Couer d’Alene Resort: Famous Floating Green, Dining and Spa

Recently my wife Linda and I had the pleasure of traveling to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to enjoy the newly renovated  Coeur d’ Alene Resort. Established in 1991, this world class resort offers golf, dining and world class spa that is perfect for a pleasure trip or business meeting.

From our home in Danville, it is an easy 2 hour direct flight to Spokane airport on  Southwest Airlines. You can arrange a driver to pick you up for a $69.00 round trip fee or rent a car to get to the resort. It is an easy 30 minute drive from the airport.  We chose to use the driver service. The resort hotel has just been totally renovated and upon arrival you receive a warm welcome from the attentive, happy friendly staff dressed in knickers.

We stayed in the Lake View Tower.  Our 16th floor room had a stunning view of Lake Coeur d’Alene complete with a balcony, fireplace, new carpet and very comfortable bed.

We enjoyed a tour of the property, spa and especially enjoyed the water taxi that takes you to the golf course with it’s famous floating green golf hole.
 
The world class spa offers a variety of services. A golf massage before or after you play is highly recommended.

A variety of dining choices include casual dining overlooking the floating green to fine dining at Beverly’s overlooking the lake. Beverly's was named after resort owner Duane Hagadone's mother.

We chose to dine at Beverly's and were not disappointed. Before dinner, we experienced a wine tour and tasting that happens each night at 4:30. The 2 million dollar wine cellar is the largest in the Northwest and offers a wide variety of world class wines including a 1945 Chateau Latour that sells for $10,000. If you bring your own wine, it is a $20.00 corking fee.

The iconic restaurant has been rated in the top 60 restaurants in America to “dine before you die.”

Chef Jim Barrett and Manager Annie Megofna made our food experience very special with attentive service and a variety of food choices.  Located on the 7th floor of the Lake Tower with stunning views of the sun setting over the lake enhanced this divine dining experience.

We began our dinner with 2 perfect manhattans and warm orange marmalade and sour dough rolls from the on site bakery. Chef Jim told us he was originally from Michigan, as we are, and we instantly bonded.. We were going to order New Zealand  Lamb Chops and Copper River Salmon but Chef Jim suggested that he personally prepare a variety of entrees from his extensive menu. 

With a picture perfect presentations, we enjoyed a variety of foodie delights. Some of the items were masterfully crafted crab cakes, tender and elegant elk chops, melt in your mouth scallops, beef with a heavenly whip cream like horseradish sauce, finely dusted calamari, and fresh ahi flown in from Hawaii. Everything was very special and "simply" sensational.
 
For dessert, Chef Jim recommended the  signature and sinful chocolate and huckleberry souffle's and beignets as “must do’s.” They take 30 minutes to prepare allowing your dinner to settle and extra enjoyment of the stunning views.
 
The next morning, we enjoyed golfing on the 6800 yard perfectly manicured golf course. The driving range has panoramic views of the lake and an on site masseuse to loosen up your golfing muscles. 

 The golf course  has a variety of tee choices to meet all levels of golfing skills. Linda found the lady tees to be very friendly. 

We especially enjoyed the famous floating green hole and were very pleased to avoid depositing too many golf balls into the lake.   A golf taxi takes you to the green and it plays between 99 and 200 yards depending on the tee.  In addition, a knowledgeable fore caddy is assigned to each group to advise you on yardage, reading putts and help speed up play. A $25.00 gratuity per bag is recommended.

In conclusion,  the renovated resort is a slice of heaven and offers many travel packages to make your visit unique and special.

The “bad news” is that it is sad to leave this renovated refuge and escape from the rigors of modern life. The “good news” is that we are looking forward to a return visit.

 For more information and to make reservations, go to Coeur d’Alene. com

San Francisco Icon Zuni Cafe

In an effort to dine at all 3000 San Francisco restaurants( 900 and counting), my wife Linda and I recently dined at the famous Zuni Cafe that remains a “City By the Bay” favorite after 40 years of serving outstanding food and drinks.

This angular designed restaurant is located in the vibrant Hayes Valley District.

It is advisable to get a reservation but you can go early and sit at the elegant copper bar and savor the heavenly scents from the large wood fired oven and enjoy a  unique people watching experience while you wait for your table.

We sat at the bar flanked by a piano player and many youthful patrons enjoying high energy conversations.  They have an assortment of unique drinks, fresh oysters and appetizers to suit anyone’s desires.

The restaurant is on Market Street with high ceilings and lots of windows to enjoy the views and beat of the bustling city.

We were advised to try Perdon  an aperitif originating from many cafes in the passionate city of Paris. It is served in a cocktail glass with a decanter of water and glass of ice to mix to your taste buds delights. It is a refreshing drink that has a reputation of igniting many authors to write famous novels.

After a short 15 minute wait, we were seated and began our unique foodie experience.

We secured a table in the upstairs area of this restaurant overlooking the many happy patrons and deco art gracing the walls.

The Pedron was so good we decided to order another one while we waited for the signature roasted chicken dinner for 2. It takes about 60 minutes to make this famous recipe in their 700 degree wood fired oven and well worth the wait.

My friend told me that Pedron can be known as a “brain eraser” and to be careful as “one is fun and two you are done.”

While we waited for the chicken, we split their Caesar’s salad that was the best we have ever eaten.  Fresh, chilled and painted perfectly with anchovy infused dressing and large acme bread seasoned croutons was a great way to start the meal.

Longtime chef Judy Rodgers passed away a few years ago and masterminded the roasted chicken recipe. The tradition continues as this is always on the menu along with many other unique choices  to suit your foodie fantasies . The menu is changed every day.

The whole chicken is cooked  in a 700 degree wood fired oven and exceeded its high recommendation and expectations by our knowledgeable and very attentive waiter. It was succulent and elegantly served in easy to eat pieces on a bed of perfectly seasoned dressing. It was definitely worth the wait and didn’t seem that long as the drinks, salad and restaurant vibes were very enjoyable to experience.

There are a variety of choices for desserts but we decided to pass as the chicken and salad were very generous proportions.

In conclusion, it is no wonder many chefs dine at this iconic San Francisco treasure that remains on the list of the top 20 dining establishments to enjoy before you die in the “Great City By the Bay.”

For more information and to make a reservation go to. Zuni Cafe. com.