New downtown eateries take over vacated spaces 

Cody Do is a restaurant starter.

Over the years, the Vietnam native has started Saigon Grill in Boise and Fusion Asian Grill in Meridian, along with the Mongolian BBQ at Boise Towne Square Mall.

Now he’s on to a new venture: bringing a French-Vietnamese combo to downtown Boise.

“What I do is I open up a restaurant for a couple years, and then I decide to sell because I’m kind of bored,” he said.
The new restaurant, called Pho Nouveau, will open in the space filled until recently by Falcon Tavern on 8th and Idaho streets in July.

Do said Vietnam’s food still feels a French influence from when France occupied Vietnam in the 20th century. He said the low-priced menu will include noodle bowls and baguette sandwiches.

The Falcon Tavern space is a good fit for Pho Nouveau because it’s “small and cozy” with space for just 14 to 16 tables, Do said. And the décor will be high end.

“Downtown, people are picky,” he said. “So we want to make it as nice as we can – they won’t be disappointed.”

Do isn’t the only one taking advantage of the prime vacancies left by some downtown restaurants clearing out in the last year.

On June 2, Falcon Tavern will open in the space left at Bannock St. and Capitol Boulevard when Satchel’s Grill went out of business in August 2008.

“The patio over there is such a great patio, and because there’s also more room on the inside, the combination of the two seemed like a no-brainer,” owner Corey Bresina said.

He said Satchel’s had a lot of success with its movies and music on the patio and he’d like to continue those features.

And with the commercial real estate market going through a downturn, he was able to secure a few months of free rent and a tenant improvement allowance. The remodel of the space took about 12 weeks and gives a similar feel to that of Falcon Tavern’s previous space.

The space formerly occupied by The Milky Way has a new tenant, Sweetwater Jam House. The Caribbean-themed restaurant, operated by husband and wife Joe and Sue Zimmerman, will open in July.

The Zimmermans opened a similar restaurant in Portland eight years ago that has been successful, and they think they can replicate that success in downtown Boise.

“I don’t think the economy is as doom and gloom as people say,” said Sue Zimmerman, Sweetwater’s executive chef. “I mean, yeah, there’s some tough stuff going on out there, but if you look overall … the stock market is coming around, and if you go out in Boise, people are going out.”

She said restaurants that focus on serving burgers for lunch “might have a tough time,” but those restaurants that try to provide a unique experience are doing well. She listed the new Tucanos and Famous Dave’s as Boise restaurants that are packed despite the recession.

And Zimmerman said she “fell in love” with the Milky Way space when she saw it, attracted to its orientation, feel and profusion of light.

Dinner entrees at Sweetwater Jam House will range between $10 and $23.

Two more vacated restaurant spaces seeing new life are the Le Poulet Rouge space on Sixth and Main streets and the Gino’s space on Eighth Street. Gino’s moved to Meridian.

Idaho’s second Chronic Tacos will open in the Le Poulet Rouge space July 3.
 
Jose Moreno, who bought the Idaho rights to the California Mexican food franchise, said his Meridian restaurant is doing well. He hopes to open a third location in 2010.

In the downtown location, Moreno aims to attract office workers for lunch and downtown partiers for late-night visits.

“This area comes alive at night,” he said.

As for the Gino’s space, a Japanese steakhouse owned and operated by the same people that run the nearby Shige Japanese Cuisine sushi restaurant will soon begin renovations.

Debbie Matsuzawa said her husband Shige was trained as a teppanyaki chef when he was young and also worked for Japanese steakhouse chain Benihana, and this is something he’s always wanted to do.

“He’s the best there is, and he can do it,” she said.

The Matsuzawas are working on permits and remodeling quotes and plan to open the new place in July or August.

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