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The Gold Mine Restaurant, also known as the Gold Mine Grill and Saloon, has recently come under new ownership, and this is truly a "happening" restaurant in beautiful Idaho City, Idaho! Not only does the restaurant feature some of the best "smokin'" barbecue that you'll find outside of Texas, but it features a rustic dining room, full-service bar, comfortable patio, AND live music and entertainment on weekends! As with all of reviews that I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.
Photo: It's early Friday afternoon, June 12, 2020, and we've arrived at Gold Mine Restaurant, located in Idaho City, Idaho, to enjoy a delicious lunch. If you prefer to enjoy your lunch outside, you have your choice of patio dining both in front of the restaurant, and on the spacious patio located in back, near the "hotel," so to speak, as the restaurant offers a few rooms for your overnight pleasure.
Photo: As you enter the restaurant, you'll notice that it's "rustic," and features an "old west" saloon decor. You're in Idaho City... which is as "rustic as it gets...
Photo: Gold Mine Restaurant features a full service bar, along with an amazing restaurant, and the rustic dining room features mounted trophies of deer, elk, moose and other "deer" species native to Idaho.
Photo: On this early June Friday after afternoon, the temperature is in the upper 70's, but during the winter, it gets cold in Idaho City, so this wood-burning stove keeps the restaurant, and the bar warm during the winter.
Photo: Looking into the rustic dining room, as the owner of the restaurant, Mr. Steve Troga, tunes his guitar.
Photo: Meet Mr. Steve Troga, the owner of Gold Mine Restaurant, as he shows me how to play an "E" chord on his flat top guitar. Steve greeted us, and welcomed us to his restaurant, and treated us like family
Photo: As you enter the patio, you'll see mounted deer antlers, as when you're in Idaho City, you're some of the best hunting country that North America has to offer.
Photo: The back patio is spacious, and offers many tables. In these days of COVID-19, "social distancing" is in effect, as is lots of space between tables. Note the propane heaters, which will come in handy during the cold winter months. Not seen in the photo, but there is a stage, on the patio, as live music happens at Gold Mine Restaurant on weekends. The propane heaters aren't needed on this mid-June afternoon in Idaho!
Photo: Cover page of Gold Mine Restaurant's menu features sandwiches, and more...
Photo: Second page of the menu. Everything on the menu looked good, and we had a hard time making our choices.
Photo: Our amazing friendly hostess, Shanie, takes or orders, as Cindy and Katie ponder the menu.
Photo: After we placed our orders for lunch, I wandered around the restaurant and noted a "corn hole" range set up, and ready for action. I must admit that I'm not a fan of the game, but it's good to see the game is alive and well at Gold Mine Restaurant.
Photo: These guys guard the stage, and keep us safe. On weekends, mostly during the summer, Gold Mine Restaurant features live music entertainment. The friendly owner of the restaurant, Steve Troga, told me - very reluctantly - that occasionally the restaurant even includes rap music, which is a surprise to me.
Photo: Meet Brandy, the pitmaster, who gladly opened the smokehouse for me to see, photo and love. Gold Mine Restaurant is "old school," and uses a smokehouse, located in back of the restaurant, to smoke their amazing meat. The smokehouse is a separate building, and is a tiny shack dedicated to the goal of smoking meat. It's "old school," delicious and would work in a more urban environment. Gold Mine Restaurant uses apple wood for smoking their fine meat, which is a great choice for smoking.
Photo: Meet Shanie, our super friendly and efficient server, who delivers our lunch to us with a smile. This fine lady not only delivered our lunches to us with a smile, but she welcomed us, and treated us like family.
Photo: Thanks Shanie for taking our photo, as Katie, Cindy and I prepare to enjoy our delicious lunch on the outside patio of Gold Mine Restaurant.
Photo: From the "Baskets" section of the menu, Cindy ordered the "Popcorn Shrimp" lunch selection which, I was tempted to order, but later I changed my mind to the "Pit Master." The menu offers a choice between fries or "tots," and my friend chose fries. The shrimp were breaded, perfectly deep fried, and served with a generous helping for fries. Cocktail sauce was included, but since Cindy isn't a "fan" of cocktail sauce, I "helped her" with it, and used it to dip my fries with my lunch.
Photo: Katie favors "healthy options," so she enjoyed a "House Salad," with a side of smoked chicken for added enjoyment. The side of barbecue sauce was part of the salad. Healthy choices for lunch and dinner are definitely available at Gold Mine Restaurant, located in Idaho City, Idaho.
Photo: From the "Sandwiches" section of the menu, I went with the "Pit Master," as I simply could not resist the lure of delicious barbecue. My "side" of choice was fries, as like barbecue, I never can resist the "lure" of fries. The menu describes the "Pit Master" as, "A whole mess of smoked pork and beef, smothered in BBQ sauce, topped with coleslaw and jalapiņo pepper slices and served on a toasted bun." Wow! Alright, I'll start with the meat, as it's both smoked beef and pork, smoked at the smokehouse next to the restaurant. The meat is smoked over apple wood, and it's juicy, tender, and cooked to perfection. Apple is a mils hardwood, and leaves a mild, somewhat sweet"smoky" taste, but it is neither harsh or "smoky," as it's just plain good. May I say the meat served at Gold Mine Restaurant is simply delicious? The generous portion of smoked beef and pork is placed on a large, buttered and toasted bun, and is topped with creamy, in-house-made coleslaw, which is so delicious that my words can't even describe the amazing taste sensation. Topping off the sandwich are pickled jalapeno slices - from a jar - but are amazing and enhance the taste sensation. Barbecue sauce, along with tangy mayonnaise dressing makes the whole sandwich a taste sensation. Do you like fries? If you like fries, you've come to the right place, as the fries served at Gold Mine Restaurant are deep fried to perfection, fried to a golden brown, but aren't salty or greasy. The fries are simply perfect...
Photo: Cut open side of "Pit Master," which shows the smoked pork, beef, in-house-made coleslaw, jalapiņo pepper slices, along with dill pickle slices on a toasted bun. This sandwich was so amazingly delicious that it didn't need any condiments, as it was "melt in your mouth" delicious. How many ways can you say "perfect?" The sandwich feathered smoked beef and pork, and was served with house-made coleslaw on a large, toasted roll, along with a generous helping of fries. Does a meal get any better than this? "Cowboy" or "cowgirl" up to the bar, kick back, relax, and let Steve, the super-friendly owner and his amazing staff make your day complete. You'll not only enjoy some of the best barbecue west of Texas, but you'll be treated like family, and you'll enjoy a delicious meal. When you're visiting Idaho City, Idaho, make plans to enjoy some quality time at Gold Mine Restaurant. You'll be glad you paid a visit... Gold Mine Restaurant Copyright(c) 2020 eRench Productions. All rights reserved. We've been on the web since December 22, 2002.
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