Texas Roadhouse

I have a few other date ideas that can be done anywhere but first- my husband's birthday dinner. I was surprised when he picked Texas Roadhouse because although I love steak, it's not really his thing (I think it was in part a favor to me). Texas Roadhouse in Idaho Falls is usually busy on the weekends but they have call ahead seating which helps but even if it's a spur of the moment thing like it was for us the wait wasn't too long. Once you get seated they have super good rolls (the picture really doesn't capture them) and peanuts to snack on.

We really enjoyed our meal, each meal comes with two sides so we could easily share them with our daughter. My husband doesn't like steak but he says Texas Roadhouse has some of the best chicken. He really liked it and I enjoyed the steak, it was even amazing as leftovers the next day.

Bisch's RV Challenege- Free Dinner

Sorry, I did't get this up earlier but this week is Bisch's RV Challenge. Throughout the week there are competitors staying in campers without acess to cell phone or showers and every evening they compete in challeneges. Players get elminated throughout the week and the winner gets a new camper. Each evening they have a free barbeque open to the public during the nightly challenege. We went tonight and the dinner was great (hamburgers, philly cheesesteak, steak bites) and the challenege was super fun to watch. They had to milk goats and then drink the milk.

It's worth going over if you have the time. It's through Friday, 5:30 PM dinner starts and the challenge is at 6 PM. Bisch's is just off of Holmes past the Highway.

Smitty's Pancake and Steak House

Smitty's is grandparents favorite place to eat and we had never tried it. We went the other night and saw why. It was a Thursday so it wasn't very busy. The atmosphere seemed quiet and comfortable. We took forever looking over the menu because it was so good and a lot of things sounded good. They had a great breakfast selection but we had things off the dinner menu. I had a steak and my husband had chicken tenders. We also tried a burger that we got off the kids menu for our daughter (we don't usually order anything for her because she doesn't eat much but we were trying to use up a gift card). Everything was good- the dinners come with tons of choices for sides, and I was full by the end of my salad. We got a lot of food for our money, including free desserts that come with anything on the dinner menu.

My husband's favorite part is that everything comes with things on the side rather than on it. The burgers and sandwiches are that way and even the salads had the carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers all on the side so we could use what we wanted. My grandparents recommend the fish but we didn't try any.

The waitresses were so helpful with our little girl and nobody seemed to mind when she just wanted to walk around our table while we ate.

Outback Steakhouse

This one was unplanned but we had a gift certificate and I had the sudden feeling that nothing at home sounded good for dinner. I thought that it being at Saturday night we would have a long wait ahead of us but not at all. We got seated and served right away. Everything was so good. I had a steak with potatoes and salad, Josh had a bacon burger with french fries, and we shared some wings. Nothing tasted processed at all which made me so happy, the fries and potatoes tasted fresh and homemade. They have two ways of cooking your streak and I choose fire grilled and it was wonderful. Josh was impressed that his hamburger had so much bacon; there really was a lot on there. The cost there is a little higher than most places we go out to eat but I enjoyed it so much.

Five Guys Burger and Fries

Saturday night I was craving a good hamburger and for some reason a place I had only been to once before came to mind, Five Guys. It totally hit the spot.

There are a few things that make Five Guys a different kind of burger place. The first thing is as you walk in there is a sign that tells you the local farm that the potatoes are from (Saturday's were from a farm in Shelley, Idaho). Their menu is small and simple: burgers (with double patties), mini burgers (with a single patty), hot dogs, and 2 sizes of fries. You pick what you want and the exact toppings you want on them and they cook it right there while you wait. The wait isn't long and there are peanuts to snack on while you are waiting.

I didn't love the fries but they were ok but the hamburger was so good. I usually don't get hamburgers but mine was so good. The Idaho Falls Five Guys is located off Hitt Road by Edwards Theater and Orange Leaf.

Olive Garden and Panda Express

This past week we went out to dinner twice- I'm sorry that neither were locally owned but we had reasons for going where we did.

Thursday we went to Panda Express because it was my sister-in-laws birthday and that's where she wanted to go. Again my problem with restaurants kicked in and I ate before taking pictures, but here is a picture from their website of one of my favorites- Beijing Beef.

We had a good time at Panda Express and enjoyed the food there. My husband loves the orange chicken and there were a lot of options that we could give our little baby pieces to try. I wouldn't say that it's traditional Chinese Food by any means but very good none the less.


Saturday to celebrate Valentine's Day we went to Olive Garden- it's another one of our favorite places but we don't go there very often (we happened to have a gift card). It is very good. The meals come with unlimited salad and bread sticks and I would defiantly take advantage of that so you are full enough to have plenty of leftovers to take home.
I had the chicken alfredo pizza (shown above) and it was so so good, the alfredo dipping sauce that came with it was amazing, it looked small but I could only eat 1/3 of it after all the salad I had eaten. My husband's favorite is the Ziti but he tried something different (lasagna rolls) but still reccomends the ziti.

The Snakebite Restaurant - Downtown Idaho Falls

The husband and I were given a gift certificate to the Snakebite in Idaho Falls and were glad for the excuse for the opportunity to try it out. This restaurant is located downtown on the corner of Park and A. Mondays and Tuesdays they are only open for lunch but the rest of the week they are open until 9.
We went on a Friday evening around 6 and all the tables were full but the wait wasn't long at all, but plan on waiting a bit for your food as well. We thought it was worth the wait but my in-laws four year old son did not.

The majority of the menu is pretty basic American food, but fancier- My husband and his brother both got hamburgers which they raved about and they were priced comparable to Red Robin or other places like that. I got a chicken burger with avocado on it. It was also so good. We all enjoyed our food. They also had pastas, steaks, and seafoods. Which by the looks and smells seemed like they would be great too.

It's a little unrelated but I thought it was so cute I had to share- after we got seated it got a little busier and there were three couples waiting for tables, a table for four opened up and it was given to an older couple that looked like they were out for their anniversary or something. They invited the next couple waiting to sit with them and share the table. I thought that was so nice.

Anyway- the food was great, I can't wait for an excuse to go there again.

Gator Jack's Sandwich Shack

A little bit after we were married I overheard somebody mention Gator Jack's in Rigby. We stopped by after school one day- mid afternoon and were greeted by Jack himself, who let us sample a few different things before we finally decided on what we wanted, now it is a favorite place of ours. The sandwiches are delicious and totally loaded down (4 inch is their small size, and totally big enough for most people).
I like to stick with what I know I like so I usually order and Up Yonder! or Shine from Da Moon. You'll have to go in to find out what those are. My husband has tried most of them but his favorite is the Kissin' Kin. A fun thing is to get an order of gator bites- they are mini baked potatoes... so good!

Gator Jack's now has two locations- in Rigby on Farnsworth way, right off the highway and in Rexburg across from Porter Park.

(note- these pictures were taken from the Gator Jack's website. When we got some on Friday I realized after I finished my sandwich that I was supposed to have taken pictures.)

If you want something to do after you eat, Rigby Bowl is nearby.

Big Juds Home of the Giant Hamburger

This wasn't our whole date, we went to a pumpkin patch and a straw maze the same day, but I figured Big Juds deserved it's own post.

Big Juds is just a little hole in the wall in the middle of nowhere. Lots of grease and fun pictures on the walls--this place is a classic. One of the biggest reasons people go is the seriously giant hamburgers. They even make the buns in cake pans. If you eat a whole burger, fries, and a drink you can get your picture taken and put on the wall. I've been with a few people that have done it but usually my husband and I share one between the two of us. One tip I have is the wait for food is usually a little long (it's a lot of meat to cook) so it's a good place to take card games to play while waiting.

Apparently there are also locations in Ashton and Boise, Idaho- but I've only been to the original in Archer, ID which is a bit south of Rexburg.

New Menu- I kinda liked the old ones better, fit the atmosphere.

Everyone always asks if I have tried the Emily special. This time I did and it was so great.

The baby and the Big Jud for a little size comparison.

Anyway here is a map and some info and here is a Man vs. Food episode about it. Happy eating!