boise

Boise

chicago

Chicago

denver

Denver

houston

Houston

lasvegas

Las Vegas

madison

Madison

philly

Philly

pittsburgh

Pittsburgh

portland

Portland

saltlake

Salt Lake

We make podcasts and newsletters that connect people with the cities they love.

City Cast Boise

After seven years in a prime downtown location, the sandwich shop Even Stevens has been evicted.

Even Stevens has been ailing for some time; at its peak, the company had eight stores in Arizona, some in Colorado and Texas, the one on Bannock Street here, and its largest concentration in Utah. With the eviction, there are only six Even Stevens left, all in Utah.

They were well known after their 2014 founding for donating a sandwich for every sandwich sold. However, that only lasted two years, and 

former employees have said that the company misled customers

 into thinking they were still donating food to charities.

BoiseDev reported the eviction Thursday morning

, including that the restaurant had recently failed a food safety inspection and “a Boise woman” (

known to most as City Cast Boise lead producer Frankie Barnhill

) had tweeted that she’d paid for food that wasn’t delivered.

It’s not clear what’s next for the location — much less for the now solely Utahn chain. Just off the corner of Bannock at 9th Street, it’s adjacent to Freak Alley on one of the busiest downtown blocks. We’ll let you know when we learn more!

Downtown Boise Sandwich Shop Even Stevens Gets Evicted

Food & Drink

For 41 years, the local Greek community has hosted one of the valley’s biggest and most beloved festivals: the Boise Greek Food Festival. (Our friends at 

The kitchen of Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church has been busy lately. Months in advance, they’re preparing and freezing pastries, playing with recipes, and planning for two long days.

It’s free to enter! Just pay for your food.

There’s free music, dancing, and even dancing lessons.

It’s the church’s biggest fundraiser, so get some great food and support them.

, and the festival runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., today and tomorrow.

Food & Drink: Boise Greek Food Festival

 has gradually had more and more green things for sale. We’re still nowhere near the peak of produce season, but 

City Cast Boise contributor Jocelyn Robertson says

“There’s still plenty to buy, and we’ll just have to see how the rest of the spring proceeds to see if we’re going to have a great crop season this year,” she said.

here’s how to make the most of what our farmers markets are serving

There are hearty greens like spinach, baby kale, miner’s lettuce, and lots of alliums like green onions and garlic in abundance.

You can catch some root vegetables like carrots and turnips that have overwintered, but those will be running out soon, to be replaced by fresh ones planted this year. Watch out for radishes and you’ll know the ball is rolling.

Here are some specific products Jocelyn recommends:

Lee Family Farms has “garlic the size of your head.”

“Phenomenal” corn tortillas from Tamales Nelly

Ferb’s Fabulous Fungi, with a great supply of mushrooms like oysters, shiitakes, trumpets, and lion’s manes.

Various meats — bison, beef, and pork are all available right now.

Plus, EGGS! Jocelyn and Emma say not to “waste” them in cakes … I disagree.

I’d also recommend grabbing some herb and vegetable starters. Getting to take something home to grow, even if it’s in a little pot on a windowsill, is a 

A final word of advice: try to go with a meal plan so you don’t end up buying something gorgeous that you have no real use for. And if you feel yourself getting swooned by something not on your list, try to make sure it’s a versatile ingredient that could go in multiple dishes, so it doesn’t just go bad in your fridge.

Happy shopping! Go celebrate the bounty our local farmers have been growing.

What to Get at the Farmers Market in Early Spring

As the fringes of downtown continue to settle and expand, the food landscape is changing with it.

That includes two exciting updates in east downtown.

The first is the soon-to-be newest member of the 

Located just two blocks east of the Wylder in the Hearth on Broad apartments, on 4th and Broad Streets, 

BoiseDev reported last fall that the Percy kitchen

 alone is the size of the entire Wylder restaurant.

We’ll have more on Percy soon, but there’s more news just a few blocks to the west this time.

 into the former Boise Weekly office, adding on more seating and an entire new kitchen. Their grand opening is today!

Now, and I have absolutely nothing for a segue here, I have a question: if you’re looking for a quality, local, splurge-worthy cut of meat, where do you go?

We don’t have the quantity of butcher shops in a lot of big cities, but I want to cut back on meat to go as local and sustainable as possible — and I bet a lot of other folks do too. So have you got a favorite butcher shop or place to buy local cuts of meat? 

Food & Drink: East Downtown Expansions

, it’s still high, meaning that almost everything is costing more these days. And due to a range of factors — from what some call simple corporate greed to complex chains of reactions — the costs of services required to live in the Treasure Valley are also going up.

companies are all looking to raise their prices

. They vary based on commercial, governmental, or residential status, but we’re just focusing on residences for today. Here’s the breakdown:

⛽ Intermountain Gas implemented an increase of 

16.6% in February, which equates to $8.58 per month

Intermountain is now seeking a different kind of increase

Veolia, Boise’s main water servicer, has requested

📈 Some of these might get reduced, but if they all went through as-is, the 

average Boise residence will be paying $29.42 more per month 

on utilities. That could come as soon as June.

So what’s next? Each of these requests are in different steps of their approval processes, but have to go 

through the Public Utilities Commission first

. Veolia’s has probably been the most unpopular, but there are opportunities for public testimony on each that we’ll keep you updated on.

Calculating How Much Your Utility Bill Might Increase

Local Civics

Idaho State Treasurer’s Office launched this year’s unclaimed property

 campaign on Feb. 1. Since then, the state has redistributed over $20 million. But the office is still sitting on over $100 million of unclaimed property — and some of it might be yours!

Unclaimed property is turned over to the state annually from businesses or government offices when they owe you money but can’t get in contact with you. That can include payroll checks, safe deposit boxes, uncashed checks, refunds, or any other form of money that is technically yours, and you just need to claim it.

How to Find Your Unclaimed Property

We’ve all got questions about housing. And while home buyers are having more luck than they have in years, a lot of us are renting — and 

housing nonprofits are stretched thin right now to prevent evictions

that could bring more affordable housing, what does the future hold for Boise renters?

What is deemed “affordable” housing in Boise?

HUD’s rule of thumb regarding affordable housing is that a household’s rent should not exceed 30% of the household’s income. So for someone making 100% of the median income, $61,000, 

But as we all know, not everyone makes that much. I keep thinking of when I was in college, making less than $15,000 a year, which would budget for an affordable rent of $443. 

You can’t find a one bedroom apartment for double

Boise’s median income is going up — what does that mean for renters?

It’s great that wages are going up. After all, last year, 

Boise home prices increased four times as quickly as incomes

, so it needs to happen. But increasing median wages means that what is considered affordable according to the government is also increasing.

, an affordable rent for a three-person household increased from $1,695 in 2021 to $1,970 in 2022, a 14% increase.

That increase in rent is difficult for all renters (even if they did get a meager-to-solid raise, 14% raises are quite uncommon). However, it has an outsized impact on those who rely on government-subsidized housing, because they could be pushed into a higher bracket without actually making more money to make up for the lessened governmental funding.

So as the buying market continues to level off, we’ll keep an eye on how renters are faring.

Snapshot of Renting in Boise

Welcome to the local politics corner! I don’t want to go too deep into city elections yet, but here’s a snapshot of what’s played out in the mayoral race in the last couple weeks. We’ll have explainers on the city council races soon.

Masterson gets his feet set for the running.

City Cast Boise, the rhetoric of public safety

 and policing will be crucial in the mayoral election. Former Boise Police Department (BPD) chief Mike Masterson is already putting a lot of eggs in this basket as he challenges Mayor Lauren McLean, hoping to direct as much blame for BPD’s recent controversies on her.

Running as an independent, Masterson is certainly to McLean’s right, but we’re still waiting to see what ideological lane he sticks with. His support from former Democratic legislator Maryanne Jordan and former mayor David Bieter should help his chances with moderate Democrats.

decrying high housing costs and low supply

, Masterson’s housing platform still seems to be in the works. He’s said that the zoning code rewrite goes too far and that he wants to see more development, but we’ll likely hear more on this soon.

Can McLean’s campaign get control of the narrative?

I don’t know if Mayor Lauren McLean will try to employ the 

 approach again, but it is certainly being used against her, which we’ll see a lot more of through the race.

That’s partially because of a decade-long project: 

, and it’s a big part of what McLean will probably hang her hat on.

McLean’s up against a former BPD chief, but she’s still trying to stake her claim on the public safety front, as we saw in 

. There are a lot of people, however, who don’t accept her current explanations for the controversies within BPD.

Local Civics: Early Foundations in the Mayoral Race

 ceremony for restaurants is tonight in Chicago, and for the first time, two Idaho chefs are finalists. Salvador Alamilla of 

 are talking with host Emma Arnold about what tonight means to them. Plus, they share the food they eat in Boise when they’re not working in their kitchens. 

Will an Idaho Chef Win a James Beard Award Tonight?

In last week’s “Where Is It?” I shared some photos of food from AMANO, and a few people recognized it.

 “Pretty much everything you can order there is gonna be good, but a couple of their dishes they are particularly known for are their coffee at brunch and the birria tacos.” (See coffee below.)

“The ceviche verde is one of my favorite dishes on the menu and the side of rice and beans is a must order every single time. I could order just that and be happy! I haven’t had one dish that has disappointed me.”

 was born in the western Mexican state of Michoacán, moved to Santa Barbara in his childhood, and eventually moved to the Treasure Valley, where he intended to become an architect.

 that growing up undocumented in southern California, he couldn’t go back to Mexico for years. Now, he takes frequent trips partially to learn traditional cooking techniques, but more importantly to spend time with people and be infused in the culture.

“Now, we take the opportunity to go back and be there with them and cook with them … to reconnect with what it is to be from Mexico,” Alamilla said.

Within months of opening AMANO in downtown Caldwell in 2019, it was all the buzz. Downtown Caldwell itself was undergoing a renovation, and AMANO was at the center of it all. 2020 and 2021 were difficult for a lot of restaurants, but Alamilla and his team have bounced back, earning two consecutive James Beard nominations the last two years.

This year, Alamilla was a finalist for Best Chef: Mountain region along with Kris Komori of KIN, who 

Get to Know AMANO

Neighborhood Guide

Welcome back to the local politics corner! Last week we took a look at the shape of the mayoral race; now, here’s where city council races stand.

As a reminder, these elections are for the first time district-based, rather than city-wide. Districts 1, 3, and 5 currently have designated council members and the other seats are at-large — but no longer!

Because three of the six city council seats seemingly settled this time last year have since been vacated and temporarily filled, or the incumbent won’t be running. This election will be … interesting to watch. It’ll also be changing quickly, but now that we’re five months out, here’s a snapshot.

, the council’s lone Republican, is running for re-election and so far has no challengers.

 against another former Democratic legislator, 

District 3 - Southwest Boise & some Central Bench

 is the current appointee in this district, and hasn’t announced whether she’ll be running.

Chris Blanchard, an urban studies specialist, is 

Greg MacMillan, who previously ran for the third seat, 

 that he was going to wait to see who else was running before making a decision. He hasn’t announced yet, but he’s been regularly updating 

 this year, with a spike in the last couple weeks, so we’ll see if that means anything.

Joe Evans, whose name you might remember from a 

City Cast Boise conversation with Kind Idaho

libertarian perspective to this council seat

 is currently running a strong and unchallenged campaign here.

District 5 - Downtown, East End, some North End

The council’s most veteran member (though she’s only served since 2017) 

Holli Woodings announced that she won’t run for reelection

. Will she join the mayoral race? Go back to the Legislature? Do something else entirely?

Unanswered questions aside, her decision leaves a vacant district five seat that just months ago promised a tough race between Woodings and former incumbent Elaine Clegg. And so far, no one’s running to claim it.

District 6 - Some North End, Northwest Boise

 has announced an intent to run for this seat.

, we currently have three districts with no competition in 1, 4, and 6. Some other loose ends: As of yet, at-large incumbent Patrick Baegant hasn’t announced a campaign, and hasn’t received any donations. Former city councilmember Lisa Sánchez has received donations, though it’s not clear yet in which district she’ll run.

current city council campaign finance reports

 for yourself, and we’ll keep you updated as things change!

Who's Running in Your City Council District?

Explainer

, highlighting a worrying decades-long trend of worsening rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide, especially among children, teens, and young adults.

As much as we might not like it, experts say that discussing mental health is one of the surest ways to help improve it. And in Idaho, we have a pressing need to discuss it: We’re among the worst states for mental health, and it’s only getting worse.

. That’s based on studies considering the prevalence of substance use, major depressive episodes (MDE), availability of treatment and services, and more.

30% of junior high and 44% of high school students are moderately or severely depressed.

29% and 34% of junior and high school students respectively have experienced suicidal ideation within the last six month.

The percentage of students who said they wouldn’t ask for help from anyone is just slightly lower than that for each age category.

In Boise and across the nation, young women are more depressed and experiencing more suicidal ideation than has ever been recorded.

Mental health worsened during the pandemic

, as did requests for therapy and counseling. Idaho also recently 

joined a small number of states that withdrew

 from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior survey, the largest survey of mental health available. That could present challenges for knowing how to respond to shifting mental health needs.

However, and it’s no silver lining, the increase in attention on mental health did lead to some increase — albeit slowly in some cases — in the response by government agencies.

Idaho’s Crisis and Suicide hotline was transferred to a 988 number

The Department of Health and Welfare also announced in March that there will be 

, one each in Caldwell, Boise, Twin Falls, and Idaho Falls. Those will offer youth a place to stay, eat, and get assessments for up to 24 hours, with the ultimate goal of reducing the hospitalization and incarceration of youth in crisis.

Boise School District also offers multiple resources

Young Boiseans’ Mental Health

As we get into camping season, I want to take some time to get familiar with the creatures and plant life around us.

, are one of the most populous conifer trees in the northwestern U.S. 

Idaho, lodgepoles live on 2.3 million acres

, though pine beetles and deforestation of decades past have upset the healthy balance of young and old trees that they evolved over millennia. Still, they’re a hardy species, with one particularly impressive trick: their cones only open to release seeds when triggered by heat, so they’re quick to repopulate after forest fires.

Once seeded, they grow in dense thickets that monopolize growing space, competing with other lodgepoles and other species. That’s why you almost always see them in tall, straight, and graceful clusters.

Named for its use in building shelter, the lodgepoles are significantly straighter than other pine species.

They average between 50 and 100 feet in height at maturity, but are quite slim at one to two feet in width.

Needles grow to an average two inches in length, and in pairs.Cones are egg-shaped, with a single prickle on each scale.

Urban Almanac: Lodgepole Pines

Urban Almanac

In some downtown bars, bartenders are making minimum wage — which still is $3.35 an hour for those jobs. That’s why there are some new standards for tipping, especially given the stress of the pandemic on service workers. Here’s a 

 between City Cast Boise host Emma Arnold and local bartender and comedian Norelle Bond.

Q: What are you hearing from other bartenders in town?

Right now, I know a lot of bartenders in downtown Boise are particularly frustrated with the city. The way the construction is happening, it’s such a short radius of blocks downtown and it’s blocking streets and parking in multiple locations. 

I know that that’s an issue that has been frustrating

Q: During COVID, a lot of veteran service workers called it quits because of customer behavior. Have people improved?

It has, slightly. In Boise, there tends to be some complaints about our population growth, but I’ve actually heard from bartenders that people are bringing the polite manners that they’ve learned in other places to downtown Boise when they’re going out. Which is really nice, especially when it comes to things like tipping.

 Yes and no. I’d say overall Boise tends to be very generous, but there are still some people, particularly in generations that were used to tipping 10% or 15% in the 90s, that don’t consistently tip the standard 20%. Twenty percent is the standard, not because of service, but because in the state of Idaho, making up for the fact that employers only have to pay $3.35 an hour, that should be the standard: 20% everywhere you go, no matter how the service is. People still have to pay their bills. Going out is a privileged thing to do, and it should be the expectation that tipping is built into the budget when you’re going out to a bar.

The New Rules of Tipping

3 Questions with Norelle Bond

3 Questions With

It’s concert season! Here are a few exciting things happening this week that I thought deserved their own spotlight.

The Record Exchange is hosting Boise-based 

 ahead of his new album “Heaven Is a Junkyard,” on Friday, the day it comes out. Pre-order the album on vinyl or CD (including the incredible Acid Western Idaho exclusive vinyl) for your wristband.

On a less local front, the Record Exchange is also hosting an 

’s new album “The Age of Pleasure,” which comes out Friday. The party is on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., and is free, but you’ll need a wristband. There’ll be giveaways, too!

🤠 Now for some grassroots / folksy / country shows, courtesy of Duck Club.

Listen to our latest podcast

Get to Know AMANO

Who's Running in Your City Council District?

Young Boiseans’ Mental Health

Downtown Boise Sandwich Shop Even Stevens Gets Evicted

Urban Almanac: Lodgepole Pines

Food & Drink: Boise Greek Food Festival

3 Questions with Norelle Bond

The Best Music Happenings in Boise

Urban Almanac: Native Bees in the Spring

More Boise articles

Composting 101

Explainer: Rebuild 11th Street

Get to Know The Roosevelt Market

The Best Tacos in the Valley

3 Questions with Emma Arnold on Chris D'Elia

The Rules for Surviving Boise

Get to Know the Natatorium

Calculating How Much Your Utility Bill Might Increase

What to Get at the Farmers Market in Early Spring

The Most Wanted Flights

Get to Know Kathryn Albertsons Park

The Best Bars to Meet People

The Best Patios in Boise

Boise’s Urban Canopy

How to Find Your Unclaimed Property