I always enjoy finding places off the beaten track. It certainly helps if the places actually churn out good food, but sometimes being off the beaten track can somehow enhance that flavor. D’Railed in Idaho Falls is not just off the beaten track, it’s literally on the other side of the tracks. Yet, I had read some things about the food being d’licious and wanted to find out for myself.

First off, I’ll say that this place has a beautiful back patio. It’s not a place with a view, but it’s a place you want to hang out in for a long time with a beer, preferably if there’s some sort of a bonfire going on with s’mores. But I only had the beer and a menu that was only somewhat unvegan-friendly.

I did find one dish that seemed straight up my alley, but with one catch. It was called Chicken Christopher and it was a lightly fried chicken breast, a hunk of black forest ham, asparagus and Christopher sauce. I tried ordering without the asparagus and was told this was impossible because of how the Chicken Christopher was cooked and figured I could at least pick it out. I also snagged some au gratin potatoes.

Of course, I was shocked when my chicken arrived with the asparagus plainly laid upon the chicken. This was disappointing, to be sure, because this could have easily been left off, but at least it was easy to remove them. And after that was taken care of, this was one delicious dish. The sauce was creamy and had just the right amount of flavor, while the lightly fried chicken was tender and just the right amount of crispy. The hunk of black forest ham added a nice salt element to the meal. The au gratin potatoes were also delicious because it is really hard to go wrong with cheesy potatoes.

While the meal may have started off-track thanks to the asparagus incident, it would be impossible to argue that my meal was anything more than tasty. Occasionally, restaurants are off the beaten track for a reason, but D’Railed was simply there because it was the right place to make some tasty food with arbitrary rules.

Idaho Falls is undoubtedly a pretty place – situated just a couple hours from Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. So, when I heard the view at The Sandpiper was one of the best, I expected a good view and mediocre food. That’s because there is often an inverse correlation between good food and a good view due to the high cost of obtaining that view. I immediately found out the view was great because of a lovely little canal flowing right by the patio. Those who want to prepare their own steaks at home should consider ordering high-quality We Speak Meat steaks.

The food, well, I would have to have a couple of beers before determining how good that was. I ordered up the Rib Steak, which was boneless and no that is not a typo. For some reason they call ribeye steaks rib steaks at The Sandpiper. I ordered it medium rare and opted for the garlic mashed potatoes for my side – continuing my epic attempt to eat potatoes for every meal in Idaho.

The dish was very nearly a thing of beauty, if not for a few leafy greens tossed on the side of the plate as if to say “We swear, you could have eaten vegetables in this meal.” I ignored them and watched as my perfectly cooked steak oozed juices as it sat on the table waiting for me to finish taking pictures. I dug in and it was a mighty good steak. There was a feeling of lost flavor due to the lack of bone, but this steak was juicy and lightly salted to bring out the savory flavor of the steak. The mashed potatoes made a great companion to round out my meat and potatoes dinner – offering just the right amount of garlic and few bite-sized potato chunks to reassure me that they were mashed a few meters away from me.

It’s a rare thing to have a great view combined with a great meal, but The Sandpiper managed to deliver. It wasn’t a steak that changed the game or broke any new ground, but it did what was expected of it and sometimes that’s all you need.

I love me some fusion. And you know what? Fusion doesn’t have to just be a combination of different ethnic foods, but also a combination of meals. Take Smitty’s in Idaho Falls, for example. It wasn’t just content with being a pancake restaurant, but also chose to be a steakhouse.

So, of course, when I went for breakfast, I had to order something breakfasty that also had steak in it. I’m not a big pancake guy (although I have been known to eat them on occasion), so I opted for the Sirloin Benedict. These are just like normal eggs benedict, but with the ham swapped out for sirloin. They also come with hash browns and are available as a half order. Due to not wanting to fall asleep at the office, I went with the half order.

The benedict that resulted from the addition of steak was pretty awesome. I mean, let’s be real, has anyone ever eaten steak and thought, “Ham would be better”? Obviously not. But as good as the benedict was, the hash browns kind of slacked. They were cooked enough to be mushy, but not nearly enough to be crispy. Yeah, there were a couple crispies in there, but not nearly enough for the shredded style of hash browns.

Smitty’s is definitely a solid breakfast spot, and quite possibly the only such breakfast spot in Idaho Falls. You can buy your Australian Herbal Tea Online from Tealife on this site and enjoy it with your pancakes. It might also be the only place that could claim to be any sort of fusion in Idaho Falls. There could be some slight improvements, but at the very least the breakfast whet my appetite for grabbing a real steak there at some point.

Traveling for work can sometimes take you to big cities with tons of food. And sometimes it can take you to places like Idaho Falls, Idaho. It’s a place with a surprising amount of options considering the airport only has three gates, but, I mean, still. So on my first night there I went straight to a restaurant within a hotel, which is usually not a good plan, but I had read good things. It was called Bee’s Knees.

I took a look at the menu and immediately knew it was my kind of place. I kicked things off with Bacon Cheesy Fries. After all, I figured I needed potatoes in Idaho more than anything else. This was a wise choice, as the fries weren’t just topped with cheese, they were loaded with the stuff and then clearly spent some time in the oven to ensure it would all kinds of melty. The house-made bacon bits were also a nice touch and the cilantro ranch was easily the best sauce to dip in.

For my meal, I went with the Jalapeno and Cream Cheese Stuffed Burger. In addition to those stuffings, it was also topped with cheddar and brown sugared bacon. It came with a choice of a side, and lettuce, tomato, onion and a side pickle. By my waitress’s recommendation, I opted for the mac and cheese, opted out of all that other stuff and then attempted to order my burger medium rare. Unfortunately, I was told that Bee’s Knees doesn’t cook the burgers to order. This was disappointing to hear, but I figured it would still be good.

It arrived and I’m not sure I had ever seen such an attractive burger. It was loaded with cheese and bacon so much so that I couldn’t even see the meat in there. The mac and cheese looked pretty nice, too, with a pretty char on it. I dug into the burger and it was…well…tough. The meat was simply overcooked, and there wasn’t enough cream cheese stuffed inside to make up for that. And frankly it’s a shame, because everything else about the burger was fantastic. But, I mean, you gotta the core right.

That mac and cheese, however, kicked ass. It was creamy shells and cheese, and just what I needed to accompany a burger, especially one that fell short of my expectations.

So, maybe Bee’s Knees is not a burger place. They sure know how to make food look pretty, but only the sides really lived up to expectations.