Nectar in Moscow, Idaho

I've been to Nectar a number of times, and only my latest visit has been impressive. We don't have many inventive restaurants on the Palouse, particularly ones that serve dishes that feature local or fresh produce, so I was excited to try Nectar when it first opened.

Unfortunately, the first five or six times I ate at Nectar, the food was mediocre at best, and I was really disappointed by the lack of fresh produce at a restaurant that seemed to feature local, fresh ingredients. Everyone raved about the mac n cheese on Yelp, but what arrived at my table was tasteless and without any sharp notes whatsoever. This could be because I grew up near Wisconsin and I really don't like Cougar Gold cheese, but my macaroni was so soft it practically melted in my mouth, and the cheese tasted like Velveeta, and not in a comforting way. When they first opened, they also had a pancetta wrapped meatloaf on the menu, but what came out was actually a BACON wrapped meatloaf and it was overseasoned, too salty and very gamey. I noticed soon after they changed the description to read "bacon" instead of pancetta--wise choice.


Alright, before I say too much and you all think I hate Nectar, the last two times have been fantastic. I'm going to venture out on a limb here and postulate that winter is a difficult time for gathering fresh ingredients and showcasing them in dishes, but I do still think a little more creativity might also go a long way for the price.


For my mom's last night in Pullman (way back in May! I'm behind!) we decided to take the drive to Moscow, and after a fairly short wait we were seated in the partially enclosed back room that I've often seen used for private parties and receptions. It was actually kind of nice having the room to ourselves before a few tables wandered in.





The back room at Nectar




Ah yes, and here is my shy dining companion



I have to rave about the steamed clams we ordered as an appetizer in May, but I also have to report that last Saturday the clams (which I didn't take any pics of) were horribly salty, overcooked, rubbery and without the fresh parsley and saffron taste of the first batch. Sigh.



The tasty batch




Leftover juice ready to be sopped up with fresh bread; the juice was almost better than the fresh clams


There are two reasons I think the clams were horrible, one being a kitchen staff change. One of the cooks (who happens to be opening a restaurant in Pullman, meaning a review will pop up here as soon as that happens) is nothing short of an awesome cook, and the first time I tried his clams I knew immediately I'd found a safe item on the Nectar menu. Without him in the kitchen, I'm afraid the quality will suffer.

The other reason is that the clams themselves didn't seem very fresh. Very fishy tasting, but that could also be why they oversalted? Or an effect of oversalting??





Next up, the salad was pretty standard, except I have to note that they are never swimming in dressing (which is important to me--I loathe getting dressing on the side).


Mom's entree was fantastic--Scallops with sugo (basically just tomato sauce, but the seasoning was really fresh), served on a summer vegetable tian. If one is going with the strict definition of a tian dish, the layers of veggies didn't really so much complement each other as they did taste all alike, but nonetheless, I couldn't stop stealing tiny bites of her tender scallops. I secretly wished I had ordered her dish, but mine was extremely satisfying.



My asparagus and wild mushroom risotto was cooked just right (I feel I always need to point this out on the Palouse; no gummy risotto!!) and the earthy mushrooms were just as fresh as the asparagus. My only problem with this dish was that the parmigiano reggiano was barely recognizable, as was the white truffle oil the menu boasted. Still, I was full at the end.



My mom and I aren't really dessert people, so if we did order dessert, it probably didn't even occur to me to take pics!


While the service is fantastic and the prices are pretty reasonable, the food can sometimes be a little iffy at Nectar, so the best advice I could give anyone is to go at the height of a particular fresh ingredient's season (asparagus and mushrooms were the best ingredients of the evening). Nectar is the only restaurant I actually enjoy in this area, so give it a shot if you're in the area.


Nectar Restaurant
105 W. 6th St.
Moscow, ID (across from One World Cafe)

Uptown Cafe in Butte, Montana, or, the end of a very LONG road trip

The very last night of our 10 day drive to/stay in/drive back from Chicago, Ian and I were absolutely exhausted. When I was 22, I took my first road trip to Washington state from Chicago, and after taking this drive a number of times (6 now one way each), I've realized one important piece of info: I'm too old to take these trips. Or, at least I'm too old to drive consistently for 27/28 hours without stopping. The first leg of our cross-country trip, we stopped in Miles City, Montana. Depressing tourist town with no impressive tourist attractions. The second night, we stopped in Tomah, Wisconsin, near the Dells. Probably a cool town judging from what I briefly saw while almost falling asleep at the wheel, but we were much more interested in the soft pillows that awaited us in the hotel room and the sweet, sweet feeling of satisfaction in reaching my parents' house in Chicago the next day. Blarg.



The second leg of the trip is forthcoming. Many many Chicago eats need to be chronicled, and a yearly craving has been satisfied. Okay, the craving isn't yearly. It's daily. Double blarg.


The very last leg of the trip took us to Chamberlain, South Dakota the first night, and Butte, Montana the next. We could have driven all the way home that last night, but frankly, we wanted that last night of vacation. So Ian and I decided to head out for a nice dinner, and with a few online reviews in tow, I was hopeful to try Butte's top-rated Uptown Cafe. Although the meal was much more akin to stepping into your favorite low-scale diner, it satisfied the last night vacation needs quite nicely.











The starter was a cannellini bean-tomato soup, but unfortunately what sounded comforting and promising after two days on the road arrived at our table with virtually no seasoning or....taste. I didn't taste a thing, which leads me to believe that the soup was most likely left in a soup warmer all day. Nothing like the taste of something completely overcooked, and this was unfortunately how the rest of the meal turned out as well.



We had a strawberry salad that I forgot to take pics of, but it really wasn't anything special. Store-bought raspberry vinaigrette, under-ripe strawberries and tasty greens. Nothing special.












Second course (this sounds very forced, doesn't it?) was clams maison, which were definitely not fresh, but I'll forgive that since I was in Montana. People, Montana. Come on. Sadly, it was my favorite dish.











My pork entree was cooked just right (not dry at all! almost a first in the West!) but it was underseasoned, as was the plum sauce. The cloves of garlic were wonderful, but I would have liked if the rosemary garnish had also been included in the sauce/meat seasoning. I almost took a lighter out of my purse and lit the plate on fire from underneath in order to get some of that seasoning into the dish. But then I looked at the sea of cowboy hats around me and the likelihood that I would be mistaken for a Jewish terrorist, and I shoved another mouthful in without another thought.











I also received a "side" with my entree. When the waitress asked which of the sides I would like to order, I didn't account for the fact that the sides were most likely already made and were sitting around waiting to be taken out to customers. After ordering the snap peas in lemon butter, I received very soggy snap peas with a pool of lemon juice at the bottom of the dish and a pat of butter on top. Hmmm. That's a new take on lemon butter I hadn't seen.












Ian ordered the Scallops Norfolk, which came out much like you would get in a family-run Greek diner in Chicago: overcooked, underseasoned and completely tasteless. It was a disservice to scallops, if I ever saw one. His "side" was a vegetable ragu with penne, which also, true to form did not have any seasoning that I could taste.



Needless to say, we skipped dessert and headed back to our hotel full and ready to cook our own meals once again. Ahhhhhhh, home.

The Breakfast Club in Moscow, Idaho

My mom was in town this past week, and since I'm usually chained to my kitchen without her, it was wonderful to be able to eat out a couple of times. Since the popular breakfast place in Pullman is The Old European, I had to suggest The Breakfast Club in Moscow. The Old European tries the fancy breakfast thing, but it's never good and always expensive. Not only that, but on more than one occasion I've witnessed various objects being found in people's food. Like those twisty ties that keep bread sleeves closed. And Band-Aids.


The Breakfast Club in Moscow has always been pretty good quality breakfast, and I'm a sucker for their huckleberry zucchini bread. While their coffee is mediocre at best, the bread never disappoints.






























My mom ordered the huckleberry stuffed french toast. She was a big fan of the honey cream inside the french toast, and the huckleberries were very fresh.






















Ian ordered the breakfast platter, which included a little baby loaf of the huckleberry zucchini bread. Ian wasn't a fan of their hash browns, complaining they weren't crispy enough (I don't share this opinion).






























I ordered the Veggie Benedict, which I've decided is my favorite. I used to order the chicken fried steak because the sausage gravy and the perfectly cooked steak were heavenly, but I can't deny how wonderful the hollandaise sauce is at the Breakfast Club. I usually order the sauce on the side because it's hit or miss, but I was a little too lost in conversation to request this time. I was pleasantly surprised to discover how creamy the hollandaise sauce was, and my eggs were PERFECT, a rarity on the Palouse.























We left the Breakfast Club happy and ready to end up...at the hobby shop, where my mom bought me a plastic chicken with a squeezable egg that comes out of its, ahem, end. We're weird.


The Breakfast Club
501 S. Main St.
Moscow, Idaho 83843
(208) 882-6481