Dine Friday and Saturday at Greek Food Festival in Boise

Editor’s note: An article in Scene magazine June 3 incorrectly listed the festival’s dates.

The scent of traditional delicacies will lure hungry Idahoans to the 35th annual Greek Food Festival, which happens June 3 and 4 at Saints Constantine and Helen Church, 2618 W. Bannock St., in Boise.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. As in years past, fans of all things Greek simply pay a $1 donation (kids under 12 free) at the door, and all the food and drink items are sold separately.

Held outside under a big tent, the festival keeps the focus on food, but there’s plenty of Greek music and dancing scheduled for both days.

Expect to find a lineup of food including grilled pork souvlaki ($7.50), gyro sandwiches ($7.50), falafel on pita ($7.50), Greek garden salad ($6), spanakopita (spinach and feta pies/$3.50) and pastitsio ($7), a lasagna-like baked pasta dish with seasoned beef and creamy béchamel sauce.

Make sure to save room for Greek desserts such as baklava ($3), dark walnut cake ($2.50), kataifi (sweet almonds and walnuts coated with shredded wheat/$3) and assorted Mediterranean cookies ($1.50 each).

Bottled domestic beers and wines by the glass (OK, a plastic cup) will be available for $4.

For more information, go to boisegreekfestival.com

Wishes & Wine fundraiser

On Memorial Day, May 30, head to Indian Creek Winery, 1000 N. McDermott Road, in Kuna for the annual Wishes & Wine fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Here, you will be able to taste wine, eat food-truck grub and listen to live music, and it’s all for a good cause. Proceeds from the event will benefit Wish Granters, an organization that grants wishes for adults with terminal illnesses. There will be live and silent auctions at different times during the day.

Participating wineries include Indian Creek Winery, Sawtooth Winery, Fujishin Family Cellars and Cellar 616. Expect to find Burgerlicious and Fresh Betty Spaghetti dishing up food.

Live music includes Soul Patch, Fun House and A Tasty Jamm.

Tickets cost $15 per person or $50 for a carload (as many as you can pack into a vehicle), which includes entry into the event and wine tasting, but food is sold separately. Purchase tickets at the gate or buy them in advance at the Wish Granters office, 1365 N. Orchard St., in Boise.

Online: indiancreekwinery.com

New chef at Jug Mountain

Jug Mountain Ranch, 13834 Farm to Market Road near McCall, recently hired a new chef.

The Carey family, which also owns Hotel McCall, brought on board Jordan Boutry to oversee the kitchen at the Clubhouse Restaurant.

Boutry, who grew up in Gig Harbor, Wash., went to culinary school at The Art Institute of Colorado. He worked in Montana for several years, and most recently he was the chef at Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch near Stanley.

He has completely retooled the eclectic menu by adding global touches.

“Jordan came up with a pretty cool menu. He’s doing a duck banh mi and other fun stuff,” says Gary Kucy, chef at Rupert’s at Hotel McCall, Jug Mountain Ranch’s sister restaurant.

Besides a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich ($13), the menu also features Korean barbecue duck lettuce wraps ($12), beer-spiked crispy chicken legs ($10) and hand-cut fries ($5) with smoked tomato ketchup.

Larger plates include a cast iron-smoked pork chop ($17), kecap manis and lime-glazed king salmon ($17) and roasted bell pepper chardonnay pasta ($14).

In addition to the pasta, vegetarians also can score a veggie burger ($11) and an organic brown rice salad ($9) with apple, baby kale, avocado and toasted walnuts.

The Clubhouse Restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Monday.

Besides a restaurant and bar, Jug Mountain Ranch boasts an 18-hole golf course and mountain bike trails. A free concert series also was added this summer.

For more information, visit jugmountainranch.com

Rupert’s summer menu

Rupert’s at Hotel McCall, 1101 N. Third St., will introduce its summer menu June 1.

Executive chef Gary Kucy is once again showing his international flair with starters such as Korean short ribs ($7.50), slow-roasted pork belly ($8) with chipotle-peach glaze and seasonal Italian-style grilled flatbread ($9.50).

“With summer here, we’ll be picking up fresh produce from the farmers’ market in town for the grilled flatbread and other dishes,” Kucy says.

Those other dishes include citrus and fennel-roasted salmon ($27.50) with saffron-tinged pea risotto, cast iron-roasted chicken ($25.50) with roasted local spuds and a smoked kurobuta pork chop ($27.50) gussied up with roasted corn salsa and chipotle-molasses glaze.

Rupert’s is starting its summer schedule on June 15, when the restaurant will be open 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday to Monday (bar opens at 4 p.m., dinner starts at 5 p.m.). It’s currently open from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Thursday; 4 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday (bar opens at 4 p.m., dinner starts at 5 p.m.).

For reservations, call (208) 634-8108.

Online: hotelmccall.com

PizzalChik throws TV party

Boise restaurant PizzalChik was first featured on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” in 2009. Now the Food Network series will revive footage from Guy Fieri’s visit in a “best of” episode called “Pizza Party.” It airs Friday, May 27, and highlights pizza joints previously featured. (Check your TV provider’s listings for air time.)

A watching party is planned from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at PizzalChik, 7330 W. State St. Menu options include unlimited pizza and one free beverage for $12.95.

Online: pizzalchik.com.

This story was originally published May 26, 2016 at 1:11 PM with the headline "Dine Friday and Saturday at Greek Food Festival in Boise."