McCall Pancake House Winter

This past weekend, I spent the weekend at the Winter Festival in McCall.  I love its amazing snow and ice sculptures, but I especially enjoy the firework show over the frozen lake.  But for a real treat, make sure to stop into McCall Pancake House for a Paul Bunyan sized breakfast.

History of McCall Pancake House

McCall Pancake House’s history dates back to 1949, and no, it has nothing to do with the “Original Pancake House” chain.  When McCall Pancake House started, it was part house for the owners, and part drive-up restaurant to the diners.  But as business continued to grow, the owners eventually found a new home to live in and converted the living space into sit down dining space.  With a steady stream of patrons, often forming long lines and sharing tables with strangers, the restaurant eventually justified a new building.  In 2002, McCall Pancake House opened for business in their new log-cabin style restaurant.  But even with the much larger space, lines still formed, and another expansion was in order a few years later.

The continued lines and table-sharing strangers that are still so prevalent at McCall Pancake House are a testament to how good their food is.  I’ve eaten here several times now, and each time the food has been great, the service friendly, and the atmosphere a joy.  That atmosphere comes from the rustic cabin feel, fun pioneer decorating, and general Little House on the Prairie feeling that washes over you when you take your seat.

McCall Pancake House Dining Area

Breakfast Menu at McCall Pancake House

McCall Pancake House Menu

The menu at McCall Pancake House is printed newspaper style, and is chalked full of just about every breakfast item you can think of, including:  omelets, French toast, waffles, crepes, scrambles, hashes, biscuits and gravy, eggs benedict, and of course, their signature plate-sized pancakes.

Most of the items come with their fresh house-made hash browns, which are actually quite good, even though they are under seasoned.  They steam hundreds of pounds of potatoes each week just for these hash browns.  Once steamed, they grate them and then fry them up on the griddle until perfectly golden brown.  You can get them plain, or for a few dollars more, get them with chopped bacon and melted cheddar cheese.  These are affectionately called “Those Potatoes.”  They are delicious.  You’ll just need to add some salt and pepper to them.

McCall Pancake House Those Potatoes Hash Browns

But the real star of the show, of course, is the assortment of pancakes.  Holy crap these things are huge!  They are at least 12-inches in diameter, and still somehow come out fluffy but with a perfect chew from the outside “crust”.  They offer traditional Sourdough, Buttermilk, and Buckwheat batters to choose from, and provide huckleberries or blueberries as an option to add.  But should you wish to be a bit more adventurous, they also offer two additional special pancake concoctions; Chocolate Chip pancakes, and my new favorite, Pineapple Pancake with Coconut Syrup.  We ordered the traditional huckleberry buckwheat, as well as the amazing sounding pineapple.

The Huckleberry Buckwheat pancake was pretty good.  Just one is all I could possibly ever hope to eat.  They are just so big!  Anyway, it was very good, and had a very strong buckwheat flavor.  The texture was what you would expect from a buckwheat pancake, and the flavor was a bit too heavy for the huckleberries.  But even though I couldn’t taste my huckleberries very well, the whole thing was pretty damn good with maple syrup.  I ordered mine with a fried egg and their very tasty spiced sausage patty.

McCall Pancake House Buckwheat Pancake

But the grand prize winner of our meal was the Pineapple Pancake with Coconut Syrup.  Are you shitting me?  This thing was completely awesome.  I’d never even heard of a pineapple pancake before.  This thing was complete genius.  The pineapple bits sunk to the bottom of the pancake, caramelizing the entire bottom surface of the pancake.  It was very similar to a pineapple upside-down cake, only better and much more fun.  But what really brought the whole thing home was their house-made coconut syrup; a super flavorful syrup that tasted like really sweet coconut water with floating chucks of coconut in it.  Amazing!  Put the two together, and it was like the best pina coloda cakey concoction you could dream up.  This idea is going home with me for the holidays, and will become an annual tradition in my home from now on.

McCall Pancake House Pineapple Pancake

McCall Pancake House Coconut Syrup

And in case you were wondering, that is a bone-in ham steak it was served with.  Bone-in?  Who serves them like that anymore?  I love this place!

We ate until we couldn’t fit another bite in, and still left with a take-home box with enough food to feed us both for breakfast again another day.  Awesome.

The Bald Gourmet recommends McCall Pancake House for breakfast anytime you happen to be in McCall, Idaho.

Ham and Leek Frittata in Cast Iron Skillet

A frittata is a classic Italian egg dish, similar to a French omelet or a quiche, which is typically enriched with meats, cheeses, and vegetables, and is usually flavored with herbs.  I love them.  They are great for any meal of the day, hot or cold, but are the perfect brunch meal.  There are an endless amount of frittata recipes, as they can be made out of any concoction of ingredients you can come up with.  And I will admit, I’ve made better tasting versions than this classic recipe I’m sharing today.  But being a classic, I wanted to post this as an introduction to the delicious world of frittata’s.  Make it.  It’s good.  And then build upon it’s basics to create your own delicious frittatas.  Once you start, you will become addicted to them much like I am.  Happy cooking… enjoy!

Ham and Leek Frittata Ingredients

Frittata Ingredients

• 6 large eggs, farm fresh if you have them
• 1/2 cup milk, whole is best but 2% will work
• 3 oz mixed grated aged cheese (I recommend half Gruyère and half Irish white cheddar)
• 3 oz chopped ham
• 1 leek, white and light green base only, chopped
• 1 Yukon gold potato (around 6 oz), diced
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon back pepper

How to Make a Classic Frittata

Turn on oven to preheat to 350°.

Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet over high heat until medium-hot.  Reduce heat to medium.  Add butter and melt until bubbling, swirling to coat the pan.  Add the diced potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned.

Saute Potatoes in Butter

Saute Potatoes Until Browned

Whisking Eggs to Make a Frittata is Crucial

As potato is cooking, crack the eggs in a mixing bowl and beat with a whisk until the yolks are completely incorporated into the whites.  Beat them longer than you would normal scrambled eggs, so as to incorporate more air into them.  The air helps the frittata to bake up light and fluffy.  Add the salt, pepper, thyme, and milk, and beat again until smooth and lightly frothy.

Once potatoes are browned, add the leeks and ham, and saute for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until leeks are soft.

Remove from heat and add the beaten eggs on top of the potatoes, leeks, and ham.

Add Eggs and Cheese to Make Frittata

Top evenly with the grated cheese, then place skillet in the 350° oven.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Bake Frittata in Oven

Remove from oven and serve in sliced wedges with any garnish and/or accompaniment you would like (such as herbs, beans, sour cream, fruit, toast, crackers and jam, etc.).

Ham and Leek Frittata Slice

Recipe by Jothan Yeager, January 2013

The Bald Gourmet shares his classic Ham and Leak Frittata recipe.

Market Street Grill Dining

Last on my Salt Lake weekend culinary retreat was the ever so popular Market Street Grill.  Located in the historic downtown 1906 New York Hotel, Market Street Grill’s awesome vintage decor of black granite, stainless steel, and black & white honeycomb tile give you a sense of grandeur and aristocratic eating.  The menu does the same.  I loved my seafood breakfast experience here, and look forward to returning on my next visit to Salt Lake.

Market Street Grill’s Complimentary Orange Rolls

Market Street Grill Orange Rolls

Nothing gets your morning juices flowing quite like a little pile of sweet citrus dough.  Market Street’s orange rolls are delicious, and they just bring them to your table as a thank you for stopping by.  Think lightly sweet cinnamon roll with a sweet orange glaze.  Think delicious.  That glaze had chunks of orange zest in it, which created little explosions of orange flavor at different times in my mouth.  I should have asked for a dozen and a glass of milk.  They make them fresh in house daily.  Ours were a touch dry, but the bright orange glaze made that seem unimportant.  Very tasty indeed.

Market Street Grill has the Best Fresh Grapefruit Juice

I spent a couple years living in Arizona.  It was hot, ugly, and not my cup of tea.  One of the few things that made it tolerable though were all the citrus trees everywhere.  I used to pick oranges, lemons, and grapefruits all the time and make fresh squeezed juice from them.  It was delicious, as perfect as it gets.  I haven’t had fresh grapefruit juice that good ever sense, that is until I ordered a glass at Market Street Grill.  It was every bit as good as my Arizona juice.  Very sweet, very smooth, not very bitter, and just the right amount of pulp.  Make sure you order a glass during your breakfast visit to Market Street Grill.

Lobster Eggs Benedict in Salt Lake City

Market Street Grill Lobster Eggs Benedict

Well this thing was absolutely stupid good.  I love love love Eggs Benedict, but somehow I’d never come across a lobster version until entering Market Street Grill.  And at only $14.50, sold!  It was made with the traditional English Muffin and hollandaise sauce, which was very lite and had a very nice lemon flavor note.  There was the traditional ham, but this ham had a very nice smokiness to it, which matched perfectly with all the other flavors on the plate.  Then there was a mountainous pile of perfectly cooked lobster meat, and a delicious egg with a brightly colored yolk (farm fresh maybe?).  Lobster and runny egg yolk is pretty magical together.  Very very nice Market Street.  The shaved asparagus spears were a nice touch too, which actually went very well with the other flavor components.

We ordered ours with the Broiled Tomato instead of their house potatoes.  Breadcrumbs and Parmesan made for a nice topping, but the entire thing needed more seasoning.  Good idea, just missed the execution a bit.

Canadian Snow Crab Omelet at Market Street Grill

Market Street Grill Snow Crab Omelet

Market Street Grill Snow Crab Omelet Inside

This was also a first for me.  Snow crab, jack cheese, avocado, and hollandaise sauce.  Everything paired very well together, even the cheese and crab.  The hollandaise was the same lemon goodness as what was on the Lobster Benedict, but it was missing a touch of savory flavor.  Maybe a touch of hot sauce in it would have helped.  I did notice that the egg itself was a bit overcooked in spots.  There was a slight burnt egg flavor coming through now and then, which was very disappointing.  I also felt like the omelet was missing something, maybe some green onions or chives?  Regardless, it was a good purchase and I’m glad to have had the experience.  But next time, I’ll be sticking solely to the Lobster Benedict.

Concluding Review of Market Street Grill in Downtown Salt Lake City

Great atmosphere, very friendly staff, terrific food, and a must stop destination while in Salt Lake.

The Bald Gourmet eats at Market Street Grill in Salt Lake City and tries Lobster Eggs Benedict and a Snow Crab Omelette for the first time.

Messenger Pizza has a Fun and Eclectic Vibe

With its old brick walls and hard wood floors, high ceilings, umbrella lights, funky deco art, and mismatched seating, Messenger reminds me a lot of some of my favorite pizza joints in downtown Portland.  There’s something about this “old meets stoned” theme that works perfectly and makes a person want to eat great pizza.  I don’t know if it’s the hippie or the nonconformist in me, but this kind of thing just screams my name.  Great job Messenger.  Great job.

Messenger Pizza Fun Decor

Messenger Pizza Fun Decor 2

Messenger Pizza Fun Decor 3

Messenger Pizza Menu

Messenger Pizza Menu Board

Upon first walking into Messenger, you can’t miss the vibrantly colored giant chalk menu board overhead. Filled with delicious pizzas, calzones, and sandwiches, it has a great selection without having so many options that you can’t decide what you want.  Messenger offers full pizzas, (in sizes up to 24 inches) as well as pizza by the slice.  Come in Monday through Friday and get a slice, salad bar, and soda for just $6.

Messenger also serves up an assortment of savory baked goods and sweet treats.

Messenger Pizza Baked Goods

Messenger Pizza Perhaps the Best Pizza in Boise

Messenger Pizza Pizza by the Slice

When I was first told about Messenger Pizza, I was a little skeptical, but any doubts I had were immediately tossed out the window on my first bite of their delectable pizza.  First, their house-made dough is utterly perfect.  It is chewy, soft, crunchy, and has a perfect balance of salty and sweet.  So many pizza places make their dough too sweet.  Messenger’s recipe gets the balance right.  Then add to that their options of whole wheat, sourdough, and gluten free, and you have perfection for everyone in your group.  The sourdough is particularly nice.  It has the extra chew and crunch so typical of sourdoughs, but doesn’t have an overbearing sourness to it.  It is fantastic and is my favorite crust they serve.  Messengers gluten free dough is very nice as far as gluten free goes.  It didn’t seem to have the same grainy texture so typical of gluten free breads.  It felt more like a cracker crust to me, and actually had a nice chew and flavor to it.

Next, lets talk about Messenger’s marinara sauce.  I hate thick tomato paste based pizza sauces.  I also get annoyed with super sweet sauces, and equally as annoyed with unsweet acidic sauces.  But not to worry at Messenger.  They have the sweet/acidic blend down, and seem to actually make their own sauce from canned tomatoes.  I haven’t been in their kitchen to see if this is true, but I found chunks of mashed tomatoes in my sauce, and didn’t find the thick lumpy pastiness that is caused by tomato paste.  The sauce had nice hits of oregano throughout, and I’m guessing some other herbs, onions, and garlic.  The sauce is delicious, balances well with their crusts, and is mellow enough that it does not distract from your pizza toppings.

In addition to classic marinara, Messenger also offers straight up olive oil, as well as house-made pesto as your sauce options.  The pesto is very good, though it does tend to get a bit rich after a couple slices.  It is featured on several of their signature pizzas, including the Toga Party.  I had a slice of Toga Party recently.  Dang was it good.  Pesto sauce, absolutely delicious sausage, spinach, artichoke hearts, red onion, feta, garlic, and fresh tomatoes.  That is one tasty pizza.  I’d be happy to put on a sheet and go to Messenger’s party anytime as long as they keep serving up that pizza.

Finally, let’s talk about Messenger’s fresh toppings.  It is my understanding that they try to use fresh local ingredients whenever they can; ingredients that come from local farmer’s markets as well as from their and some friends’ gardens.  Thank you!  Why can’t restaurants use vegetables that they grow in their own gardens more?  It sure makes a huge difference in flavor.  But not only are the vegetables high quality, but so are all of their meets.  Like I said, their Italian sausage is fantanstic, but so is their ham.  Get this; Messenger actually slices up a real ham to put on their pizzas.  Who does that?  Sure, you get uneven thicknesses in your slices, and non uniform sizes, but holy crap is it ever more tender and flavorful!  I actually despite Hawaiian pizza, but Messenger’s is freaking fantastic.  The ham is wonderful, but then surprise surprise, Messenger cuts up a real pineapple to add to it.  Real pineapple!  No canned, processed, sugary crap, but the real fruit as given to us by nature.  Awesome.

Messenger Pizza Awesome Hawaiian Pizza

Rather than using an ever so trendy wood fired pizza oven, Messenger sticks with the old stand by multilevel gas heated pizza oven.  I guess some might see this as a flavor weakness, but Messenger cranks the heat up in that oven so high that the pizzas all come out with a perfect subtle smokiness.  I’ve yet to see my crust burnt, but it does get some great little char marks on it.  Who knows, maybe they have some wood chips tucked in the back of the oven or something, but whatever they’re doing is perfect.

Messenger Pizza has a Fantastic Salad Bar

So when I think salad bar, I usually picture rows of seemingly endless toppings.  You don’t really get that at Messenger, but what you do get is very fresh, locally grown (when available) deliciousness.  The options they do have are excellent and make a fantastic salad.  Carrots, mushrooms, spinach, lettuces, sprouts, peppers, beets, chickpeas, cheese (cheddar, Parmesan, and feta), tomatoes, and more.  Dressings include ranch, thousand island, vinaigrette, and green goddess.  But the real showpiece in my mind is the house-made crunchy croutons and soft chewy bread sticks.  Who could say no to those bread sticks?  They are made from the same dough as the pizzas, but fluff up real nice without all those pizza toppings on them.  However, they usually have garlic on them, and sometimes will have pesto and cheese as well.  Yum!

Messenger Pizza Salad Bar

Messenger Pizza Fresh Made Croutons and Bread Sticks

Best Review for Messenger Pizza

I love Messenger Pizza because they actually cook and prepare things onsite using the best ingredients available.  I love Messenger Pizza because they don’t offer 30+ pizzas on their menu.  I love Messenger pizza because they offer fun and unique sodas to go along with their awesome pizza.  I love Messenger Pizza because their pizzas taste awesome, chew awesome, digest awesome, and don’t make you feel like a slug from a bunch of processed junk.  I love Messenger Pizza because it feels fun to eat there, and is not obnoxious and loud.  I love Messenger Pizza, well, because they have the best pizza I’ve experienced anywhere else in Boise.

The Bald Gourmet eats at Messenger Pizza and gives it raving reviews.

Uncle Giuseppe's #16 Italian Giuseppe's

Move over Subway, Uncle Giuseppe’s has come into town and his sandwiches make yours look like something a 5 year old would make!

This is the place to go if you want a real “get down to business” Italian cold cut pleasure ride.  They feature a great selection of Boar’s Head brand meats and cheeses, as well as some wonderful imported selections like Prociutto and Sopressata, all available to purchase by the pound or on a made-to-order sandwich.

Sopressata

Upon entering, I was offered a slice of Sopressata.  Sopressata is a high-end Italian cured salami which is traditionally made with pork that is pressed rather than ground to give a cool rustic appearance when sliced thin.  It usually includes hot peppers and other seasonings to give it a robust flavor.  Uncle Giuseppe’s choice of sopressata is absolutely fantastic, with some white wine undertones and just the right punch of hot pepper heat.  I fell in love with it, and knew I needed to order one of their made-to-order sandwiches which featured it.  They recommended the #16 Italian Giuseppe’s and I promptly had them make me one.

Uncle Giuseppe’s Sandwich

Oh what a sandwich this is!  Loaded with Prociutto, Capocolla, Salami, Mortadella (the father of US bologna), Provolone, Basil, Roasted Red Bell Peppers, Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, and of course, the blessed Sopressata.  It is served on a beautiful Italian bread that has a really nice firm chew to it.  The roasted red peppers have a great charred flavor and are very sweet.  The olive oil and balsamic were much better than mayo any day, and paired nicely with the fresh basil.  The meats and cheese were a thing of glory and took me on a taste bud journey bouncing back and forth between the sharp flavors of provolone, saltiness of prosciutto, and sweet tang of the sopressata.  Absolutely wonderful!

Uncle Giuseppe’s Menu

Uncle Giuseppe’s also makes their own daily soups, including Tomato Basil, Minestrone, and Philly Cheese Steak, as well as their own fresh made mozzarella. It is simply a must visit establishment, and I can’t recommend it enough.  The prices range from $6.50 to $7.50 for a sandwich, and are much better than anything you’ll find at national chain “slop hall” any day.

Uncle Giuseppe’s

6826 Glenwood

Garden City, ID 83717

(208) 853-5048

White Bean Salad with Ham, Cilantro, and Mint

This high-fiber delicious salad is perfect on a hot summer day for lunch or dinner. The fresh mint, tangy vinegar, and salty ham are perfect together and leave you wanting more and more. It is perfect for a quick-fix entertainer…. very easy to make, yet sophisticated enough to impress even the snootiest guest.

White Bean Salad Ingredients

• 3 cans of canned Great Northern beans (or 1 pound dried Great Northern beans, cooked)
• ¾ cup diced ham (about 6 ounces)
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh mint
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves, diced and mashed into garlic paste
• ½ red onion, sliced and roasted
• ½ cup olive oil, plus extra for roasting onions
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• Kosher salt to taste, roughly ¼ teaspoon, plus extra for seasoning the onions
• Black pepper to taste

White Bean Salad Directions

Start by slicing the onion, tossing with some olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper, and roasting at 425° for about 20 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden brown.

Roast Onions

While onions are roasting, drain the beans and rinse under cold running water until they stop “foaming”.

Rinse Beans

Place the rinsed beans in a large bowl, then finely chop the mint and cilantro and add to the beans.

Finely Chop Mint and Cilantro

Make the garlic paste and add to the beans.

Mash Garlic with Side of Knife to Make Paste

Dice the ham into 1/4 inch squares and add to the beans. Dice on the spot where you made the garlic paste so as to get a little extra garlic flavor onto the ham. So tasty!

Dice Ham

Add olive oil and vinegar to beans and toss gently. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper.

White Bean Salad with Ham, Cilantro, and Mint in Serving Bowl

Makes 8 small servings

White Bean Salad with Ham, Cilantro, and Mint Small Serving

Recipe by Jothan Yeager, May 23, 2007