The Restaurant
My initial plan was to have breakfast at Goldys Breakfast Bistro, go for a hike up to table rock, and then have a late lunch. By the time I got to the hike I was already running well behind schedule, and it turns out the hike was significantly more difficult than I expected. So by the time I was done I decided that I would head to the Hotel grab a quick shower and get some pre-dinner ice cream.
I did some quick research on ice cream shops in Boise and The STIL, which is an acronym for “Sweetest things in life” stood out to me. As a concept, the STIL is very now. It mashes up the idea of your traditional family ice cream shop with a with a bar that serves local beers, ciders, and wine. It accomplishes this by offering various unique flavors of ice cream and offers them with local wine, beer, and cider pairings; they also have a rotating menu of alcohol infused ice creams. To emphasize the local bar feel you can order an “Ice Cream Flight” which consists of 4 small servings of ice cream peered with 4 small beers or wine for $15-$19.
If, like me at the time, you are not feeling like spending $15+ on an a flight paring, there are other options such as beer and wine floats for $8 or take any ice cream and turn it into an ice cream sandwich between 2 cookies. I decided to to be boring (and in retrospect I regret not getting the 32nd Cider House Ice Cream) and got a 2 flavor waffle cone with Fresh Powder (Vanilla Cream Cheese) and Summer Hike (Berry Sorbet).
The ice cream, while not being my favorite ice cream in the world, was extremely good. The vanilla was a rich and full flavor and the Sorbet was tasted extremely fresh, fruity, and flavorful. In all the “single” ran me 4.75 before tax.
As a concept the STIL is a great idea and in practice it is well executed. As I sat in the restaurant eating my cone I was watching many families come through. The kids were very excited to try the newest flavors and the adults all seemed to order some version of the boozy ice cream. Everyone seemed to be loving what they ordered and several people went back to the “bar” to try additional pairings.
My wife and I are planning a road trip in December which will take us through Boise. I have feeling we will stop by The Still and hopefully this time I will try some of the more adventurous flavors.
Location:
199 N 8th St, Boise, ID 83702