‘Beautiful’ and ‘delicious’ new Boise restaurant, bar opens Friday on popular 8th St.
With summer on the horizon, downtown Boise’s entertainment corridor on 8th Street is abuzz with food, drink and patio socializing.
Starting this weekend, a new concept will debut.
Rustica has taken over the former home of Juniper, which shuttered in February after a decade at 211 N. 8th St.
Owned by downtown restaurateur Dan Watts, the new eatery and full bar will begin welcoming guests Friday.
Rustica will feel both fresh and familiar. Watts left much of the previous restaurant’s interior intact. Capable of holding about 120 diners, it’s “a beautiful space,” he told the Statesman this spring.
But Rustica’s menu is “rustic Italian with influence from Spain and France,” Watts explained in a recent email. It includes a sizable variety of small plates, salads, soups, pastas and entrees. Notable main dishes include a Chorizo Smash Burger ($24), Porchetta Roast ($34), Beef Ragout ($36) and Spanish Flank Steak ($34).
“Some dishes are very simple, ingredients sourced from Italy, classically prepared,” he said. “We pair ingredients selectively and let the ingredients shine.
“What you can expect is the food feels familiar and comforting. We aren’t looking to get out of bounds in any way.“
Rustica will make fresh sheet pasta in-house while sourcing other shapes through Boise-based Ferranti Fresh Pasta, he said.
In a nod to the space’s predecessor, Rustica also will churn out high-quality, 12-inch pizzas — most in the $17-$18 range. “Not many places offer fresh artisan pizza in this style,” Watts said. “Thin, light and crispy. Some with bold flavors, others very simple with quality ingredients.”
Rustica’s cocktail menu features an assortment of house and classic varieties. They range from a signature Rustica Negroni (Beefeater gin, Campari liqueur, Carpano Antica vermouth, $16) to a traditional Old Fashioned (Old Forester whiskey, demerara syrup, Angostura bitters, $14).
If you’re looking to save a few bucks, Rustica offers a couple of options. Happy hour runs from 4 to 6 p.m. daily. It features a 30 percent discount on small plates, and on all drinks — “beer, wine, cocktails, sodas, everything,” Watts said.
There’s also late-night service from 10 p.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday. It includes a special food menu at 30 percent off, plus the same discount on drinks.
Rustica is across the street from Wild Root, one of three other food-and-drink businesses Watts owns. The others are Saint Lawrence Gridiron and cocktail bar Suite 104.
Ultimately, Watts said, he feels the new brand delivers an experience that is “rustic, casual, delicious.”
“We hope everyone feels the same way.”
▪ Hours: 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, 4 p.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday.
