Boise

Brunch at Fork and coffee at Java Hyde Park (Boise)

Posted on by avideogamelife.com

This past weekend Vanessa and I checked out few great Boise food destinations that we had often heard about but never got around to going to.

On Sunday we rode our bikes downtown to have brunch at Fork and it was well worth it. First of all the Sunday morning ride was pleasant and we were able to get nice outdoor seats right as we arrived.

Fork Boise brunch

It was nice enjoying breakfast downtown and I think weekend brunch at Fork is going to become something of a tradition for us. The coffee and food were great, I enjoyed Market Breakfast (over hard) and Vanessa had the Fork Benny and both were delicious! I highly recommend having brunch at Fork if you ever have a late start to your day on the weekend.

On Monday morning we rode over to Hyde Park in the Northend to check out Java Hyde Park. We usually just end up going to Starbucks, but we decided to try something new for our morning coffee. The ride was pleasant and we were excited to get some coffee and baked goods. The first thing we noticed was just how packed the place was. All of the outside seating was occupied and the line was out the door and down the stairs! I’m not sure if it’s always that packed or if the holiday had something to do with it. Either way it was worth the wait! I got the Bowl of Soul mocha and a cherry turnover and we walked up to Camelsback park to enjoy our coffees.

Java Hyde park

I highly recommend picking up a coffee from Java Hyde Park and walking around the area as you enjoy it. The Northend is a really neat area of Boise and I highly recommend hiking the trails in Camelsback Park as well!

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Saw ‘5 to 7’ this weekend and it was wonderful!

Posted on by avideogamelife.com

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This weekend I wanted to do something different. Although I really wanted to see Mad Max and Pitch Perfect 2, I instead decided we would go to The Flicks in Boise, which is a theater that specializes in “independent, foreign and art films” (as described on their website).

I watched trailers for the movies that were showing this weekend and immediately fell in love with the trailer for 5 to 7 .

The film lived up to the trailer wonderfully. It was a beautifully told story in which just about every scene is shot wonderfully. I was particularly wowed by a scene in which the two main characters walk through as the camera zooms very slowly in on them. It almost appears as if they aren’t moving at all, but the ever so slight movement of the camera captivated my attention and it was a beautiful scene. I also truly loved the use of color in the film. It’s as beautiful to look at and helps to set the mood throughout.

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Anton Yelchin (whom you may recognize as Star Trek’s [2009/2013] Chekov) plays his character incredibly well, and has wonderful chemistry with his co-star Bérénice Marlohe. The film provided plenty of laughs and was heartwarming overall, though it was at times melancholy as any great love story is.

5 to 7 is love story while also not being a love story, much in the way (500) Days of Summer was. I absolutely loved the journey 5 to 7 took me on and loved the uplifting ending as well. I highly recommend checking out 5 to 7 if you can see it in a theater near you. It’s also available to rent via DirecTV according to gowatchit.com, however I can’t seem to find it available anywhere else (I have DISH, or I’d definitely be watching it again!).

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Watch <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/5to7?src=hash”>#5to7</a&gt; now anywhere! <a href=”http://t.co/M7Gvqlrsr5″>http://t.co/M7Gvqlrsr5</a></p>&mdash; 5 to 7 (@5to7film) <a href=”https://twitter.com/5to7film/status/598970257118601216″>May 14, 2015</a></blockquote>
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So very foggy

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I stepped outside earlier tonight to run down to the gas station and was met with a thick, creepy fog. There’s something peaceful about the fog as well, in the way that everything around you fades away into the quiet night.

Bogus Basin: Jan. 2, 2015

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We headed up to Bogus Basin for the first time of the season on Friday for some night skiing. The sunset was beautiful, the snow was awesome and we had a great time!

I love the view from atop the Showcase chair, especially at nightfall. Showcase is my favorite run, and that’s pretty much all we skied Friday night. I brought up my GoPro and took some fun videos as well. Nothing fancy, just enjoying the snow and the mountain. Enjoy!

Posted on by avideogamelife.com

 

Originally posted on my other blog, BoiseLife.City.

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Bardenay is located in the Basque Block in Boise and is known for being the “first US restaurant distillery”. I ate there for the first time yesterday and I have to say I was quite impressed.

The first thing you’ll notice upon entering the restaurant is the amazing atmosphere. It’s clean, spacious and welcomes you in from the beautiful streets of the Basque Block. The floor is very open and the high ceilings and brick walls make for a unique environment compared to most other restaurants.

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The next thing you’ll likely notice is the amazing smells! All of the food floating around the restaurant smells amazing. It was incredibly difficult to decide what to have for lunch because everything around us looked and smelled delicious!

As you take your seat your eye will probably catch sight of the beautiful distillery, shiny and tall behind panes of glass. It’s quite an impressive sight!

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I finally decided on the Grilled Chorizo Sandwich, and I’m glad I did! It looked, smelled and tasted incredibly delicious! I had never eaten chorizo before and I’m glad the sandwich at Bardenay was my first experience because I can’t imagine anything tasting better. Served with a side of delicious sweet potato fries the lunch was great! It’s also worth noting the service was superb and the entire experience was wonderful!

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I highly recommend Bardenay in Boise, where you’re greeted by friendly staff, a great environment and amazing food and drinks. Give it a try!

Pre Funk, a great place for beers in Boise

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I have driven past the Pre Funk bar in Boise countless times and have always wanted to give it a try, but never made it out there until just last weekend. I don’t go out to bars very often any more, however there was something about the look of Pre Funk that made me want to learn more. It also helps that being only a mile away from my house it’s within walking distance.

We had dinner plans on Friday so we decided we would walk over to Pre Funk and give it a try before walking downtown for dinner. Before heading out I did a Google search to find out what exactly Pre Funk had to offer and I was quite impressed. Pre Funk offers an extensive list of craft beers, most of which I had previously never heard of (check out their tap list). I’m not very adventurous when it comes to drinking, and I tend to stick to handful of beers (Yuengling on the East Coast, Corona, Sam Adams or Smith and Forge Hard Cider out here where Yuengling can’t be found). Pre Funk is a great place to discover something new.

I tried out the Square Mile Cider, which is a rather new beer and company out of Oregon. I immediately fell in love. It was cold, refreshing, smooth and easy to drink yet still tasted like beer as opposed to an overly sweet hard cider. I loved it so much I didn’t allow myself to try anything else the rest of the night. I had a few before dinner and had to stop off on the way home to get one more before calling it a night.

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The bar is housed in a former garage and I really enjoyed the atmosphere, lighting and outdoor seating. Pre Funk is quite clean, and wasn’t loud of obnoxious at all during our visit. There was a nice variety of music playing at a comfortable volume, and the atmosphere almost feels like a Starbucks for beer drinkers. In fact Pre Funk’s ‘about‘ page describes the bar as “the party before the party… Come here before you go there” and I think that’s a great description. It’s a great place to go and grab a few awesome beers before or after dinner and enjoy good conversation in a wonderful atmosphere. I absolutely love the view from the outdoor seating area at night, I adore viewing the city while enjoying a great beer.

Pre Funk Boise outdoor seating

A few of my favorite things: Starbucks FVL and the NYT

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This afternoon I enjoyed a few of my favorite things on a Sunday in Korea. Enjoying coffee and the New York Times became a weekly tradition last spring, and I’ve managed to continue to enjoy the tradition through my travels in Hawaii and Korea this summer.

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The setting sun glows in the hazy sky above the dorms.

Unfortunately the Fall favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte hasn’t arrived at the Osan Starbucks yet, but the French Vanilla Latte is just as tasty. I love reading the ‘paper’ (in digital form of course) while enjoying a wonderful Starbucks beverage, especially while sitting outside. I miss sitting out and watching the trees and the cars back home, but it’s been nice to enjoy a relaxing hour each Sunday as I’ve counted down the days until I return (soon!).

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Enjoying the NYT and hotel coffee in Hawaii.

 

 

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Coffee in one of my favorite mugs on the steps back in Boise.

CenturyLink Arena in Boise and its rip-off beer

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So I’ve been to an Idaho Steelheads game at CenturyLink Arena in Boise and bought large beers and thought nothing of it. But now it has been revealed in a YouTube video by an aware consumer that they have essentially been selling the same amount of beer in both their regular and large sizes, ripping off thousands of customers for who knows how long.

Sure they’ve now made a statement vowing to fix the problem, but they’ve already lost my trust. I enjoyed the hockey, but I wouldn’t buy any food or drink from them in the future. Not cool CenturyLink.