Between Grimace’s shake and “Barbie,” it’s a pink and purple summer. And while ube (OO-beh) has been trendy across the U.S. for a couple of years, it’s finally made its way onto Boise menus.
Specifically, the women behind the Afghan bakery Sunshine Spice have incorporated ube into a blended latte, and the folks at Hap Hap Lounge launched “Hit Me Ube One More Time” as one of their first cocktails.
Ube is a purple yam native to the Philippines, and has a storied history in Filipino cuisine and colonization. In recent years in the U.S., the tuber has been incorporated into $100 donuts by Filipino-American pastry chefs, lit up Instagram primarily in the form of drinks, and was lauded to become one of the top flavors of 2023.
Consider trying something a little closer to the root (pun intended) in Pinoy Grindz’ ube mochi.
Harvest Moon Dinner Tickets Closing
The Boise Farmers Market’s biggest annual fundraiser, the Harvest Moon Dinner, is on Aug. 27. Ticket sales close at midnight tonight, so grab your seat if you want to support the market and get a five-course meal from a team of local chefs.
Alchemist Plant Pub Closes
In less exciting news, Boise recently lost one of its very few fully vegan restaurants. Alchemist Plant Pub, located near the intersection of Capitol and Idaho Streets, closed after just a few months in business.
Alchemist Plant Pub was part of an effort to revitalize this block. It'll soon reopen as a coffee shop. (Blake Hunter / City Cast Boise)
“Unfortunately, with rising food costs, labor expenses, coupled with many challenges within the economy we have made the difficult decision to temporarily close our doors,” the company posted to Instagram. They will reopen the location as another Alchemist Cafe location — of which there are three — soon.
Bikini Coffee’s Back
In one last piece of food and drink news, there’s a distinct new coffee drive-thru operating in West Boise. Bare Beans Bikini Coffee opened recently at 10249 W. Fairview Ave. (about halfway between the Village at Meridian and the Fairview WinCo), bringing “bikini coffee” back to Idaho.
Also, help me roundup the best pho in town. Where’s your go-to?
