East Idaho Eats: Pocatello's Yellowstone Restaurant offers meld of casual and classy - East Idaho News
East Idaho Eats

East Idaho Eats: Pocatello’s Yellowstone Restaurant offers meld of casual and classy

  Published at  | Updated at
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready ...
In the video above, co-owners Jennifer and Rory Erchul discuss the three separate businesses that make up The Yellowstone — the Union Taproom, 313 Whiskey Room and The Yellowstone Restaurant — and the history of the landmark building that was once the Hotel Yellowstone. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

POCATELLO — Once an up-scale hotel at the center of Old Town Pocatello, the 106-year-old Hotel Yellowstone now serves southeast Idaho as a trio of separate and unique entities.

The Union Taproom offers a casual bar experience with classic bar and pub food and occasional live music.

The 313 Whiskey Room, which features an appetizer menu, whisks its visitors into the past, combining southeast Idaho’s largest selection of whiskeys with the largely unaltered lobby of what was once a bustling hotel.

“We invite people to come in, even if they’re not whiskey drinkers, even if they don’t drink alcohol, period,” Yellowstone co-owner Rory Erchul told EastIdahoNews.com. “We want them to come in, we want to share this room with them and look at all this architecture and think of the history. Since 1915, how many millions of people have walked in through these doors?”

The 313 Whiskey Bar
The 313 Whiskey Room, featuring original light fixtures and much of the original woodwork of the Hotel Yellowstone. The check-in desk of the hotel has been retrofitted to serve as a bar top. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

But the pièce de résistance of the business is The Yellowstone Restaurant.

“The Yellowstone, we call it casual fine dining,” co-owner Jennifer Erchul said. “You can still get a burger over there, but you can also get a great cut of meat or an amazing fish dish.”

Burger and fries from The Yellowstone Restaurant in Pocatello
Burger and fries from The Yellowstone Restaurant in Pocatello. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

The burgers are actually a newer development, part of a change the restaurant made to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. The pivot, as Jennifer called it, also included the development of 313 Bourbon Maple Syrup, a housemade blend of real bourbon and real maple syrup, available at the restaurant’s Sunday brunches or for purchase here.

RELATED | Biz Buzz: Popular restaurant in downtown Pocatello celebrating 2 years of business (from 2020)

The aftermath of the pandemic has also created a shortage in products, and an elevated price for what is available, forcing The Yellowstone to truncate its menu.

But the limited options have allowed the husband-wife ownership team to create new partnerships with other producers. Most of the produce already comes from Bowman Farm in Pocatello, but recently they have also partnered with a ranch in Lava, which will soon be supplying the restaurant with much of its meat.

“There are so many great reasons to be as local as possible, and we like to be the place that can provide that,” Jennifer said.

“It’s gratifying for us to be able to tell our guests, ‘This meal that you’re getting here, these vegetables are from Bowman Farms and you know that when you’re spending money here, that money is going back to them,’” Rory added.

Hotel Yellowstone-The Yellowstone Restaurant
The front of The Yellowstone, pictured from Main Street. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

Besides its great location and locally sourced food, The Yellowstone has a talented chef.

Head Chef Jake Smith is both well-traveled and well-trained, having worked in Germany and in Michelin-Star restaurants.

Jennifer said she enjoys featuring Smith for both his abilities and his creativity, using the hashtag #ChefJakeCreates on social media. Smith is allowed to flex his creative muscles whenever business allows for it.

“One of the great things about him is,” Rory said, “we’ll have guests that come in and they’ll say, ‘What’s Jake making today? What can he throw together?’ Even if it’s not on the menu, if we have something back there, he really thrives in that type of environment. We love being able to do that.”

Patrons can also buy the kitchen staff a round of beers — the option is on the menu.

The Erchuls, who entered their roles at Yellowstone with zero previous experience in the restaurant industry, credit their entire crew of more than 30 employees with the quality product and atmosphere created for guests.

During EastIdahoNews.com’s visit, the Yellowstone kitchen presented several examples of its spectacular food. The steak tips appetizer is tender, bite-sized pieces of tri-tip on a bed of kale, with a balsamic reduction and smoked cherry tomatoes. It was delicious.

Steak tips from Yellowstone
Steak tips appetizer. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

The pork sausage special and The Yellowstone’s take on Caprese salad, with heirloom tomatoes and mozzarella, was also wonderful.

But what left the greatest lasting impression was the Brussels sprouts. Not only were the sprouts fried and mixed with bacon — the tastiest way to eat them — they were glazed with garlic oil and sweet chili sauce, then topped with toasted sesame seeds. The sticky-sweet combination, which is something I would have never considered myself, was a match made in heaven.

Brussels sprouts from Yellowstone Restaurant
Garlic and sweet chili-glazed Brussels sprouts. | Kalama Hines, EastIdahoNews.com

The cheddar-topped cheeseburger was simply delicious as well — a perfect example of how an experienced chef can elevate something we all make in our backyards regularly.

Even with the excellent flavors, The Yellowstone experience goes well beyond the food. Being in a building that has served visitors for more than a century has a unique feel, and taking that in, surrounded by a cheerful and friendly staff, makes it an even better meal.

To experience the “Best Fine Dining” in Eastern Idaho, as selected by Idaho’s Best 2021, The Yellowstone Restaurant is open Monday to Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. To try the 313 Bourbon Maple Syrup, the brunch at Yellowstone is every Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For information, including the current menu and catering options, visit TheYellowstoneRestaurant.com. Or check out the latest “Chef Jake Creates” by following the restaurant on Facebook.

If you want to make a recommendation for the next destination to be included on East Idaho Eats, email Kalama@EastIdahoNews.com and include “EATS” in the subject line.

This story is brought to you by Young Mazda, the premier destination for the latest Mazda models in Idaho Falls and the surrounding areas. We take pride in offering an extensive selection of new Mazda vehicles that are sure to ignite your passion for driving.

SUBMIT A CORRECTION