Midtown Bluebird — Restaurant in Coeur d'Alene

Normally I love dining at Blue Bird and today, I was very excited to dine with my father and mother-in-law for my birthday. Upon arrival we were greeted by a kind server, invited to sit where we pleased, and found a great table. As my husband and I waited for my mother-in-law to arrive, the solo server got a few more tables. Side note, I understand being a solo service in a restaurant. I served in a local restaurant the operated similarly for lunch although the team work between myself and the one chef, was immaculate. It’s all about team work. Serving 4-6 tables was nothing and 6-tables was what our server today ended up with. That said, when my mother-in-law arrived, she asked our server about a particular beer to see if they still had it on tap as she was in a few weeks prior and wanted the same tasty beer. Nothing array at this time as the server was unsure but said they have what they have on the menu. My mother-in-law ordered a beer that was on the menu and what was frustrating, is when the server dropped off the beer. When she dropped it off she loudly slammed it on the table, didn’t say anything and walked away. As my mother-in-law said, “thank you??” after the server walked away she passive aggressively said “you’re welcome”. That was the final straw for me. It’s my birthday lunch and clearly the server was overwhelmed and we were a burden to her. When she did come back to our table to take our lunch order I asked for our check. She ran through the list of reasons why she wasn’t attentive but I don’t tolerate being rude to my family. Side note, the table with 7-people got top notch service. In my opinion she thought that would be the money making table so she gave them A+ service and gave poor service with a poor attitude to the other tables to include my table. Mind you, I had plenty of time to watch and listen to her give the same story of being busy to all other tables. That said, I want to give a shout out to the kitchen. We only ordered fries while my husband and I waited for his parents and the kitchen having noticed they were sitting in the salamander (warmer) for over 5-minutes, brought them to our table along with dipping sauces. A little cold but the fries were still tasty. All-in-all, lunch doesn’t seem to be the right timing to dine at this restaurant. Sad birthday lunch but thankfully it was made right at another local...

Best Fried Chicken I've had!

So we found this on Yelp. No surprise! And it didn't disappoint. Just be careful that you walk into the right restaurant. Two doors down on the corner is the Midtown Cafe or bar or something. The Midtown BlueBird has a blue lit graphic of a bluebird on their wall out front and is not easily read.

LOCATION & AMBIANCE (Rating 4.5) I liked the vibe. It's a galley style restaurant, long and narrow. The front is wider and has a great bar. Most of the tables are up against the left wall and run the entire length of the restaurant.

SERVICE (Rating 3.75) The place was packed so I was glad I made a reservation. They seated us immediately. The waiter was an interesting guy. He knew what was on the menu, but he really didn't know the menu. It's like he didn't eat any of it. How could you have a fried chicken dish that is arguably the best I've ever had and not know it was that good? He bounced around quite a bit and wasn't very attentive when he was at our table.

FRIED CHICKEN (Rating 5.0) This is the best fried chicken I've ever had. It comes as a 1/2 chicken cut up. (breast, thigh, leg and wing) The batter is crazy good and stayed crisp even with the drizzle of honey miso glaze. Next time I'll order the honey miso glaze on the side. The honey miso glaze was something I've never had before and had never really thought about together. It's a great combo. Now let's talk about the pickle. Semi-sweet but not. Very unusual flavor that I loved and went perfectly with the chicken. Who would have thunk!

CHILEAN SEA BASS (Rating 4.25) Perfectly cooked and a wonderful portion. Chilean sea bass is one of my favorite fish. There was nothing that set this apart from others I've had but it was prepared wonderfully. The melt in your mouth consistency was there, the sweet flavor thoughout the palate. Can't go wrong...

The seafood chowder is the best I've ever had. So good that I can't bring myself to order anything else anymore. Before I tried it, though, I enjoyed the Reuben, small plate popcorn (not a very small plate), wings, multiple types of daily bruscetta specials (omg. Amazing.), fried chicken, burger, poutine, the fries.. Mmmm.... The French press coffee... Oh, my. I just realized after listing all of those, and there are many meals I've tried that I didn't list, that every...single...thing I've tried here has been amazing. Great food, wine, beer. Wonderful, cheap specials if you get here at the right time. Super comfy, always outstanding service. I felt like a family member from the first day I ate here. This is MY ALL TIME FAVORITE restaurant in Coeur d'Alene. And I think I've tried about 90% of them since October, including the super expensive ones, and the award winning ones in Post Falls. (Sad, I know.) I want other people to know how great it is so you can experience it for yourself. But the selfish half of me doesn't want the wait to get too long, and it wants to say it's a horrible place to eat. But that'd be a big, fat lie. I'm looking forward to the patio being open in summer and people watching... Midtown Bluebird is THE RESTAURANT I want visiting friends and relatives to try, even if they only have 24 hours...