Excellent service! They had just what I needed and were kind enough to hold it for me until I could…read moreget there later that day!

Ownership and name change for this small local wine shop in roughly January 2023 when Erickson Fine…read moreWines became Eagle Wine Merchant with Kent Schmidtke at the helm. If you recognize Kent when you walk in, it probably means you've been a regular shopper (hand raised) at the remarkable Boise CoOp Wine Shop at that Boise downtown store where Kent was on staff. Wine Merchant in the new name for this Eagle neighborhood store is apropos with Kent as new owner as he is a man who knows his stuff about wines to source good ones across all price points and recommend them to buyers. CUSTOMER CARE: It took me a beat to place Kent when we walked in here for the first time since the name change given he was out of context from the usual place we'd see him at the CoOp shop. That he recognized my husband and me instantly and greeted us warmly might tell you two things: first that we were frequent shoppers for wine at the Boise store and second that Kent has excellent customer care skills. The latter is definitely a true thing! ENJOYABLE SHOPPING LAYOUT: The shop seems lighter and brighter with layout easier to navigate. Wines are organized by country for foreign and for domestic wines by state and there are ample shelf / hang tags with information on many of the wines. All of this makes it easier to hunt if you're on a mission for something specific and fun to gather if you're wanting to browse for something to strike your fancy. EXPERTISE MATTERS: Kent is in the house every day to provide as much assistance as you need or to leave you to your own devices if you just want to wander. On a recent "we need whites" visit he was helpful in recommending two wines to complete a mixed six pack we were buying; bottles we might not have considered without his first hand knowledge of drinking them himself. There are a lot of places in Eagle to buy wine, a good number of them grocery store shelves, but the reason to shop at store run by a merchant like Kent is for the knowledge that comes along with the great customer service. SATURDAY TASTINGS: Saturday afternoons there is wine tasting between 2p and 4p. Sign up for Kent's email when you're in the shop and you'll get a heads up on what is being poured each week and other new finds he's added to inventory. Our first visit was, serendipitously, on a Saturday and we got to sample Day Wines, boutique bottlings by a woman winemaker in Dundee who has been getting NW wine press coverage, Brianne Day. (Oregonian wine writer: "... working with 25 grape varieties from 32 vineyards in the Willamette Valley and southern Oregon. "I don't have strict regulatory systems like they do in Europe telling me what I can and can't make. I'm a wild card with the freedom to satisfy my curiosity," Day said.") This coming Saturday when we pop in to pick up a bottle of Portteus (Rattlesnake Hills AVA) that is a fav of my dad's to tuck in a gift for early Father's Day visit to him, we look forward to trying one of the wines being poured, a WS 93 pt Syrah from Unnamed Series. PRICE POINTS: 10% discount on six or more bottles. Pricing is competitive and we noticed, as one example, his price for Robert Sinskey Vineyards Abraxis was two bucks lower than the competition. TIMING IS EVERYTHING: For a new merchant building inventories, your business matters now. Vote for local expertise with your feet and wallet! LOCATION: In a strip mall next to nail salon and across a double wide parking lot from The Griddle breakfast / lunch eatery. ACCESSIBILITY: Shop is level in the door and all on one level with ample floor spaces to look at, taste and pay for wines. Just right for ADA compliant equal access for shoppers like me (I have had MS since college days) who might be winos using wheels...umm...oenophiles with mobility challenges. PARKING: The private lot is generously sized. ACCESSIBLE PARKING: Lot violates ADA. This is the lot owner's error to fix not the store owner's. The only accessible parking spot in entire lot and is around the corner tucked in a side alcove of the building requiring disabled persons to travel further to get in the door. Per US ADA and Idaho code there should 2 spots in the main lot (given the number of total spaces) so shoppers with disabilities have the same equal access route to the building door. NICE GUY STORY: When in store one afternoon, a couple of young women walked in at brisk pace, laughing together then stopped short and went silent once the door closed behind them. I thought they might just be enjoying the wine "ahh...roma" but Kent intuited right away that they were lost. He asked, cheerfully, if they were looking for someplace else. They asked if he sold tequila. He explained Idaho liquor sales were by state run stores (there are two Hilton hotel chains nearby that get out of state visitors) and provided directions to the nearest one. :-)

In a previous life the building that houses this state run liquor store (as all in Idaho are) was a…read morebank; hence the two drive trough aisle windows on the State Street side of the building. But Idaho does not provide drive through sales of hooch. So you know, unlike the guy in the red pick up truck with Texas plates who we saw today drive through up to the window thinking he could order to go. The store is well lit and well stocked with a very helpful woman working at the counter who asked us, as we checked out our order, if we needed vodka. Maybe because we had a bottle of bourbon, rye, gin and tequila as our purchase. Once every 12 or so months we find the bourbon and gin bottles at our house are empty and our last purchase of them was Thanksgiving 2023. Once every couple of years the same holds true for tequila and rye so in some years, like this one, all need replacing at one time. So it was intuitive for the nice woman to ask if we needed vodka but that is a spirit we use so often that I think I'd have to brush the dust off of the Grey Goose bottle in the liquor cabinet before I poured it. But I have read that vodka is the best selling kind of hooch in this part of Idaho and, boy howdy, it sure seemed so for the selection in this store. My husband said the vodka display looked like the cereal at Albertsons for the over abundance of options. We don't need a liquor store often but when we do we will come back to this location. On the topic of location, this is in the same strip mall complex that houses Winco and Home Depot. Woohoo PS: They have Licor 43 at this store so for we fans of that botanical liquor from Cartegna, Spain, to make Carajillo, the liquor and coffee Mexican after dinner drink, we no longer have to drive to the liquor store in Boise's North End to buy it. A couple of years ago when I bought a bottle, that North End store was the only one to carry it. Accessibility: One spot of accessible parking in front of bank and the only curb ramp is on the side of that.

Knowledgeable friendly and extremely helpful staff. Carry top shelf liquor, where I can always rely…read moreon them to have stock

Didn't have what i was looking for, but great customer service. Staff engaged me, new the product i…read morewas seeking (& had drank it before), They looked it up in the state computer system & let me know a different location (nearby) that i could purchase. Thanks !!!

We all know that state run liquor stores suck. But in Idaho, what's the alternative besides buying…read moreyour booze in another state and bring it home. Hmmmm....sounds like "bootlegging" to me. I love this liquor store. They recently (in the past few years) expanded and that brought a smile to my face. I no longer feel claustrophobic in this location anymore. The variety and stock is ample. The staff has always been super friendly.

We certainly enjoyed our evening at Rare. Parking was a breeze and the location was in a real…read moresimple location to find and the restaurant is decorated nicely. Seated nearly instantly and our server was cordial. Ordered a filet for dinner and it was cooked precisely how I ordered it. Certainly give this a 4 star for flavor and plating presentation. Ordered a hot stone appetizer of tuna and wagyu to get the meal started and this is where I got a little stuck. It looked like quartz or granite and my proteins got stuck to it, which was a bit of a miss for the price. This needs to be a hot rock, consider a change here, otherwise this app is going to suffer. Nice restaurant and look forward to another visit but won't be ordering this app again.

A little far from us but a really good meal!…read more We live about 45 minutes from Star so getting to Rare Steakhouse was a bit of a drive but it was so yummy! The funny thing is, we were actually on the other end of the street for dessert and decided we needed something savory for dinner (not just ice cream). So, we wandered on over to Rare Steakhouse. The atmosphere is somehow both very laid back and Idaho-upscale. If you know, you know. The staff was incredibly friendly and we were tucked into a corner where we could watch the Boise State game on TV. No major appetizers on this trip but I did ask for my clam chowder to come out first. And ya'll...this is the best clam chowder I've had in the area. I honestly was not expecting to like it as much as I did. Highly recommend! My husband and I shared the prime rib and it was also very tasty--and a good cut, too! Easily enough for both of us with a few yummy potato sides. The only reason for knocking it down a star... The water was kind of weird. Our waitress assured us it was triple-filtered but it had an off-putting taste to me. If we're ever in the area again, I'd honestly probably bring a water bottle. Nonetheless, the food was the star and that's the most important thing.

Good prices and great selection! I'm from Hawaii and they had lots of tequilas and bourbons that we…read morecan't find here. Highly recommend.

Blanton's on the shelf at retail. Hardly anyone in this country does that. This store is awesome!read more

The one and only liquor store in Mountain Home. They have decent size selection, but not too many…read moreexotic liqueurs. They can special order your requests or direct you to a Boise Liquor store.

They are helpful. They have taken order over phone. For pick up later in day. However my orders are…read moreLG because I own a bar.

The girls that run this shop are not only super friendly but also really cute, I look forward to…read morevisiting them every time I go and they always greet me with a big smile and they simply know how to treat a good customer. Rather than just a liquor hut I.. look at this place as a spot to connect with likeminded individuals and meet friends. I just moved to this area from out of state and these girls have been more friendly and inviting to me that almost everyone I've met so far

Fast service for a Friday night. There was a very calming atmosphere and waiters were ready to…read moreanswer any kind of questions. The food was delicious! Definitely a place for a date night to happen.

Absolutely amazing food to be had at this location, traditional and delicious…read moreThe weight staff really knew what they were doing and were a delight to work with If you ask for them to make it spicy, they will, be ready for the boom if you ask for it. They also do mild and it's absolutely delicious. Maybe you should get one or two dishes that are spicy and one or two that are mild just to make sure.!

This wine shop is awesome and the staff and owner knows their wines well. They get you whatever you…read morewant. They aim to please. Very friendly atmosphere. I love this place. A gem for sure.

If you want to try some great wines with a great atmosphere, you need to try this wine shop. If…read moreyou're looking for gift idea, you'll find it here!

What can I say, it's a liquor store in Idaho. It's clean and the staff are always willing to…read moreanswer questions or help you. This is the first store that has ever offered to search and tell me which stores have a particular liquor I was looking for.