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Inside the Pleasures of Franco Latino
by Michael Hoffmann
I admit it. I love watching Iron Chef. My favorite is when some poor fool challenges Bobby Flay, because Chef Flay brings a totally creative, bold, continental approach to pretty simple and robust foods. By the end of the competition I’m raiding the fridge to see if we have any lamb shanks I can sear in rosemary olive oil and drizzle with lobster-pomegranate reduction. “Hey honey, do we have a sous chef? Does our range go to 30,000 btu??”
Depressingly, we don’t and it doesn’t. And I’m surprised to learn we don’t have any lamb shanks or lobster in the fridge, either. But I probably would have burned the kitchen down, anyhow, and I wouldn’t know what to do with a sous chef if I had one. Wisely, peanut butter sandwich in hand, I go to the phone and dial up Chef Mortimer and his newest restaurant, Franco Latino – the closest thing to Bobby Flay in the Treasure Valley – and I head on down for a taste of France married with Latin America, in a very approachable, fun, and comfortable Idaho style. Game on.
The main thing I know about Franco Latino is that I always leave the restaurant with a smile on my face. I mean, come on. The wine list is full of great Northwest wines, with an especially wonderful selection of Willamette Valley pinot noir. What does the pinot noir go well with? Answer: pretty much anything. You can drink it by itself with one of Franco Latino’s tasteful appetizers, but I guarantee you after a couple bites of the pecan-crusted brie or the Nacho Napoleon (Lord have mercy), there’s not going to be any stopping until you’ve finished your last bite of huckleberry cheesecake.
For me, food is about pleasure. When you put the right flavors and textures and styles together, my knees buckle. Fortunately, I’m usually sitting down when that happens, so the effect isn’t as dramatic as it would be if I were standing, but you see what I’m saying. Grilled salmon with chipotle and tomato mojo, Chicken Wellington, Kobe Beef Zabuton, or, if you dare, the “Frenchilada”: an onion-infused crepe with chicken and pork chile verde. Sweet mercy. You won’t be disappointed. These are creative dishes, bridging regimes of spices and flavors and creating unexpected, heavenly experiences. Just make sure you’re sitting down when you take your first bite.
But like any great restaurant, Franco Latino isn’t just about food, it’s about an experience, and the experience is defined by the people. These are helpful, knowledgeable, fun, unpretentious folks who appreciate a great meal and know how to make it fun. Questions about wine? Just ask. How fresh is the salmon? Just ask. What does the waiter think about the specials? He’ll give you his honest opinion, and he won’t steer you wrong. Listen, this isn’t L.A. This is Eagle, Idaho, and there doesn’t have to be anything complicated about enjoying a fantastic meal.
So you’ve got an amazing menu, terrific wine, and great service. What more do you need? How about a table with a river view? How about an open-yet-quiet atmosphere? You soon realize everything is just right, and you’re smiling, and everyone else around you is smiling, and I need a cup of coffee with my huckleberry cheesecake, and life is good.
And you know something interesting about the Treasure Valley? Somewhere along the way, Eagle became a place where you expect to find a restaurant like this. In any of the big west coast cities, Franco Latino would, by simply existing there, have more of an edge. On the east coast, you probably couldn’t get a reservation on a Saturday night. But in Eagle, things are easy, and Franco Latino is a very special place.
So what do you think, Chef Mortimer? The Iron Chef’s got game, but if you ask me, you can throw down against him any day. But you know what? Maybe that’s not the Eagle Way. You don’t need to prove anything. You just keep doing your thing, and I’ll keep enjoying it, and if Bobby Flay wants to show up and enjoy a Frenchilada then that’s his business…
…but just for the sake of argument, and because it would be about the coolest thing that ever happened, let’s say Bobby Flay, after savoring the Frenchilada deliciousness, flies into a jealous rage and challenges you to an Iron Chef competition right then and there. You wouldn’t back down, right? Just play it cool because the folks at Eagle Life have got your back. But between you and me, if you want to have any chance against Chef Flay, you’ll have to use your own sous chef.
