Kendall's Monkey Bar in Nampa, Idaho
What could be more fun than sipping a cold brew while a dysfunctional caged monkey throws feces at the plexiglass separating the
two of you? Kendall's Monkey Bar has no fewer than six chubby long-tailed African monkeys in a glassed in cage near the billiard
tables and bandstand.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find this damn town for the life of me! My Yahoo directions took me into the middle of nowhere.
I'm talking "Children of the Corn" nowhere. After stopping and getting directions from some police officers hanging out alongside
the road, I find myself driving around and around for another 1/2 hour before finally giving up and making my way back to the
Interstate. The hell with Idaho's monkeys. There's another monkey place in Oregon (Alf's Ice Cream in McMinnville).
Farmhouse Restaurant in Wendell, Idaho
I'd read on a trucker's website that the chicken fried steak at the Farmhouse Restaurant is a MUST.
And since truckers all seem to know the best places to eat, it was definitely tonight's dinner stop.
Pulling into the parking lot, it looks like any country-style restaurant you'd see along the highway. Sliding into a booth, I ask the waitress for a big
cup of coffee and the chicken fried steak. It came with the salad bar, but their idea of a salad bar isn't that much. Iceberg lettuce, carrots and some sort of green pudding were
the main choices. No matter. Within minutes, my dinner arrived.
Bursting out laughing, I said to the waitress: "That can't possibly be one order!"
"Sure it is, honey" she said. "Truckers got big appetites."
Good lord! There was no way I could eat all this food tonight. Remembering to capture this magic moment, here's the photo of
my dinner (be sure to note the size of the spoon next to the plate):
What's even more amazing is that my total bill - with a 20% tip - came to about twelve bucks. Incredible.
