Boise, ID

My boyfriends out of town and my parents are on an anniversary getaway. This can only mean one thing: Girls Night. Unfortunately I only have two girlfriends, one of which was busy on Saturday night. Thankfully, I managed to pull Breanne away from an evening of teen movies (Clueless was in the cue) to hit the town as a duo. We met at Boise High School, parked our cars and strolled downtown to Satchel’s Grill.
Satchel’s is located on 8th and Bannock behind the Idaho building and during the summer months, when its too nice to stay inside and veg-out in front of a TV they have movie nights. I used to love living downtown on 8th street and listening to the sounds of the movie projected just below my cracked window. Satchel’s takes advantage of the open space on the side of the Idaho building to project films on movie nights.

Tonight’s feature was the classic drama Casablanca, but they draw all sorts of movie watchers with a wide selection. Whereas one evening they might go for something old and classy like Breanne’s favorite Audrey Hepburn flick, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, another night might behold something with a little more adventure, like Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Arc or, something quirky like Harold and Maude.
Definitely make an evening out seeing a movie at Satchel’s. About an hour or so before show time, we headed over to the restaurant to scope out our table. Arrive any later and you might run the risk of not having a table at all (You’ll have to cross your fingers and hope that someone less ambitious than yourself gets too tired to watch the Lords of Dogtown and has to go home). We grabbed a free table for two atop the live music stage where they invite bands on weekends to entertain their customers. Sometimes they have jazz music or an acoustic ensemble playing, which is good. I hear live music helps the digestive system.

We took turns heading inside to order food. Many evenings here, I just order dessert and an ice tea with my movie; a slice of triple chocolate cake or some cheesecake with raspberry sauce drizzled on top, but tonight I opted for a Caesar salad. If you’re vegetarian or interested in pasta at all this is a great place to eat. I always get their tofu scramble for breakfast that has spicy veggie sausage that I prefer to the real thing and delicious crispy hashbrowns. They also offer some great looking sandwiches and burgers. Their style is order at the counter and they’ll bring your food out to you. It’s delicious and moderately priced.
Although it was hotter than an oven outside, we each brought sweaters in case it turned cool later that evening. Another remedy for a chill on movie night is to make a quick run over to Dawson Taylor for some coffee or order a hot tea.
It was the perfect girly romance flick to see on girl’s night. Pre-roll film, Satchel’s keeps you interested with live music or a film short, like an episode of The Andy Griffith Show or some cartoons. While we watched diners roll in and scope out their coveted seats, Breanne and I caught up and chatted about the past few weeks discussed plans, and whether we had ever seen this movie. While all this is going on Satchel’s employees are busy dimming the street lamps with their specially fashioned buckets and delivering orders. By dessert its time to start the movie.

Halfway through the film, they pause for intermission so that people may use the restrooms, refill their drinks, or take restless sleep children home to bed. While a waitress bussed our plates we stretched and enjoyed the calm Saturday night. Movie nights at Satchels are a great excuse to get out of the house, without the pressure of having to think up a big date night event or spend twenty bucks on a bucket of popcorn. The food is great at anytime of day with really awesome vegetarian options and entrées that sound so healthy you’ll be surprised they even taste delicious. Stop by and pick up a menu or a list of the movies. Check out what they’re playing tonight at satchelsgrill.com.