Dining Spotlight – Richard’s of Hyde Park (Homes & Lifestyle)

Restaurateurs Erik and Jennifer McLaughlin don’t ever need to be encouraged to put in long days. It’s just in their nature.
In the two years since they’ve “settled down” to start a family, the Boise couple have bought one restaurant and opened two others. Before that, Erik traveled often as a wine broker in four states, worked as a corporate wine buyer for Cost Plus, and operated a restaurant and wine store in McMinnville, Ore. The thought of slowing down never enters his mind.
“Working hard isn’t really an option. We always do that,” McLaughlin said. “We thought having a restaurant would be good for us as a family, though. We have some flexibility with our time, plus we live only four blocks from the restaurant. It’s a good lifestyle fit.”
The restaurant McLaughlin refers to, of course, is Richard’s of Hyde Park, the 8-year-old fine-dining oasis situated in Boise’s North End. Erik and Jennifer bought the restaurant from the now-folded Rampant Restaurants group in July 2004. Erik worked as Rampant’s general manager for three months.
One of the more significant tweaks the couple made was to discontinue lunch service last October, a decision that hasn’t apparently hurt business. The restaurant continues to set new sales records each month, McLaughlin said.
Other changes include purchasing the majority of their food from local vendors and preparing everything from scratch.
“Richard’s already had good quality, but we wanted to make it stylistically our own – more socially and environmentally sustainable,” he said. “We’ve established relationships with farmers and ranchers here. We go to the (Capital City Public) Market. We buy salmon from an eco-friendly fish farm in British Columbia.”
McLaughlin admits it takes significant time and effort to practice what he preaches, but says the end result is worth it.
He describes the menu today as “more inventive and global,” a departure from the former traditional French provincial, but not jarring enough to startle longtime Richard’s regulars, which make up about 60 percent of Richard’s customer base weekdays and 50 percent on weekends.
The menu changes every six weeks, but you’re always bound to find something to your liking – salmon, lamb, chicken, trout, pasta, as well as the Creamy Tomato Basil Soup and Richard’s Salad with walnuts and gorgonzola and whole grain mustard vinaigrette – two popular Richard’s staples that the McLaughlins wisely chose to keep.
Filet mignon is the most commonly ordered entree – marinated in black truffle and fused olive oil and served with a wild mushroom demi-glace. McLaughlin called the trout dish “always a revelatory experience and very representative of what Idaho has to offer.”
McLaughlin said he and executive chef Fred Moffitt collaborate equally on the menu, always striving for balance and complexity of flavor.
“When you’re enjoying a dish, the flavors should be distinct and discernible and be in balance,” he said. “Nothing should be too sweet or spicy. That’s a philosophy that Fred and I share. He brings a sense of polish to the food.”
In May 2005, the McLaughlins converted the adjacent bar/eatery space formerly known as Little Richard’s into a sushi restaurant and wine bar called Taste.
And just last month, they opened a third establishment in the new BoDo area near the corner of 8th and Broad streets called the 8th Street Wine Co. – a retail wine store and gourmet cafe. Diners can choose from more than 50 wines by the glass while the store offers 1,000 vintages from around the world, as well as accessories such as wine openers, bags and glassware.
“We weren’t in the market for another restaurant, but we were charmed by the space architecturally and the location,” McLaughlin said. “There’s no serious wine store in Boise and this gave us the opportunity to also be a retailer. Eventually, we’d love to make our own wine.”

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