Bardenay at Riverstone impressive place
There’s a bit of a social stigma with dining solo.
Last week, I decided to pop down to Riverstone and check out the new Bardenay Restaurant and Distillery, but all my usual partners in crime either already had eaten or were leery, thinking the place would be beyond their budget.
I nearly said, “Forget it,” but I had a lucid moment. If Rachael Ray can go it alone (with a camera crew) for $40 a day around the globe, surely I could get away with a solo trip to Bardenay.
The problem is solitary diners often are recognized by perceptive restaurant staffers as food critics, especially when the suspected critic immediately scribbles away in a little notebook and snaps photos as soon as he is seated. Ah well, I’ve never really been one for discretion.
I suppose it is preferable if the place under review is unaware it’s being scrutinized. And for some reason, when I have a dining partner, it’s less obvious what I’m up to.
It was my affable waitress, Casey, who finally got me to ‘fess up. She already had been by twice to take my order, but I kept denying her, stalling while I tried to absorb the menu and take notes.
After I finally ordered, we were chatting, and she steered the conversation toward a recent article about Bardenay in another paper. “Did you see that article? Do you know the writer?” She was poking around for clues.
“OK,” I blabbed, “I guess you caught me. I write restaurant reviews, it’s true.”
Actually, at that point, it didn’t matter because I already was impressed with the place. This was only its second day of operation, and I had expected it to be chaotic. But the cavernous building was mellow and inviting.
Plenty of patrons were contentedly dining and chatting, but I had no trouble finding a spot to land after the hostess told me, “Just sit wherever you like, Hon.” There was seating at the bar itself and also in a row of tall booths dividing the room down the middle, but I chose a traditional table near the patio door with a surprisingly gorgeous view of the man-made Riverstone pond.
A host immediately brought water, something I always look for in a restaurant as the basis for a first impression. Water, good; no water, bad.
I looked around, fascinated by the simple elegance of the high wood ceiling, with massive exposed beams and long hanging lamps.
Bardenay owner Kevin Settles has replicated the look of his two other Bardenays in Eagle, Idaho, and downtown Boise, and the result is classy and dramatic.
A large patio provides additional seating and overlooks the pond and its giant spray fountain.
Inside, the bar is the main visual attraction, a huge cherry-oak monolith that takes up nearly an entire side of the room and boasts diagonally cut wine racks on each side and a complete selection of liquors displayed in front of a grand beveled mirror.
The place has a look that I can describe only as “modern old-fashioned.”
Sitting regally in the front window is an 18-foot-high copper still, which is used to concoct Bardenay’s own brand of distilled spirits including vodka, gin and rum.
Yes, folks, you’ve heard of on-site breweries and wineries; well, Bardenay took the concept a step further and started a distillery. In fact, its Web site mentions that the original Bardenay was the first restaurant/distillery combo in the entire nation.
Casey was patient while I pored over the food menu. I had expected something rather high-end, but the menu is affordably casual and bar-appropriate rather than gourmet.
Still, Bardenay offers some unusual options, such as its selection of satays, which are basically Indian shish kabobs with dipping sauce.
I finally decided on the red curry and turmeric marinated chicken breast satay, which had just the right amount of spiciness, was grilled to a perfect moistness and came with one of my favorite dips, peanut sauce.
The presentation was delightful, served atop a colorful slaw of garnish veggies. The order came with two large, delicious skewers for a mere $6.95.
I paired it with a mixed green salad with lime honey mustard dressing. The salad was a step beyond ordinary, thanks to the addition of flavorful red peppers and zesty homemade croutons. The dressing married the sour of the lime and the sweetness of the honey mustard to create a completely fresh taste.
Bardenay’s appetizers include calamari, fish tacos and a fun Mediterranean plate, which comes with hummus, baba ganoush, sun-dried tomatoes and olive tapenade.
The bulk of the menu is made up of salads and sandwiches, and Bardenay takes an original approach to both.
The pear spinach salad comes with a choice of chicken, salmon or prawns.
Sandwich options include charbroiled steak, portobello mushroom, oven roast corned beef Reuben and the Bardenay club.
If you have trouble choosing a side dish, good luck. Each sandwich comes with any of the following: fries, salad, house greens, spinach salad, apricot-walnut couscous, cabbage slaw, soup or garlic mashed potatoes and gravy. Phew!
All salads and sandwiches are big, and nothing will set you back more than $10.
If you’re feeling like an even larger meal is in order, there is a small selection of entrees, including rum pepper steak, Hagerman trout filet and fettuccini Alfredo.
A blurb on the menu mentions that the word “Bardenay” was invented by sailors as another term for “cocktail.” And it’s clear that these folks know how to throw a couple of boozes together.
The drink menu and wine list is about 30 pages long and bound inside a solid wood cover. Among the mind-blowing multitude of specialty mixed drinks listed are the Iguanabana, made with Bardenay rum and Guanabana nectar, and the Basil Instinct, which teams Bardenay gin and Patron Citronge with fresh pressed lemon and lime and a sprig of basil.
The bartender will shake up or stir any type of martini you can imagine, and there’s a rotating mix of 12 brews on tap.
If wine is your passion, this is your mecca, with hundreds of options ranging from the local flavors of the Pend Oreille Winery to a $450 bottle of Gaja Costa Rossi, vintage 1998, all the way from Tuscany.
On my next visit, I definitely plan to taste some of the liquid refreshments, but since I was going solo this time, I chose to play it safe and be my own designated driver.
The service at Bardenay was remarkable and friendly; the atmosphere was relaxed and comfortable, even for a solitary diner.
Casey the waitress was a delight, checking back often and providing timely soft-drink refills and friendly chat. We wondered whether the man-made pond had been given a name – she even asked around, but no one knew.
She told me a couple of trolley cars are going to be running between downtown Coeur d’Alene and Riverstone, so people can party it up, back and forth, which we agreed was a truly fun idea.
I can be terrible with names at times, and as we were chatting, I realized I had forgotten hers. When she brought my check, it said, “Server: Hot Lips,” which was cute as heck. I couldn’t resist asking her, “So, Hot Lips, what’s your real name again?”
Bardenay is open seven days a week. Food is served until 9:30 p.m. with the bar remaining open until an unspecified late hour.