Here at SFB we are all about discovering unchartered territories. Last year, for example, we stumbled on a village the natives called “Tacoma.” This time around, we ventured southward, to find a town called Boise. It is a strange and wondrous place where country meets urban, and smoking is allowed inside.

Here are a few destinations we found on our voyage that come recommended both by locals and us alike:

Donnie Mac’s Trailer Park Cuisine: Located at 1515 W Grove St, Donnie Mac’s look is (if going by their description at least) both shabby and chic, but the food is neither (probably also by their own description). “The Worst Burger” lives up to its name, seeing that it’s not a true hamburger, but a black bean burger. And it’s good, served on ciabatta with a fresh pico de gallo style sauce. Definitely worth checking out, particularly with the outdoor seating (OK, that might be a moot point shortly) and good selection of music.

Bittercreek Alehouse: This is without a doubt, personally, my favorite Boise spot, and one of the better alehouses I’ve seen. The selection on tap is great, consisting mostly of local and northwest brews, including SFB local-ish favorite, Laughing Dog IPA.

And while tapped beer tends to be the way to go, Bittercreek’s selection of bottles is impressive. Very, very impressive. If you want to try a $100 Belgian, this is the place to go. For the rest of us, there are more affordable alternatives, like Nøgne Ø’s # 100. Bittercreek Alehouse is pretty great, and I can see why Imbibe named it one of the 100 best alehouses in the country. Their web site.

Red Feather: Bittercreek’s sibling pub is more of a gastropub, and a pretty good one at that. We have it from sources that Boise restaurants aren’t too big on “locavore” and “organic,” and while we don’t know if this is true or not, Red Feather does both really well. Grab a $6 carafe of mimosa and try their huevos rancheros. It makes for a good time.

Pie Hole: We didn’t get to try the famed Flying Pie, but Pie Hole was definitely good for a late night slice. Their thin-crust potato bacon is a good way to end a night.