Atmosphere, tapas big draw at Anthony’s

Anthony Hall calls his midtown restaurant a bistro, a French word that Webster’s defines as a small nightclub or bar where wine is served.

Chef and owner Hall throws in other criteria: A bistro, he says, is an intimate gathering spot for friends, and it must have white tablecloths.

Anthony’s qualifies on every count.

It’s a cozy little place that seats 53 this time of year when its patio is habitable, and 42 during chilly months.

Winter or summer, Anthony’s has the warm ambiance of a home, which it was originally, probably dating from the early years of the 20th century. Previous tenants include Capers, which lasted there for six years, and Papinos, whose owners served Italian food for 21 years.

Since March 2003, Hall and Michelle, his wife, partner and chief waitperson have imposed their own good taste on the place in this town he calls home.

Hall moved here in 1989 from Los Altos, Calif., with his parents, retirees from the Lockheed Corp. and Stanford University. He graduated from Coeur d’Alene High in 1991 then took up his profession.

“I’d been cooking since I was a kid,” he says. “Both of my grandmothers were excellent cooks, and I was inspired by chefs like Justin Wilson who cooked Cajun on TV.”

Over the years he worked in virtually every aspect of the food trade – as a busboy, waiter, dishwasher and eventually as a bartender, kitchen manager, executive chef and private chef.

His local venues included restaurants at Carlin Bay, Arrow Point, Tubbs Cafe, Silver Mountain, the Beach House and Beverly’s.

Summers fishing for salmon in Alaska’s Bristol Bay provided Hall money, but not inspiration, so he decided to supplement his on-the-job cooking experience with some formal education.

In 1996, he enrolled in the prestigious Culinary Institute of America on New York’s Hudson River.

Subsidized in part by benefactors that include Julia Child and Conrad Hilton, his 21-month course of study there still cost him $38,900, which he paid for from his savings plus grants and loans.

During his studies, Hall interned at the Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, Mo. which contained three restaurants. There he met Michelle, a server who had worked in restaurants since she was 14.

They eventually married, moved back to his home town, and now are the parents of 20-month-old Hannah Lee.

Why Coeur d’Alene?

“It has everything I could ever want – friends, great scenery, friendly residents and visitors, a beautiful countryside and it’s a wonderful place for snowboarding. I’m even taking up kiteboarding here,” Hall said.

Seven customers seated at the bar can make their meals of “tapas,” heavy appetizers like huge shrimp, marinated mushrooms and lamb shanks.

Tapas means a small lid in Spanish, and originated in Spain where hosts would put a small piece of cheese, meat or bread on top of a goblet so flies couldn’t get to the wine.

In modern Madrid you can stroll from bar to bar of an evening to sample each one’s specialty hors d’oeuvres and house wine. Unfortunately, that can’t be done yet in Coeur d’Alene.

If you want tapas, it’s Anthony’s or nothing.

Hall says the big appetizers are so popular that customers seated at his tables also request them.

“Unfortunately, we’re limited by the number of burners in the kitchen, so we have to limit the amount we cook,” he explains.

So, until other local eateries feature them, the lucky seven Anthony’s guests – usually the first to arrive – have the bragging rights to the tapas, which vary in price from $3 to $10.

That’s not to say his other customers suffer. His is a varied menu featuring such domestic and continental dishes as beef tenderloin, New Zealand lamb chops, even a vegetarian spinach lasagna. Entrees are from $17 to $24.

To keep their imagination alive and their customers salivating, the Halls change their menu every four to five months. Their next iteration will be about the first of September.

Most of his customers are locals and, building on word-of-mouth recommendations and return customers – his only advertising is in the Cuisine of Coeur d’Alene magazine – the Halls plan to stay in the area and expand their operation.

“For the time being, we’re getting by with just Michelle and me plus another server and a dishwasher,” Hall says. “But it’s getting busier by the day. Looks like we’re going to be around for a long time.”