Cottonwood Grille

Wow, what happened to this place? Last time we went here, about 3 years ago, it was one of the best experiences. Yesterday was one of the worst. First, waiting time was very long and the restaurant was only half full. We waited for 20 minutes on drinks, over an hour for main entries. Plus the side dishes came out before appetizer which was weird and we had to ask the waitress. She went back and came back with the appetizer immediately (apparently they just forgot about it..). Second, the food was far from okay, especially for the price. We got their board as an appetizer, it was okay but looked very dry. The salmon on the board looked like it was staying on that plate at least for a day. Salad and clam chowder were actually good, as well as cocktails. My husband got their feature prime rib and I ordered pasta with scallops. Wow…scallops looked like they were precooked and microwaved. Pasta was drowning in grease and spinach underneath the scallops was nearly black. The steak was chewy and dry. It was so salty that we had no choice but to send it back to the kitchen, it was simply uneatable. We’ve never sent a dish back but paying $44 for a steak that we can’t even eat. We left without getting anything instead of the steak because apparently nothing good gonna come out from that kitchen. No any blame on the waitress, she was polite and did her best. She was apologizing from the very beginning without a reason, well now I know that there is reason. We are never coming back.

I moved away, so haven’t been here in a while. Brought my mom there today for something special – but what we got was something “meh”. It’s a pretty setting, and the food was fine, but – not wonderful. One appetizer had “toasted” bread that was quite dark & crispy, and another was served on a wimpy portion of salad from a bag. Seriously? This used to be a classy place. Not so much anymore. My suggestion, go someplace else.

We had the Cobb salad and soup and salad. They were both great. Excellent service and atmosphere. There was a big fireplace and plenty of views outside. The Boise trail system goes right past the window of the restaurant. Everything was perfect.

I have dined here four times over the past year (as well as spent several hours in meetings at the lounge).

This is by far my favorite restaurant in Boise. The atmosphere is like a fine country club. You are warmly welcomed at the front desk. Then the rest of the experience begins. I try to get a table by the fireplace in the winter or on their sumptuous patio in the summer.

Once seated, service is accommodating, friendly, and efficient. This is “the place” to relax and enjoy conversation and good food. They also have a well-stocked bar and wine cellar.

Their weekend breakfast brunch is a treat. It’s best enjoyed on the patio.

I found their preparation and selection of beef, seafood, and game meat to be outstanding.

Highly recommended!

If you like great food, long wait and dated decor than this is the place for you. The food was well seasoned, fresh, and well decorated.

The Food taste was ok, we had 9 dishes and only liked 3 of them where great, Elk stake, lemon chicken and Medallion stake. Appetizer was great.

The location is amazing- perfect for a walk after lunch or dinner, right in the heart of downtown.

Was disappointing to see a high end restaurant displaying signs like “short staff” Covid-19 is over so hire more people and pay them.

– 1 star for food taste/ selection
– 1 star for old decor