‘Starving’ Thai Restaurant Moving To New Location In Coeur D’Alene

Abandoned with Coeur d’Alene’s rebuilding of East Sherman Avenue, but anxious for expansion when reopening, Mad Mary’s Thai restaurant is combining with and moving to the Pines Restaurant building at 1422 Northwest Boulevard.

The usually popular ethnic restaurant has been deserted since the major street rebuilding project closed Sherman Avenue a month ago, said co-owner Tim Cameron.

“We’re starving,” Cameron said, “so we’re closing up shop and going on vacation.” Cameron, his wife (and chef) Aree (Mad Mary) and co-owner Bill Colacurcio plan to reopen in late April. They are buying the Pines building, including the parking area in front and the rights to 29 spaces behind the restaurant toward The Pines Motel.

The result will be a full-service restaurant and lounge with a meeting room. The seating area will expand from 45 to 160 people and from a handful of employees to 16.

“We’re keeping the traditional breakfast and lunch and adding a Thai buffet and dinner,” Cameron said. “The lounge will become a classy dining area, and the meeting room will remain available to the 15 groups that use it now.”

Mad Mary’s orange flame trademark, advertising the availability of spicy Thai food, will be retained in the new decorating, “but we won’t be flaming the entire building,” Cameron said.

Originally from Wallace, Cameron met and married his Thai-emigrant wife when they both lived in New Orleans. Hence, some of their dishes offer a Cajun touch. Colacurcio is originally from Seattle. Now they all reside in Post Falls.

Expansion and better visibility also are the reasons behind the move of Inland Technology to the former U.S. Bank building on a Silver Lake Mall pad at Government Way and Hanley Avenue.

Inland owner Bill Blair started his multiple-service computer business two years ago with one employee in 450 square feet in Lochaven Square in Hayden. He expanded the area twice and is now leaving 1,800 square feet in Lochaven to the 3,200 for 10 employees in the former bank building.

Inland Technolgy builds, services and upgrades IBM-compatible personal computers (PCs) and trains customers in their use. The company recently became an Internet service provider.

Originally from Salt Lake City, Blair came to North Idaho from Phoenix where he had a very successful computer business.

“I came here to retire,” he said. “We debated between Kalispell and Coeur d’Alene, but Kalispell flunked the airport and Nordstrom tests.”

A little more than two years ago, “I got bored,” Blair explained, and started Inland Technology. Now, once again, he’s almost too busy, but he’s also excited about his business’ new home.

“We’re changing the bank’s drive-through into a covered service delivery area,” he said. “With this building, we have great visibility and more room. The opening target date in April 5. Phone 772-6700.

Some tidbits:

“There’s no truth to the rumor” that Montgomery Ward in Coeur d’Alene will hold on for a year and then decide whether or not to remain open, according to Kathleen O’Neill, a public relations employee in the Chicago headquarters office. No doubt the already quiet store is threatened by the renovations of Sears and J.C. Penney’s and the impending opening of the giant Fred Meyer.

Sandpoint author Marianne Love insists that sales of her new book, “Postcards from Potatoland,” are enhanced by the paperback being placed directly beside Mark Fuhrman’s book, “Murder in Brentwood,” about his involvement in the O.J. Simpson case.

“My book ($12) is half the price,” said Love, a Spokesman-Review correspondent. However, Vanderford’s bookstore admitted it has sold out of the Fuhrman book and is getting new supplies later this week.

Love has a chance to catch up Saturday as she autographs books at the Bonner Mall store from 1 to 6 p.m.

“If Fuhrman did 1,000 autographs in eight hours,” I can do 500 in five hours,” Love challenged. Her new book, her second, contains humorous vignettes about life in North Idaho.

The new Ameritel Inn under construction next to Wild Waters in Coeur d’Alene is becoming a grand-looking place. When the giant tarps are removed, it’ll be interesting to discover whether or not the top (fourth) floor has windows that will offer views of the Spokane River in the distance. It definitely will replace The Coeur d’Alene Inn as the second-classiest lodging business in town.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Nils Rosdahl The Spokesman-Review