandlersboise.com

Kindness ends dinner

The new year brought one less place to go out for dinner in Boise.

Downtown restaurant Kindness, 1109 W. Main St., ended its regular dinner service.

The numbers weren’t adding up, according to a Facebook post attributed to owners Michael and Anna Tapia.

“We were very proud of what we were doing in the restaurant side, but the restaurant was simply not performing the way it needed to. At the same time, our catering and events business was pressed for more capacity, so transitioning the restaurant space for more catered events was the obvious business move, albeit a sad personal one. We’d like to thank all our regular dinner guests for dining with us, and remind them that they can still come see us for brunch on Saturday and Sunday.”

Kindness will continue offering brunch from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. And the bar remains open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.

Online: kindnessboise.com.