Historic Inn — Review by Gordon Ramsay

The Dishes

The meal began with chicken wings served with homemade huckleberry barbecue sauce, but they arrived dry and disappointing. A ribeye steak followed, described as overcooked and resembling a bloody dishrag. The Idaho rainbow trout, meant to showcase local ingredients, was served with soggy skin still intact, herb risotto that had become mush, and an array of sauces that Gordon compared unfavorably to plaster. The mac and cheese was reheated from the freezer and had a plastic-like consistency with no seasoning. The fiesta stew, labeled fresh and made daily on the menu, was actually frozen and dated from November 1st. A turkey melt arrived with an excessively salty broth that was nearly inedible. The teriyaki chicken burger, marketed as nearly famous, was described as almost sending Gordon to the bathroom due to its offensive nature. A tuna burger claimed to be fresh from the fish market turned out to be frozen. The only dishes that earned any praise were the edible chrysanthemum flowers, which Gordon found absolutely delicious.

The Experience

The dining experience was surreal and deeply problematic. The lobby was dated with dust embedded for years and mold on the carpets. The room assignments were bizarre, with Gordon's door opening directly into the owner's bedroom and the owner's wife's clothes hanging in his closet. Staff turnover was extreme, with Gordon meeting a dozen ex-employees before arrival. Current staff revealed they had to purchase their own name tags for eight dollars and t-shirts for twelve dollars, totaling twenty dollars just to come to work. The restaurant kitchen was enormous but chaotic, with no clear head chef despite having two chefs nominally in charge. Equipment was neglected, with freezers that hadn't been defrosted in unknown lengths of time. Storage was haphazard, with produce stored outside in deteriorating conditions and personal refrigerators taking up space alongside restaurant inventory. Online reviews were universally negative, with customers reporting horrible service, rude owners who don't support staff, and unwelcoming attitudes toward children.

Value and Pricing

The pricing was completely unjustifiable given the quality. Dishes were overpriced for the poor execution and frozen ingredients. The fiesta stew cost thirteen dollars despite being frozen. The nearly famous burger cost thirteen ninety-five while featuring a frozen patty and a slice of red onion thicker than the meat itself. The turkey melt and other entrees were similarly overpriced for the substandard offerings. When Gordon calculated the cost to make a liter of minestrone soup as just a couple of dollars, the disconnect between food cost and menu price became even more apparent.

Notable Moments

That has to be the worst trout I have ever seen in my entire career.

That is the weirdest and the most plastic looking mac and cheese I have ever seen in my entire life.

The nearly famous burger. This is about to be famous to send me to the bathroom.

You said it's fresh and it's not anywhere near.

Google a filet? Jesus.

When Gordon discovered that one chef had never actually cooked a filet mignon despite having it on the menu and suggested Googling how to cook it, the extent of the operation's incompetence became starkly clear. The owner's admission that he calls the police on unpaid employees revealed problematic management practices that went far beyond food quality issues.

The Verdict

Gordon's final verdict was unequivocal: do not go here. The Historic Inn represents everything wrong with hospitality, from frozen ingredients mislabeled as fresh to staff treated poorly and forced to buy their own uniforms. The owners show no passion for the business, the kitchen lacks proper training and leadership, and the entire establishment appears to have given up. This restaurant is recommended for absolutely no one and should close immediately.