CombatCritic's TravelValue™: Boise

Showing posts with label Boise. Show all posts

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Boise (Meridian), ID: : Big Place, Excellent Service, Good Value, So-So Execution.

Louie’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant

2500 E. Fairview Avenue

Meridian, ID 83642

Phone number: (208) 884-5200

Website: louiespizza.com

Prices: $$$$

A cavernous room with Italian street motif and a fountain in the middle, the ambiance was decent enough. My server, Journey, was friendly, professional and very efficient. Their house wine was not bad and a good value at $4.75 per glass.

The prices are fair enough with the Veal Parmesan and a side of pasta coming in at $17.99, including soup or salad and garlic bread (which was not obvious from reading the menu). I asked for and got Bolognese (meat) sauce on my penne, but the pasta was not drained well and made the adjacent veal quite soggy. The veal was a bit too thick and chewy, so it could have used a good pounding before being breaded to make it more tender and appear larger. The sauce was OK, but would have probably been better had it not been watered down by the poorly drained pasta.

CombatCritic Gives Louie's Pizza and Italian Restaurant 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Continue Mission"

Saturday, August 4, 2018

Boise, ID: Small Portions And Overpriced, Undercooked Food Left Me Hungry ... For Somewhere Else

Applebee’s Grill + Bar
2810 W Elder Street
Boise, ID 83705
Phone number: (208) 344-5630
Website: applebees.com
Prices: $$$$

WEAK. OK, they are open late, being a plus when you have been driving for nearly 14 hours and the only reason they are NOT getting a 1-star rating.

The server was friendly enough, but she was also the hostess, seating newcomers rather than focusing on her customer's needs. The place was unusually busy for a Monday night and the Dodgers were playing on the TVs in the bar, but I was not given the option of sitting there for some reason. I was too tired to object.

I ordered the Whisky Bacon Burger ($12.29 - "no pink") which, according to the menu, has "caramelized onions and bacon seared into an all-beef patty PILED with Pepper Jack cheese, crispy onions, Applewood-smoked bacon and Fireball® Whisky-infused steak sauce on a Brioche bun". "Piled" is quite a stretch because this was one of the smallest $12 plus hamburgers I have ever had and it and the accompanying smattering of "classic fries" barely filled the very small plate. The flavor of the burger was not bad and the fries lukewarm, but my "no pink" burger was definitely undercooked (see photo) even though their menu also states: "CONSUMING RAW OR UNDERCOOKED MEATS ... MAY INCREASE YOUR RISK OF FOODBORNE ILLNESS". I was too hungry to send it back and still hungry after my meal, having been the only one I consumed the entire day. Fortunately, I did not get sick.

I do not order soft drinks i when I eat out and alcohol was not an option without my designated driver, so I had water, bringing the total to $15 plus for a very disappointing burger and fries. For comparison, my boys and I ate at another national chain (famous for their salad bars) in Dillon, Colorado the night before, paying just $12.99 (only 70¢ more) for an incredible all-you-can-eat salad, a larger "Smokehouse Burger" with more and hotter fries, AND dessert (hot fudge cake with ice cream and whipped cream).

Needless to say, I will not be eating a Applebee's again, preferring any fast food chain's burger and fries at half the price paid here.

CombatCritic Gives Applebee's Grill + Bar 3 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Three Bombs Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"

Friday, August 3, 2018

Boise, ID: Attitude And Filth Earns Super 8 Boise A Spot On My "Wall Of Shame"

Super 8 by Wyndham Boise
2773 Elder Street
I-84 Exit 53 at Vista Avenue
Boise, ID 83705
Phone number: (800) 536-9326
Website: wyndhamhotels.com/super-8
Prices: $$$$

The price was decent, I will give them that, but you get what you pay for. I have stayed in other Super 8s and the experience was much better. However, there are some serious management, attitude, and cleanliness problems in the Boise location.

The front desk clerk was abrupt and unfriendly when I arrived between 9pm and 10pm after a long day on the road. When I got to the room the light on the phone was flashing, so I called the front desk. "The instructions are on the phone - I don't know how to shut it off", I was told and he hung up. There were no instructions on the phone, so the light kept blinking all night long.

The toilet seat had not been lifted by the maid for cleaning made obvious by the lone pubic hair (not mine) sitting atop the toilet seat when I arrived. There were poop stains from the previous gust still in the toilet and the TP roll was less than half full. There were three bath towels, but just one hand towel and no washcloths.

The AC unit had no markings, having been worn off over the years, so I could not tell what temperature to set it at for the night and the refrigerator was INOP, so I could not keep any food in it overnight. One of the pillows was black with filth of some type, so I had to use my own pillows.

At $73, including tax, I have stayed in much nicer and cleaner hotels on the sea at numerous places around the world. For Boise, this place should be in the sub-$50 range.

CombatCritic Gives Super 8 by Wyndham Boise 1 Bomb Out Of 10 And A Spot On My WALL OF SHAME ... More Bombs Are Better!

One Bomb Equates To:

Translation for Civilians: "Fucked Up Beyond All Repair"

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