Riggins, Idaho, and Environs

[PAO]

I know it's a long shot, but any recommendations for places to eat in or around Riggins, Idaho?

[PAO]

We were in Riggins for 3 nights. We ate twice at the River Rock Cafe and once at the Seven Devils (named after nearby mountains) Steakhouse. The good about the River Rock Cafe is their fried chicken and their fries. Really excellent. The salmon was less than so-so--overcooked and possibly old. How my husband finished it is beyond me. His chili hamburger was also subpar. Contrary to the menu description, the hamburger patty--when he was finally able to find it under all the chili and cheese--was cooked to well done. The chile came out of a can (we verified this with the waitress), which in and of itself wasn't so bad, except that it must have been poured out of the can onto the burger without ever heating it. Unacceptable. Salads were made of tired lettuce and packaged baby carrots and cherry tomatoes. The raspberry vinaigrette was too sweet and actually gelatinous. (This was the second North Central Idaho restaurant where I was served gelatinous raspberry vinaigrette--must be a peculiarity of the region?). Our last night we ate at Seven Devils. Do not be misled by the rather seedy looking saloon in the front. There is a real dining room in the back, but better yet, outdoor dining on the side of the building. And despite its moniker of "steakhouse", what this place really seems to do well, from our limited perspective, is smoked meats. My husband had a whole smoked Cornish game hen, with a lemon butter sauce. Very nice. I was pleased with my smoked turkey--several slices of smoked breast meat, very tender, still juicy, and delicately smoked. Really wonderful! The salads were made of somewhat fresher lettuce. The veggies (as had been the veggies at the River Rock) were grossly overcooked. No wonder Americans don't eat enough veggies. In any event, had I known how good the smoked meats were at Seven Devils, I would have eaten there more often. That said, if you want good fried chicken, River Rock is your place!

[paulj]

A thread from a couple of years ago when I camped in this area, on the old Elsewhere board

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/506855

[PAO]

Thank you to everyone!

[Littleman]

Try River Rock Cafe.

River Rock Cafe @ 421 S Main St, Riggins, ID 208 - 628 - 3434.
http://riverrockcafeandcatering.com/

[PAO]

Salmon, as might be expected, was only so-so at best, but fried chicken was excellent! Thanks for the tip, Littleman

[paulj]

The town's small, and life revolves around the white water tours, so expect burgers and pizza, and steak.

McCall with lots of fancy lake side vacation homes is a better bet for upscale dining. New Meadows is working-class (lumber and farming), but has a couple of possibilities on its main street.

A guide book like the Moon Handbook of Idaho discusses options, though as a print source will be out of date. An online map like google's will give a more up to date list of restaurants, and some user reviews.

When we drove through the area a couple of years ago we were camping, so didn't eat out much. But it was easy to find reasonably priced beef, even in small town groceries.

[BeefeaterRocks]

After many years I still remember the great steaks we purchased at a Riggins grocery and grilled over a camp fire.