Archive for June, 2009

Happy Fathers Day

Sunday, June 21st, 2009

To all the men out there with kids, or who are the fatherly role models to kids, Happy Fathers Day.

Winco Carts

Monday, June 8th, 2009

The Winco on Fairview finally got new shopping carts. Thanks, Winco.

Idaho Fry Company Visited

Monday, June 8th, 2009

Okay, I couldn’t wait any longer. The thought of having a nice juicy hamburger was starting to get to me.

I had some errands to run which took me over to the east side of town. Coincidentally this is where the Idaho Fry Company is located. I found it up by the intersection of Warm Springs and Broadway in that little strip mall on the South West corner. I parked my car and walked on in. There were 2 people eating inside and 2 people eating outside. I walked up to the counter and the cashier asked if I had ever been in before. “No” of course, but she didn’t know that. I politely said no and she then explained the menu. I ended up getting the special which was a hamburger, small fries, and a drink. Doctor Pepper. The fries were country style Russets.

The place was a bit sterile. Meaning it lacked some character. There is a flat screen on the wall but I noticed very little else. I believe there was some art for sale. The prices were pretty steep. $200 and up.

I got my hamburger and fries (sorry, no picture) . The drink came before the meal which I don’t mind. The burger wasn’t Carl’s Junior big but it wasn’t White Castle small, either. It was about average size. The bun wasn’t your standard bun. It had some flavor to it. I think the hamburger patty was hand formed. It didn’t appear like it was delivered by a truck, frozen solid to the wax paper that separated it from a thousand other patties. The lettuce and onions were crisp and fresh. The fries were hot and served in a cone of all things. Kinda weird but, it worked. Who am I to complain. Food is food.

The fries were good. They were your standard fries. Not like Wendys or McDonalds, Crisp little potato nails you dipped in the secret sauce. These were thick and pliable and hot. You actually thought you were eating something that came from a potato. I got the Chipotle fry sauce. YUMMY.

I will complain about the platter upon which the burger was served. It was a small 4″ x 8″ (or so it seemed) cutting board. No lip on this thing and no paper either. Just a flat piece of plastic… with a hole on one side. Yeah. That didn’t work for me. But hey, it didn’t affect the taste of the burger which was good.

I bit into the burger and it was good as far as burgers go. It wasn’t VERY good. But, it was good. There was something missing to the burger though. I didn’t really figure it out until earlier today. The burger was too… clean. Too neat. The pieces and parts didn’t fit together if that makes any sense. If you go to a barbecue and you get a burger there it always seems like the best burger. The buns are big, the patty is thick and juicy and hot. When the bun, patty, and condiments are all combined, it seems like they were made for each other. The bun is soaking up the meats juices. And with every bite it seems to get juicier and messier. The cheese starts to slide around giving the onion a chance to escape. That is a burger. The burger I got behaved itself. If that is what you like. Go for it. The taste was good. I would go back for another meal. The cost was about $8.00.

Idaho Fry Company

Sunday, June 7th, 2009

I ran across the name of a new local eatery, the Idaho Fry Company, and wanted to find out where it was located since I had never heard of it and I really like going to new places. So, I did a search on Google and found an article at the Idaho Statesman that discussed the Idaho Potato Commissions insistence that the Idaho Fry Company change its name.

This piqued my curiosity. I’m an “armchair lawyer” and enjoy inserting my legal opinion on most things. This means I have no formal education in the law. Quite frankly, I have NO education in the law.

I am gathering from the article I read that there is some sort of trademark violation concerning the term “Idaho Fry”. Or, actually, there is a possible trademark violation. The article wasn’t very clear on the matter so I went to the “the Idaho Fry Company” website and found out exactly what the problem is. Apparently the Idaho Potato Commission has a trademark on the word “Idaho”.

“Blake – This name is a problem. Idaho™ is our trade name.”

How can you trademark the name of a state? In addition how can you ask a business in Idaho not to use the word Idaho in the name of their business? Has the IPC contacted the State and asked them to change their name to maybe… “An Idaho” and not “The Idaho” as is implied simply by calling itself Idaho?

I think the IPC should only have a problem if the Idaho Fry Company advertised that they were the sole distributor of fried Idaho potatoes since it seems to me the IPC is more centered around the potato and not Idaho specifically. If I started a business called “the Idaho T-Shirt Company” would this be a problem? I doubt it.

If they do change their name I have two suggestions… “the Boise Fry Company”, or “the Northwest Fry Company”.

I just hope nobody has claim to “Boise” or “Northwest”.

I’m gonna find my way over to the Idaho Fry Company sometime this week and try a hamburger. I’m a big fan of the burger.