Young Kwak photo
The Espresso Steelhead, with creamy pink roasted beetroot puree, maple lemon glaze and orange fruit caviar is a delightful combo of delicious and whimsical.
Usually, fine dining makes me nervous.
The stuffiness. The spectacle. The seriousness of it all.
And yet, at one of the finer dining restaurants in Coeur d'Alene, I'm having so much fun, I don't want to leave.
Just a few blocks from the main strip of downtown Coeur d'Alene, 315 Cuisine is tucked on the first floor of the historic Greenbriar Inn. It's serving up seriously fantastic food all with its tongue planted firmly in its cheek.
The century-old building is used to contradictions. Previously, it's been a family home, a railroad headquarters, a nunnery and a brothel (not in that order). Now, it's a fine dining restaurant owned by three 30-ish-year-old ski bros who care a lot about a good steak, but also hang Warhol-esque prints of Taylor Swift and Ernest Hemingway in the dining room, or a portrait of a Victorian woman taking a selfie in the entryway.
315's $45 Restaurant Week menu boasted just as delightfully surprising combos, like espresso steelhead, chimichurri flank steak and a Tuscan portobello mushroom.
I expected the steelhead to be a highlight, and it was. The espresso spice rub and maple lemon glaze brought out the tender sweetness of the fish. Crispy potatoes added a charred but fluffy starch, and the bright orange fruit caviar on top were tiny bursts of fun and ingenuity.
My date got the steak, and it was perfectly rare — I mean that in both a red meat way and a measure of uniqueness way. And for an establishment that really cares about it's steak, the "micro-cilantro garlic rice" underneath was ridiculously delicious for what looked to me like regular rice.
But what really made us roll our eyes were the desserts.
Obviously, a molten chocolate cake is going to be wonderful. But a dense chocolate cake that melts in your mouth like fudge without being sickeningly sweet is a miracle in my book.
And how good can a pineapple upside down cake really be, you ask? Call it dark magic, call it a higher power, call it ghosts of nuns or prostitutes past — something spiritual was happening with this warm, gooey heap of pineapple, coconut and rum.
Thankfully, most of these menu items are regularly featured on 315's yearlong menu, so even though Inlander Restaurant Week 2025 is drawing to a close, there's still plenty of opportunities to visit a new favorite. Step off the beaten path and take a moment to be surprised—and let me suggest not taking anything too seriously.
