Coeur d’Alene’s new Satay Bistro is a fine dining experience located, improbably, between Taco Bell and the Long Ear music store, where Fourth Street crosses Interstate 90. With its chic decor, 70-some bottles of wine and upscale fusion menu ($23 average entree), Satay’s modern, casual elegance would fit in in downtown Coeur d’Alene, Spokane or even larger cities. “I was really wanting that downtown Seattle/Portland, old-style cool building, but parking is so, so critical,” explains owner Rob Elder, who left his first restaurant, Crickets Restaurant and Oyster Bar, in 1998 to launch Hot Rod Cafe in Post Falls/Carrie Scozzaro, Inlander. More here. (Inlander photo: Young Kwak)

Question: Anyone tried Rob Elder's new Satay restaurant yet?