Fantastic food in McCall/Donnelly area

[Devilmanak]

After living here (McCall) for two years, I have been served moldy food, had horrible service, been treated rudely by servers and owners, gotten food poisoning, have had 13 year old dishwashers balance 30 pounds of plates over my newborn's head, and had generally overpriced CRAPPY food. I started wondering what the deal was, maybe I have gotten picky in the last two years? Then I started talking to locals. (REAL locals, here year round, real folks who work for their money.) And the concensus has been the same. We have walked out of the same restaurants, refuse to go to the same places, and have been treated the same by the same low class places.
That being said: My wife owns a hair salon in McCall, and recently did the hair of a woman who was new to town, and recently re-opened a grille in Donnelly. (11, miles south of McCall.) We tried it for giggles one night. One word: Amazing. My wife's friend is co-owner with the chef. (Who is a CHEF, not some kid flipping burgers.) I had a regular old burger for $6.50, wife had a philly for $8.50. Home-made fries (which are fantastic, and I don't care for home-made fries.) The burger is one of the best I have had. Wife loves the philly, we cannot even vouch for anything else, she always has the philly, I keep sneaking back for burgers, lol. (Really, wife cooks dinner, I make an excuse to run down the road for a burger.) The fry sauce is friggin amazing, and I NEVER eat fry sauce. The servers are really nice and know how to do their job.
I am not affiliated with these guys in any way, but it is nice in this day and age (and location) to see someone actually give you what you pay for. In Donnelly, go West at the Stinker station (like headed to Tamarack), soon as you turn, look down the road and to the right, you will see the "open" sign, they are on the corner of a strip mall. West Mountain Grille. Again, not affiliated in anyway, but would like to see them stick around so I can keep sneaking down for my burgers! Next time I go, I will get a pic of the burger, you would swear it looks like a $15 meal.
Chris

 

[meathooker]

When I lived in Donnelly it was before tamarack shut down and there were a few good places to eat, but they closed down or lowered standards (ie Morels). Glad to hear that location is up as running. They used to have good food a few years ago.

The previous tenant (2 restaurants ago) took my buddy for approx 10k worth of work on the kitchen equipment, my face still turns red when I drive by. Ill try not to let that affect my review of the food when I go there lol

 

[reldridg]

My wife and I have been in there a few times it is excellent. We come up from Smith's Ferry, we tried restaurants in McCall a couple of times but was underwhelmed however both West Mountain Grille and Buffalo Gal are great.

We try to hit one of those places once or twice a month it makes for a nice drive and there is always friendly service.

 

[meathooker]

My wife and I have been in there a few times it is excellent. We come up from Smith's Ferry, we tried restaurants in McCall a couple of times but was underwhelmed however both West Mountain Grille and Buffalo Gal are great.

We try to hit one of those places once or twice a month it makes for a nice drive and there is always friendly service.

Buffalo Gal used to have pretty good sushi, are they still serving it?

 

[reldridg]

Since we started going there in the last year or so, they have not had a ton of sushi on their menu. The menu is pretty compact and changes according to what they can get.

They usually have a tuna shashimi salad, and some other shashimi/salad type item.

We usually just get several of their small plates and it fills us up, last time was some fried pork cubes, chicken satay, some cassoulet and a bottle of wine then dessert for around $60 pretty good stuff.

 

[Devilmanak]

Right on. From what I hear, there isn't a building in the area that someone didn't lose their rears on with unpaid bills.

 

[reldridg]

Yea I have 3 friends that worked for one of the construction companies up there and all three had their houses foreclosed on because theirs loans were up to 3 times what the houses appraised out at. It is pretty crazy what went on up there.

The prices there drove everything up in Smith's Ferry also and there were tons for repossessions there also.

 

[meathooker]

Right on. From what I hear, there isn't a building in the area that someone didn't lose their rears on with unpaid bills.

tell me about it! 10k is small potato's for a lot of contractors but my buddy is a one man show and the guy lead him on with promises of payments and sold the building, then quit answering the phone. hindsight we should have put a lien on his a$$ from the get go, but we were young and dumb. lol live and learn

 

[fordpickupman]

I've heard good things about West Mtn Grille. Maybe I'll have to take my wife there on a date. I do like the Brew Pub in McCall.

I know a few guys that got taken for over a million each when the light switch turned off. Now that'llake a guy bitter.


FORDpickupman

 

[Devilmanak]

Unfortunately the whole thing has snowballed. Now most of the housing out here is SO cheap that it is where all the scumbags/illegals live. $500 a month for a decent sided 3/4 bedroom house with garage is cheap enough to attract a lot of crappy people. My current property manager dumped her contracts in a certain area out here, she refused to deal with it any more. (Final straw was a house full if illegals, growing pot in the rafters, the idiots were so stupid they were walking on the DRYWALL instead of the trusses and fell through into the bathroom.)

 

[ullose272]

whistlestop in cascade is good too

 

[fordpickupman]

Great finger steaks at the Whistle Stop. I eat there at least once a week.

Clear Creek has good pizza.


FORDpickupman

 

[reldridg]

Clear Creek is where we get our take out pizza from .... man there is a lot of cheese on that pizza. But it is great, less than 8 miles to get a pizza.

Have not been to the Whistle stop yet.

I was out in the Tamarack area a couple of weeks back and that is just sad what has gone on out there. When we were looking for a cabin we looked up in that area but wanted to be a little closer to Boise. Smith's Ferry puts us at just 60 miles from our door so we can be there in just about an hour in the winter or summer.

 

[Devilmanak]

Yah. NO offense if anyone here lives there, but the Pumpkin Patch I guess is bad. Drugs, 15 illegals living in the house, that type of thing. I mean really, $500 for 3 bedrooms, bonus office over the garage, 2 baths, and a two car garage, view of the ski area for $500? Should be nice, but as expensive as everything else is, the "ghetto" has to be where it is cheapest, lol. We looked to move into a house there last summer, it was decent, but lots of neighbors. I bought a TV from a couple in there a couple weeks ago, the house was so gross I didn't want to kneel down to look at the tv.
Shoot, I want a burger from WMG, LOL. Too many beers in me to drive though.

 

[Devilmanak]

Clear Creek is where we get our take out pizza from .... man there is a lot of cheese on that pizza. But it is great, less than 8 miles to get a pizza.

Have not been to the Whistle stop yet.

I was out in the Tamarack area a couple of weeks back and that is just sad what has gone on out there. When we were looking for a cabin we looked up in that area but wanted to be a little closer to Boise. Smith's Ferry puts us at just 60 miles from our door so we can be there in just about an hour in the winter or summer.

WHere is Clear Creek, Cascade? I don;t care to ever even drive into McCall again, I have grown to hate that place, with all the idiots. Being in Donnelly, is is prolly quicker to get to Cascade than McCall though, have to start heading that direction for stuff.

 

[reldridg]

Clear Creek is about 8 miles south of Cascade, it is at the turn off to go to the Carbarton bridge where the rafters start the Cabarton run.

Good pizza and some intersting events during the summer time.

 

[BeckyJ]

Pizza

Donnelly has a pizza place now too. Great pizza and soups. Nice and clean!

 

[meathooker]

Yah. NO offense if anyone here lives there, but the Pumpkin Patch I guess is bad. Drugs, 15 illegals living in the house, that type of thing. I mean really, $500 for 3 bedrooms, bonus office over the garage, 2 baths, and a two car garage, view of the ski area for $500? Should be nice, but as expensive as everything else is, the "ghetto" has to be where it is cheapest, lol. We looked to move into a house there last summer, it was decent, but lots of neighbors. I bought a TV from a couple in there a couple weeks ago, the house was so gross I didn't want to kneel down to look at the tv.
Shoot, I want a burger from WMG, LOL. Too many beers in me to drive though.

i lived in the pumpkin patch for about a year when they were brand new. the lift workers stayed near by and it looked like a college frat house. heard you could buy one at the low for around 50-55kk, they were selling for around 200-220k when i moved in. even when they were new we called them the ghettos lol

 

[Devilmanak]

Lol. It was probably a good idea, semi-low cost (but still family homes) housing for all the support people for the BOOMING Tamarack. Too bad it all went down the pooper and they turned into what they did. Honestly, they don't look bad, even the one I was just in that had the most disgusting carpet I have ever seen looked nice outside. And the one we were going to rent was nice. But nice or not, the lowest rent houses are going to be the ones with the scumbags.
I am a mile north of Donnelly now, the house has been abused by a huge family of mormons who were prepping for end of days. (Literally.) Even after cleaned, painted, fixed up, it needs a lot of stuff fixed, and we just found 28 apple juice bottles full of water stashed in one of the cupboards. I guess they had 5 freezers in the garage and kept burning up the electrical in the house. They blew a GFI, freaked out, called the landlady, she sent an electrician, the guy charged $320 to fix it. (Really.) Because it took him SO long to move all the crap to find the problem. Landlady said there wasn't a bare spot of floor in the place, other than traffic areas, it was all covered in crates of food and supplies.

 

[reldridg]

Sounds like a good time. I have a tenant in an apartment like that, it is killing me trying to keep that place safe.

Does it look like there will be anyplace to ride up that way this weekend? I need to get the new to me sled out for a road ride or something.