Wolf Lodge Inn, Coeur d'Alene - Fish - Wow

[estone888]

I'm a Los Angeles hound on a cross country road trip book tour. I am passing through Coeur d'Alene on my way to a book event in Seattle. Last night, my girlfriend and I went to the Wolf Lodge Inn / Steakhouse, figuring that we'd have steak. I did have a steak, a ribeye, and it was excellent. Probably not in the top ten of my all time steaks, but perfectly cooked, a great piece of meat, nicely seasoned and probably in my top 25 or so.

My girlfriend, however, ordered grilled halibut. And it was truly fantastic. The very best grilled halibut that either of us have ever tasted. And we love grilled halibut. And we've eaten plenty of it in places like Alaska where it is as fresh as it gets. But this was the best. It came as a total surprise. It was fresh, moist, cooked to perfection - not too much / not too little - and had the same light seasoning as the steak, that especially with a drop or two of lemon enhanced the flavor.

We were flabbergasted. It just seemed like the sort of place where fish would be tossed onto the menu to give non-steak eaters a little something to eat. Our waitress told us that they often get that reaction to their fish, and that they hear the same sort of compliments about the salmon and trout.

Other than the main events, the baked potato was a very good baked potato, the beans that came with the meal were neither here nor there, the fry bread was interesting and the salad was adequate, if somewhat overdressed. I had a glass of Sawtooth, Idaho merlot - I had to try it - and it was not bad at all, I'd buy a bottle or two if the price was right.

The restaurant itself is fun, rustic, northwoods kind of funky. And the price was quite reasonable, (at least by L.A. standards) $77.03 (without tip) for huge portions of steak, halibut, all the sides and two glasses of wine.

Wolf Lodge Inn
http://wolflodgerestaurants.com/coeur...
208-664-6665

[Spot]

I've had steaks there a couple times on the way to/from SEA, and they were always pretty darn good (like you said, not Top 10ers, but just fine). And, no, I wouldn't have thought to order the halibut, but now I will. Thanks.

[estone888]

It was a HUGE surprise. My girlfriend just felt like she'd had enough beef - we'd spent the past five days in Montana, and she was brave and thought to herself, "how bad can it be?"

It was astounding.

[JIMMYMAC079]

We eat at Wolf Lodge a few times a year. I'm with you, a fine steak but not the greatest in the world, but still very very good and hard to beat the price. It's all about the ambience and experience, and we always bring guests from out of town to show them a unique experience. Everyone we have in wants that charming, ruggest Western Cowboy steak place, and Wolf Lodge delivers. Glad you had a great time!