The culinary reach of the Coeur d'Alene Resort extends beyond the confines of its palatial hotel, home of the decorated fine-dining spot Beverly's. In fact, it's possible to dine in downtown Coeur d'Alene and not realize until the check arrives that you're actually eating at a resort-operated restaurant, given the varying design and ambience of the company's eateries.
Almost all of the resort's restaurants have undergone menu updates and/or management changes as of late, gearing up for the throngs of hungry tourists and locals who crowd the resort town in the summer. At Bonsai Bistro, the pan-Asian restaurant capable of seating 188 patrons, the menu has been "streamlined," as new front-of-house manager Eddie Cantu puts it.
Fear not; your favorite dishes made by Chef Troy Chandler, who has been at Bonsai since its inception more than a decade ago, are likely still on the menu. But what you'll find is a menu that's been pared down to ensure more reliable service and quality, and is also aimed at not bombarding the diner with too many choices.
"We're keeping the same concept and we're still doing sushi, and we should, because we have amazing sushi chefs here that have stuck around and know what they're doing," says Cantu, a restaurant veteran who has worked for the resort for several stints over the years in between other stops in Arizona, California and Seattle.
At Tito's Italian Grill, now overseen by new general manager Jeff Messinger, the menu has also taken on a new look and taste.
"We want to infuse a bit of Mediterranean flair into Tito's," says Chef Tim Heinig. "We still want to have the great dishes that our guests enjoy, with fresh, popping flavors like the chicken piccata and heartwarming lasagna, but we feel there is room to introduce some additional flavors from that region of the world, like our gyro with an amazing, fresh, light Tzatziki sauce, and the chicken bacon prawn pasta with its citrus wine butter sauce."
Across the hall of the Resort Plaza Shops center, Unchained Taphouse has also made subtle changes, including adding items like the Unchained Burger, which includes two grilled patties, three slices of cheese, pulled pork, veggies, an onion ring and more. You can also find new items on the menus of both Cedars Floating Restaurant and Dockside Restaurant, both of which have added additional seafood items. ♦
Information on all Coeur d'Alene Resort restaurants can be found at cdaresort.com.
