If you're planning a trip to Priest Lake, make sure you 1) bring your stretchy pants, and 2) make plans to dine out. Why? Because the food here is consistently ahh-mazing!
We were so stunned by the jaw-dropping, natural beauty of Priest Lake, Idaho that we fully expected the local resort food to be relatively unimaginative and overpriced. I mean, why not? People come for the gorgeous scenery, so why put a lot of effort into high-quality food? People will pay for it either way.
We were pleasantly surprised, however, and continuously found ourselves looking forward to our next meal out!
Breakfast
A great way to start your vacation day on the lake? Try the Classic Benny (pictured above) from The Hills Resort. Or maybe the Cowboy Benny featuring sausage gravy instead of hollandaise (oh yes we did!).
Pair that with a Huckleberry Mimosa, and you're more than set to lounge in the sun for a few lazy hours.
At Elkins Lodge, our server was 100% right when he recommended the Log Cabin Scrambler. The sour cream added to the scrambled eggs is a trick I will totally use from now on!
Lunch or Apps
This line-up is not your average boring lunch or bar food. For a big lunch, some big hits at Elkins Resort are the French Dip and the Elkins Burger.
When looking at the appetizers, make sure to order the Tempura Shrimp, and do not miss the Idaho Nachos. Salty, cheesy goodness. Every single time we were confident we couldn't finish it. But turns out we were wrong - we couldn't stop until it was gone!
Dinner
For dinner on the lake, you can choose either casual setting, fine dining, or just stick with the bar menu.
On the casual side (where I usually end up, because you know, budgets), make sure you order the Elkins Resort Bruschetta Flatbread, which also appears on the appetizer menu.
Look at that garlic - I mean, come on!
But wait, that's not the only pizza available! There's actually a great variety.
The Mt. Roothan (white sauce, pear, fig jam, gorgonzola crumble, truffled arugula, white balsamic reduction), the Elkins House (red sauce, fresh mozzarella and mascarpone, fennel sausage, Mama Lil's peppers, caramelized onion, oregano), and many more. Are you hungry yet?
In the Elkins Resort Fine Dining Room, they also offer one heck of a selection of food and wines, and their menu is outstanding. The Braised Short Ribs, Espresso Rubbed Pork Tenderloin, New York Pepper Steak... all delicious.
Another big favorite is the Elkins Marinated Flank Steak, that comes with a side Madeira demiglace to dip your meat in. Eye-rolling why-didn't-I-order-that ridiculous. Side note: this is the dish the employees' order for themselves when they feel like splurging. There's a reason.
Cocktails
Two words: endless huckleberries. That's because there's an endless supply!
If you're a fan of huckleberries, you have come to the right place. They're referred to here as "Purple Gold," and they are the stars of so many dishes. Desserts (pie, of course), pancake syrup, and lots of cocktails.
Huckleberry Mimosas, Huckleberry Daquiris, Huckleberry Mules, Huckleberry Martinis - you want it they've got it.
My favorite cocktail flavor of the moment, however, is grapefruit. So when I saw Elkins' Grapefruit Mule I just had to try it. Let's just say that was my beverage of choice for my entire stay. I'm hooked!
Away from the Lake
Of course, there are other watering holes to visit at Priest Lake besides these two lakeside resorts. One that you do not want to miss is the Nordman Bar. Read about my experience at Hooves and Huckleberries: The Nordman Bar.
Heading to Priest Lake for the first time? Read Northern Exposure: Discovering Priest Lake, Idaho. Remember, make sure to come hungry, and if you discover something I missed, please tell me - I plan to go back!
Happy travels!
It's my favorite place to eat, and when COVID-19 came I haven't visited this place, I love all foods there, have you tried the Sencha flavor of green tea? It's the best green tea flavor, I first time tried there and I like it most, in fact after too many searches finally, I get a similar flavor from https://www.couponcodify.com/view/adagio-teas I luckily found there and the taste is the same.