Candle in the Woods — Restaurant in Athol

He asked me if I've ever been to Candle in the Woods. I told him I had never been, but I've always wanted to. Experiencing Candle in the Woods had long been a back-burnered dream of mine. He had never been, either. He said, "I never had anyone worthy of taking there. Now I do." That set the table for our experience at Candle in the Woods.

We were greeted outside the front door and personally invited in by Chef Connor. They served us a cocktail and led us to the back porch where other dining guests were mingling and visiting, awaiting the brunch bell. Chef Connor came outside and shared his story and the Candle in the Woods story with us. He was engaging and funny and personable, as was the entire staff.

We were served a 7-course culinary brunch experience, with each dish expertly paired with a different wine. Before each course, Chef Connor and the chefs who executed that course would speak about that dish. We all dined at one, long family table. The service was attentive, personable, and top-notch.

Foodies from all over have this place on their list of "someday," "one day," dining dreams... Kudos to Candle in the Woods, for curating a fine dining experience in North Idaho that has earned that reputation.

I am worthy. I am in love... I am grateful. That's what set the table.

The...

We loved the atmosphere that included a sangria in the game room to get to know our fellow patrons. Followed by an overview of the evening by the newly appointed Executive Chef (son of the OG).

While I enjoyed the casualty of the son, and appreciated his dedication to the OG dishes of his dad, I also felt it was a little “unkempt.” This kept from a 5 star all around.

The jokes were off-color, but not enough to be witty. The wine was average, however, the wine menu online is superb. We were told after requesting to buy a bottle that A) you can’t buy during the dinner so enjoy the choices given and B) they likely don’t have that wine anyway as the website is decades old and out of their control. Maybe a password issue? I’m not sure.

The food was between Beverly’s and Satay for locals. Overall, it was visually appealing and creative and yet still expected and boring.

Huge props to the effort of trying to source a wine from the online menu and allowing a taste after the much lesser version of dessert wine pairing.

I absolutely loved my dining companions at my end of the table. This is definitely an experience to return to and knowing the expectations it will be 5 stars across the board. Unfortunately, my expectations did not meet the reality but the reality was still...

Five stars isn't even close to how I would rate this experience. If you have never been, you need to. You will not regret it. When we started driving in, we were a little worried because of the location and surrounding neighborhood...then you see it - the beautiful log cabin that you can tell has been recently renovated. Noelle, the sommelier, greeted us and welcomed us inside and then out back to enjoy a glass of sangria before the evening started. We started getting to know the other guests (there were 12 of us total, so it was very comfortable). Chef Dave came out and introduced himself to us; such a warm and personable individual but down to earth.

All of the dishes were absolutely amazing. It was some of the best food I have ever tasted - and there were 13 courses. And the way they explain it is to at least try each item. We sat family style, so all twelve of us at the tables but it was very pleasant and fun to chat with everyone (they do offer private seating, if preferred). There were some picky eaters at the table, but even they enjoyed everything. And, with each dish, there was a drink pairing, and they described the wines, where they were from and what made them choose that particular drink for that dish.

It truly is an experience...