Rick’s Press Room Grill & Bar

We went on a Wednesday so you would think not busy! Wrong, very busy but only 1 waitress/​bartender so service was slow but gracious! We saw at least 3 groups leave because they weren’t seated. We had the salmon! It was good, really good but not amazing. It had a fishy taste that we know means not totally fresh.

Fun, strange fact: You know what’s really hard to find in Boise, ID? A BAKED POTATO.
That’s right. The Mister and I were in town right around his birthday, and I wanted to find the man a place to have a great steak and baked potato… but, bizarrely, it seems you can find most any sort of potato — fries, croquettes, mashies — but not a simple, baked spud. (And sidebar — I made and subsequently cancelled a reservation at a Boise steakhouse that offered a baked potato… because they literally served one cut of steak. Just one. And it’s a prime rib (which I love, but the hubs does not, and it was HIS b-​day… soooo… yeah. But, HOW DOES A STEAKHOUSE ONLY OFFER ONE STEAK?! Ok. Rant over.]
So, feeling somewhat defeated, I moved past my baked potato fixation and we opted to drive out to Meridian and check out Rick’s, because if we couldn’t get a baked potato, some «smoked, loaded mashed potatoes» seemed like they’d be a reasonable stand-​in. More on that momentarily…
Rick’s is a cute place, bedecked with newspapers and such. It took a few minutes to be acknowledged and seated, but the servers were friendly and attentive otherwise. We were asked if we had a reservation, which I found odd given the fact that the place was at only 30% capacity (going up to 60% in our time there), but whatever. We were seated by the windows, informed of specials, and off we went.
* We shared the garlic chili wings as an app (tasty sauce, though the wings could have been a touch crispier) accompanied by their signature celery slaw (in a nice dill-​spiked dressing — definitely give that a try!)
* He had a side salad (the feta is a nice touch)
* I opted for the soup, a New England Clam Chowder — serviceable, and not overly salty
* We both ended up with the special: peppercorn-​crusted NY strip (his, med. well… mine, rare) accompanied by zucchini and peppers, which were supposed to come on some garlic mashed, but I subbed in the aforementioned smoked, loaded mashies.
The steaks were well-​prepared (though I would have enjoyed it more if mine had been a little less done — it was closer to med. rare than straight up mooing), and the veggies had a nice bite to them. The star, however, were those mashed potatoes I keep mentioning. When they say SMOKED loaded mashed potatoes, they mean it — that smoke flavor makes this side something special, and it’s amped up by sizeable chunks of bacon, creamy cheddar, and crisp green onion. I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t just house a big ol’ bowl of them and be perfectly content.
We skipped the tiramisu dessert being offered, but it looked tasty. All in all, an enjoyable meal.

Tried to place a to go order and was treated rudely and hung up on. Will not consider spending a dollar in this place!

Very interesting menu choices. We started out with chili chicken wings and celery slaw and and order of potato pancakes. I could have made a meal of the celery slaw! Then came the smoked potato soup. It was so good. Dinner choices were meatloaf, smoked salmon with corn salsa and a rueben. The meatloaf came with a jalapeño polenta. All the meals were very good. I felt a bit rushed in that we food was coming a bit fast. It would have been nice to finish our appetizers, then be able to finish or soup /​salad course before being served our main course.
I would recommend Ricks. It really is a cute place with well prepared dishes.

We went to Rick’s after a great recommendations from a friend. I got the Reuben and my wife got the special — filet with shrimp. The food was good and the servers were friendly. We will repeat.

Relaxed casual place with fantastic food and service.
First, it’s a quirky little place and easy to miss if you don’t know where it is but it’s well worth finding. A bit more expensive than it looks at first glance but don’t let that turn you away. The food is well worth it.
Even on a busy night, the service was friendly and attentive without being annoying. They let us eat and talk and enjoy ourselves.
The food is why we will return though. Everything is just a little bit different and all delicious, even down to the bread pudding desert.

Awesome service and food! Will come again as often as possible. Potato pancake was delicious with apple and sour cream. Lemon garlic chicken was great.

Still 5 stars, still fabulous, still go as often as I can.

My husband and I have been here twice and we enjoyed it both times. The burgers and fries are delicious and their side salad is huge for being just a «side» salad.
However there was only one waitress working on the lunch shift (one of the owners perhaps) and the place was packed. I felt bad for her cause she was busting her hump serving and cleaning up. I wanted to help her out .
But I still gave this place five stars cause she was very friendly and the food was good.

Rick’s is great because it’s local, it’s homegrown, and it’s very unique! Founded by Rick and his wife (who are also the two main staffers), it’s got a small menu with lots of variety. It’s a bit on the spendy side, but it’s worth it just to say you’ve gone. And I think, after trying it once, you’ll consider it one of your destination spots in Meridian. We recommend making a reservation. You just never know when it’s going to be a full house (or completely empty, surprisingly!).
Food: The food is fun, because it’s all over the board. From the chili garlic wings (which are great), to burgers (we top ours with cheddar, bacon and a fried egg), steaks, fish, pastas, salad and a whole array of appetizers, you’re sure to find something. The steaks are huge and amazing. I have most recently tried their loaded smashed potatoes, which were a little bland, but the burger was amazing. Don’t waste your $ 6 on the celery slaw… it’s just OK (not too much flavor). Be sure to check out their special of the day. It’s always more spendy than the rest of the menu, but MAN it’s always on point.
Drinks: Full bar! Water served out of wine bottles… that’s fun. Their Jameson & Ginger and specialty cocktails are always delicious.
Atmosphere: Very bar-​like, but it’s more upscale than that when it comes to the menu. You can write all over the walls and read for hours on end all of the stories/​newspaper clippings. It’s a very local vibe. You’ll always have your regulars up at the bar top.
Service: Excellent. Many people claim it to be a little slow. That’s usually because it’s the owner or just one other person serving. All food is made to order, so when you receive your dish, you know it was done just as you asked for!
Happy Hour Offerings: n/​a
Healthy Hack: Order a cup of soup & a side of greens. Very flexible menu.
Tips: Free dessert on your Birthday! Try the daily specials!

This place was great. My wife and I had an excellent meal. We had heard about Rick’s and were excited to give it a try.
We had the garlic wings and split the Salmon. Both were excellent. The wings weren’t spicy (I love spicy but my wife doesn’t), but they were very tasty. The blue cheese sauce was made with yogurt and mixed with diced celery in a type of celery salad. It was awesome I usually ignore the celery that comes with wings but I ate every bite.
The salmon was great too. They split it for us without complaint and it was excellent.
We mentioned to Julie (our server) that this was our first time at Rick’s. A few minutes later, a flaming slice of tiramisu shows up on our table. Totally cool! It was excellent, the meal was excellent, and Julie was not only very nice, she was also a fantastic asset to Rick’s.
Thanks Julie and thank You Rick’s for a great dining experience.

A little better than average, but nothing spectacular. Had the burgers — very good. But the fries are your typical frozen potato slices. The ranch dressing was really good. Minus points for being really slow. We were the only customers and the burgers took a full 20 mins.

Never had a chance to eat the food !!! Was turned away by a very unhappy looking waitress with an hour left before closing. She said they were short staffed and basically said leave.
To bad, we are locals with lots of friends and 4 kids. Ive since told people to go elsewhere. There loss!!!

Would love to eat here but I have to give 1 star for terrible hours. Get your shit together rick

Best ever! Curry, our waitress was quite the lady. She greeted us right away and answered all our questions. The chef shops twice daily and the salad and vegetables certainly reflect his attention to detail. The presentation was equally as good as the flavor. Overall customer service and quality of food was superb!

This place never disappoints unless you’re some sort of snob or something! The owners are very nice and welcoming and the food is always great. Try anything on the menu from the meatloaf to salmon to the ribeye… it’s all very tasty. And make sure to try the corn mash — it’s amazing.

This place is absolutely ridiculous! Best food within 100 miles of the Boise area. This time I ordered the lemon chicken with the corn mash. I think each meal I get is better than the last. If you are anywhere close to this area, you need to come eat at Rick’s.
I had the pleasure of meeting Rick for the first time tonight and he was extremely friendly and even ordered me a dessert. This was not just any dessert. It was a flaming Tiramisu! I was absolutely stuffed from the meal, but had no problem taking care of that dessert. (and I am not even a tiramisu fan).
Although it was a Tuesday night, the place was completely packed due to a soccer tournament in the Boise area. The staff did an absolutely fantastic job of taking care of several large groups, while still making me feel like I was important. I can’t say enough good things about this place. Do yourself a favor and stop in for a memorable experience.

Excellent food. The ambience isn’t really in line with the price. However, the flavor and quality of the food were as consistently great as any restaurant that I have visited in Boise (including the fancy ones). My reuben cost $ 18, but was wonderful. Even the side salads were noticeably great. It is pretty expensive for a mid-​level restaurant, but is my new favorite restaurant in the area anyways.

Great food. Let me repeat that, great food.
I had the crab as an appetizer and the catfish for the entrée. Both were delicious.
Getting seated was a bit of a challenge but you can’t fault them for me showing up on Friday evening during dinner time.
Prices were great, as was the quality/​quantity of food. I will go back every time I’m in town.

Stop the presses! There’s something punny going on here!
Headlines are what draw your interest to a newspaper and can sometimes make or break an edition. Not that anyone under the age of thirty knows what a newspaper is anymore, or even what news is that doesn’t involve a social network link. Rick and Julie over at Rick’s Press Room know a little bit about newspapers and headlines; or at least it would appear so to the casual observer in their little restaurant in downtown Meridian. The walls are littered with headlines of dead people and old crap nobody cares about anymore. But don’t judge the place by the décor.
The one thing everyone that comes to Rick’s Press room does care about, other than trying to catch a glimpse of Guy Fieri and his trademark Comaro (give it up kids, Guy has left the building!), is the food that has received quite a few raves from some of the locals and international customers, many of which have adorned the walls of Rick’s Press Room with their own headlines via Sharpie. So, I decided to follow the crowd and try out this little joint.
I was in the mood to sniff out a good story and it just so happened that the smoker was spewing its little love puffs right outside the front entrance. Nice marketing! Not sure what was in the smoker, but I’m certain it was worthy of its own story below the fold. Now, I think I know what Rick and Julie (the owners — hence the name «Rick’s Press Room» — keep up kids) were going for with the interior of the place; that eclectic, shabby, recycled newspaper design with a feeling of casualness and fun, but it was more reminiscent of my old college dorm room than a restaurant setting you would expect to see based on all of the published raves. But my college dorm room was a lot of fun and as I recall, there may have been a bit of smoking going on in there too. So, maybe it works.
I asked about the specialties of the house and was told that pretty much everything was good (canned answer. C’mon, grow a pair! This is your chance to push the highest margin dish!). So I decided to go with a bit of seafood and ordered the Crab Melt with a bowl of the Clam Chowder. Say it with me. .. chow-​dah! My dining partner had the raved about burger with simple bacon and cheddar (che dah). we also ordered a loaf of their warm sour dough bread with butter to get our taste buds hopping.
As promised, the bread was warm and also moist in the center with a crispy crust. The accompanying real butter was a nice contrast to the whipped look-​a-​likes you normally get at restaurants. Not bad.
The chowder was the soup of the day and I found myself wishing for a little more density to the bowl. A bit loose for my taste and a little shy on flavor, but it did have plenty of clams, potatoes and celery and went well with a bit of the sour dough bread. Pretty good, but not great.
The crab melt was not what I expected. The copious amounts of mayo and Parmesan really overwhelmed the mechanically separated crab meat, that didn’t have much flavor to begin with, and it became lost in the struggle for prominence within the sandwich. The crab filling was topped with melted Swiss cheese. Typically, the blending of cheese and seafood is a no-​no situation and liable to make chefs and food critics a bit crabby. In this instance, I happen to agree. Even though there was a good amount of crab meat in the filling, the combination of the other heavy handed ingredients really didn’t do the sandwich any favors and I would have opted for a smaller portion with an emphasis on the crab than the mayo and cheese.
The burger was cooked well done (as requested by my dining partner) but still retained its moisture and was tender. A bit of salt would have enhance the meat flavor. The bacon was slightly limp but not bad and the cheddar was typical for the area. The accompaniments seemed fresh and crisp, but the most redeeming quality of the burger was the bun; it was warm, moist and was toasted nicely for a bit more added texture. The fries. .. . frozen! Seriously?! We are in Idaho, people. What does it take to get some good fries around here?! The service we received was outstanding! Prompt, attentive, but not overbearing. Kudos!
Overall, really not a bad meal, no headlines worthy of the National Enquirer, but maybe the Red Bud Gazette might be an option.