Once named Wild Plum (best known for top notch catering services) and now named Susina (conveniently, this is Wild Plum in Italian), offering "European-American Comfort Kitchen" point of view (per their marketing materials) for 4-course prix fixe dinners @ $75 / pp (before tax and tip) Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights starting at 5:45 p.m. Reservations highly advised.
BOTTOM LINE: Worth every dollar for the fabulous food and professional service. The 4 star hitch in the 5 star potential is, for us, the space itself. Husband and wife owners, chef Alex Cardoza and Tara Morgan , have done some unique things to what was once an old timey restaurant (a Dutch Babies place maybe, as I remember it) building to spruce up the interior and add some enclosed tent type structures in the casual garden space outside. But it is limitations in the inside ambiance, a fine dining experience includes that element in total assessment, that held us back from perfect.
COST: 2 diners @ $75 ea + 1 house created soda + 1 glass of wine + tax + tip = @ $230+. Hence our expectation, given price point, for ambiance to fit the rest.
MENU & FOOD: Multi page, cleverly designed, menu offering a handful of options for each of the four courses is delivered to the table on arrival. (See my photo of menu used when we were there.) They source locally, as much as possible, and change the menu occasionally for seasonal fit. All four courses are ordered at one time. My husband and I each chose a different option from each other for all 4 courses and of the 8 dishes there was only one less than perfect for us. (The prosciutto with the stone fruit and burrata 1st course was sliced too thick so was chewy.) Of standout note, the hollandaise that came in small pitcher with my husband's steelhead and roasted veg main course, and as nice touch poured over by server tableside, was so delectable that I was tempted to try to drink the remainder out of the little pitcher. And trust me on this, order the panna cotta with wild plum gelee for dessert! (I took photos of all 8 dishes and posted them.)
LIBATIONS: A couple of beer options, several creative 0 ABV offerings and a small but well curated wine list by glass and bottle across price points. Perhaps no surprise knowing owners are related to the man who was the engine behind wonderful local wine retailer, Boise CoOp Wine shop. (We had the privilege to learn a lot from this man as Wine CoOp members.)
SERVICE: Professional if not warm and each course was perfectly paced wjth server checking in at each course. Plan 2 hours'ish for the four courses. This is 30% gratuity range for us when service like this is combined with splendid food.
VIBE: Noting some have commented on the unkempt garden spaces, I think that may be intended, for a rustic setting that fits the old building. The interior is small with one main dining room and an overflow area. (Where we were seated. More to follow.) Close together tables are bare wood with a real candle that drips wax in an artful touch on each. The four top next to us looked like the table surface needed cleaning. Ambiance was a little American home coupled with Italian country flair. A big miss for us was the music on sound system on our night that included artists like Tina Turner, Beach Boys and Paul Simon - all of whom we enjoy but didn't fit here - at a too loud volume, at least in the overflow space where we were seated.
PARKING: Lot at back of building. Entry to the front door is up a ramp off the parking lot.
ACCESSIBILITY: No ADA / Idaho Access Code parking in lot. ADA rules are 35 years old, the next two buildings over have the required parking so hard to fathom that owners don't know this is needed. It would be simple and inexpensive to do here involving mostly paint for spot and access aisle striping. (I have had multiple sclerosis since college so I have dog in this hunt.) When making (online) reservations they asked if anyone in the party had mobility limits. I replied yes and " thanks in advance for not giving me the worst seat in the house". A tongue in cheek comment because that happens SO often to those of us who are diners with disabilities. Alas, although we arrived at opening for reservations made 3 weeks in advance, instead of being offered a table in the nicer main dining room, we were put by ourselves in the overflow room where we remained as the only diners until for more than an hour until it seems a walk in party of 4 tourists was seated in this room. This kind of social segregation, whether intended or not, is dispiriting. It is not EQUAL access as ADA intends. Loo is accessibile.
OUTSIDE SEATING: Aforementioned tents in garden. Also small front porch.
KIDS: Wouldn't choose this for smalls. read more