Chandlers Steakhouse

After a delicious meal at any of the downtown Boise restaurants , you might find that no matter how hard you try, you just can’t say “no” to dessert. But don’t sweat it—it’s not just a matter of willpower—it’s in our DNA. Food scientists have explored why some humans are naturally born with a sweet tooth and others aren’t, along with the science behind these sweet hankerings. Let’s take a look at the data to support your cravings for sweets at the end of the meal (or any time of the day, for that matter). We’ve Evolved to Seek Sugar Sugar is in more than just chocolate cake and ice cream. It’s also in honey, fruit, and other naturally occurring foods. Millions of years ago, our ancestors discovered that ripe fruit provided much-needed energy and helped them store fat, which at the time was a health benefit in sparse hunting conditions (rather than a nuisance to be burned off on the elliptical). In modern times, researchers have studied chimpanzees and found they ...

Music has come a long way since the days of vinyl records, tapes, CDs, MP3s, and then vinyl records again, but the one medium that will never die out is live music. Listening to a band through your headphones or in your car is fine for everyday listening enjoyment, but once the weekend rolls around, it’s high time to get out and watch these bands perform live. The Treasure Valley boasts an impressive live music scene with venues and artist performances spread throughout Meridian, Eagle, and Boise. If you’re new to the area or are visiting, it can feel overwhelming, but with the following tips, you shouldn’t have any problem finding a great place to spend the evening where the good tunes are flowing.  What Are Your Tastes? The Treasure Valley is comprised of a blend of different cultures, and the music scene here reflects it. From country and bluegrass to rock, hip-hop, heavy metal, smooth jazz, and anything and everything in-between, whatever your taste is,...

Even with a beginner's knowledge of wine, anyone with the right information and palate can select, order, and taste wine like a connoisseur. Here are some tips and things to look out for when visiting fine dining downtown Boise restaurants to help you order wine like a pro.  Don’t Feel Intimidated At many restaurants, the wine menu can read more like a book than a list. However, you should not let this lead you to analysis paralysis. Many restaurants just want to give their guests as many options as possible, so the more options, the better, as your new favorite wine is bound to be somewhere on the list—you just need to find it. Start with a Basic Understanding As you stare at the extensive wine list, you’ll probably see many different French words that quite possibly mean nothing to you, or might appear a bit familiar. There’s no reason you should be expected to understand the difference between a Riesling and a Bordeaux off the top of your head, but if y...

The weather is starting to take a turn for the frigid, and while memories of paddle boarding on Quinn's Pond and the seemingly endless sunsets of the summer and fall are in the rear view mirror, as any local will tell you, the fun is just beginning here in Boise. Here are a few fun things to do in and around Boise this winter.  Hit the Slopes at Bogus Basin Boise is a hot destination in the winter due in part to its proximity to Bogus Basin Ski Resort. Additionally, the Treasure Valley area is perfect for a variety of winter sports and activities. This means whether you're an adrenaline junkie looking for a challenging rush or would rather go tubing down a hill or even snowshoe through the frosted forest, you can find the winter activity that suits you. If you’re headed to Bogus Basin, your winter adventure is only about a 40-minute drive up the mountain from Boise. Warm Up with Dinner in a Cozy Atmosphere After spending the day outside in the frigid te...

Emerging trends in fine dining can be very tricky in a number of ways. For one, simply identifying what those trends are taking place is difficult. In some cases, they can emerge, be the rage for a few months, and then disappear completely. Even more difficult, and more important by far, is accurately identifying which trends deserve to taken seriously and incorporated into a menu and which are flash-in-the-pan fads customers will lose interest in after a month. That can be particularly true for restaurateurs and their customers outside of the major metropolises. After all, the fine dining dynamic of New York City and the culture of fine dining Boise supports can be quite different. That’s not to say that Boise is underrepresented by excellent restaurants or even by culinary innovation. Just the opposite, in fact, but smaller markets aren’t as equipped to support a wide collection of high-end, niche restaurants capitalizing on a recent trend. That can make incorporating trends in ...

Bars are such a ubiquitous feature of fine dining restaurants, asking why they became and remain such an important feature of fine dining may seem moot. Additionally, the purpose of the bar may seem sufficiently obvious to make a discussion of it seem unnecessary. It’s there because people like to have alcoholic drinks during dinner, or a nightcap afterwards. While people enjoying a drink with dinner is obviously not an insignificant part of a bar’s appeal, from the downtown Boise restaurants to the most exclusive New York eateries, there’s actually a far more complex and interesting series of reasons that bars and their product enhance the dining experience. And that enhancement of the experience goes beyond serving drinks that make people feel good after drinking them, although that doesn’t hurt. The Basics Obviously, there are some basic, pragmatic reasons it’s good to have a bar in a fine restaurant. It’s good for the restaurant because bars tend to have a pretty decent marg...

There are a lot of good reasons to love the Treasure Valley in particular and Idaho more generally, too many to list here. This specific reason is one you may not have known even existed: American Wagyu beef. If a kind of beef available from the fine dining Boise has to offer doesn’t seem like it should qualify as a good reason to be here, read on. What is Wagyu Beef? Wagyu beef is widely regarded as the finest beef in the world. Wagyu refers to a specific group of Japanese cattle breeds. The most commonly raised of them is the Japanese Black. These particular cattle are special because they are born with a unique genetic predisposition that results in the beef produced by them having a higher percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids than the beef produced by typical cattle. Those higher omega counts result in an increased ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats. And those technical specifics matter because the result is beef that is the most finely...