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

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?”

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.”

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.