Satay Bistro — Restaurant in Coeur d'Alene

My fiance and I decided we wanted to go somewhere we had never been and get out of our usual places. I checked the menu out after coming across this place while searching for places that serve beef Wellington. Satay is kind of a little hole in the wall place on 4th Street in Coeur d'Alene just before you reach the interstate. From the outside, it kind of looks like an olive barrel. Inside, the decor is dark, moody, and classic with industrial touches. Very appealing to me.

As we came in early for lunch, we were immediately greeted and told we could sit anywhere. We chose a table by the windows in the front. Our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and gave his honest opinions. The first thing we were given other than menus was a glass of water with a slice of cucumber in it. I personally found the addition to be most refreshing and I admit, I had more than a couple of glasses.

We decided to give the Thai peanut chicken skewers a try. While it was good (albeit a bit too spicy for our taste), we found the portion size to be a bit small for the price. Four pieces of chicken in a ramekin with peanut sauce and some kind of crispy noodle for $8.95. The peanut flavor was good, but spicy. That's the thing about these dishes. Each place has it's own version and you never know until you try.

My fiance chose the Reuben sandwich, which he decided was one of the best he had ever had. The Russian horseradish by itself had a bit of a kick, but when paired with the meat was a nice addition. We both enjoyed the Parmesan truffle fries as well. I keep hearing judges on Chopped cringe and lament when a chef uses truffle oil, but with the way these fries were prepared, the truffle wasn't overwhelming.

I chose the strawberry salad/garlic dill bread/butternut squash soup combo. I liked the salad and bread well enough, but the soup was absolutely phenomenal. It's more like a bisque, thick and creamy with a wonderful sweetness that wasn't too much. The pepitas that were placed on top provided a nice textural contrast and the saltier, more savory pumpkin flavor complemented the sweetness of the butternut so beautifully. Honestly I could have sat there and eaten several bowls of it. It was that good. It is now among my top three favorite soups, along with chicken gnocchi and a properly done French onion. This bisque was just so rich, hearty, and satisfying. Especially as we prepare to enter the colder season of autumn.

As far as negatives are concerned, (yes, every place, no matter how good has a few), I would say the price on the appetizers/satay for the portion size was a bit steep, and I noticed a 3.5% upcharge for paying with anything other than cash. That part is a bit of a put off for me as rarely carry cash.

Overall, I'm glad we decided to give Satay a try. We have decided we would like to come back and try other dishes. I'm particularly interested in trying the rumaki and a lemon chicken alfredo dish. We hope they will participate in Restaurant Week. One thing I would like to see on the menu is beef Wellington, but I also understand it is a labor intensive dish that isn't something one...

I'm not one to leave reviews for places whether they were good or bad. I just chalk it up if the service or food isn't the best someone was having a bad day. Well today the food was delicious but the service not so sweet. Actually the most passive aggressive server I have ever experienced. I've traveled the world and dined lot of different places. The hospitality in 3rd world countries was far superior than our experience tonight. We understood our table and reservations were delayed due to the party ahead of us. 2 out of the 4 decided to have a drink from the bar. We were told that it wasn't necessary to cash out and that our drinks would follow us to the table. When seated at the table my husband motioning with his hands the 2 parties and how to split the checks.

I always know it's a bad sign when the server doesn't write anything down. After waiting 40+ minutes for our salads my husband casually asked about the status. The server responded with it's not my job to make the food and I just bring it out to you. We all looked at each other and realized where the night was going. When I asked for another glass of wine the wrong one was brought to me and I declined it. He said that's what you ordered and my response was no remember I ordered the new Zealand wine.

Once dessert arrived again our server claimed that's what we ordered and what he wrote. But he never wrote anything down. It's pretty simple with restaurant week you get 3 options. Considering the conversation he went on and on about the bread pudding bites why would the two individuals who asked about it order something else? He turned around and threw the dessert on the tray. We all decided to just stay quiet because although the company at the table was pleasant the experience was not. Finally when our bill came I was just ready to pay whatever and get out of there. My husband said no and started reviewing it. Good thing he did because we were charged an additional $45.

When leaving I made a comment to the hostess that our server delivered very poor service. All of us at the table have worked in hospitality and/or customer service roles. Everyone has a bad day and we can appreciate when someone raises their hand and says sorry. A good reset can help the tone of there experience. Finally after the debate of the bill we were assured that the owner would be calling us. But to have solved this situation tonight a simple hey sorry I'm just swamped or having a bad day would have sufficed. This is literally the only time I have ever engaged with a manager over a negative experience. We always make it a point to share praise with managers/owners when our experience has been pleasant. Our goal in sharing this not to get someone fired. But if this is a habitual experience for other patrons maybe this isn't the right role for...

Pros: The initial experience at Satay wasn’t all that bad. The interior is beautifully lit with gold and warm tones which allows for a person to feel very comfortable and relaxed. The appetizers, so to speak, came out promptly and the drinks were well made.

Cons: We were there well over an hour before the entrees were served. The kitchen timing was off for our table and the filet mignon was over cooked, cool, and dry. The other guests food was also cold, a bit flavorless, and dry.

Why it should be five stars: The bartender, I really wished I remembered her name, was phenomenal. She recognized that the food had taken far too long and did what she could to make it right for our table, even though our table didn’t ask for anything. She really went above and beyond the entire time and was as pleasant as can be.

Why it’s one star: As we were leaving a different server followed us out the door. He stopped one of our guests and told him in a very confronting and impolite tone to wear a different shirt if he planned on coming back.

The problem is that this server didn’t take several factors into account before brashly making this remark and ruining what was otherwise a successful and decent evening.

This guest didn’t know he was going to Satay. He recognized that his shirt was inappropriate and guess where he sat? At the corner of the entire restaurant, OUTSIDE. Not a single diner had seen the back of his shirt the entire evening he was there and he made sure of that.

We were the very LAST to leave the restaurant so no other diner was there to see his shirt as he left. It had inappropriate language on the back.

I was there with the mother of my first born son who I essentially hadn’t seen in about a decade.. and we really planned on making this an incredible night full of enjoyment and fun.

In closing, and to the older, grey haired server: Take your environment into consideration. You should recognized where he was sitting. You should have recognized that we were the last ones out. It should have been clear that your attitude wasn’t a necessary part of our night. And also, when I spend over $300 on a dinner for four, you keep your desire to be...