Tony's On the Lake — Restaurant in Idaho

My life long friend who flew in from Arizona came up to visit me, an ICU nurse for a few days. My sister raves about this place and had suggested it so as a great send off, I thought I’d treat him to a fantastic dinner…. And that’s where it ended. They texted me at 8:04PM and said that the table was ready. We drove there (8 minutes literally… remember I dwell in details as I’m an ICU nurse) and arrived to find that “your table was given away when somebody who WALKED in and was seated… no words, no apologies, no comps for an inconvenience, just “you can sit on the rail seating if you’d like” (or wait the 45 minutes with open tables BTW for your original reservation). The atmosphere was tainted by loud, obnoxious patrons who were swearing and slurring their words and clearly appeared drunk and their behavior was never curtailed by the staff nor management. Our food was incorrectly brought out (which in and of itself wasn’t that irritating) but when I saw THE FOOD RUNNER PICK UP THE FOOD WHICH WAS SET IN FRONT OF US AND DELIVERED TO THE NEXT COUPLE OVER AND GIVEN TO THEM????!!!! And it wasn’t thrown out as it was set In front of somebody else is reprehensible, irresponsible, unprofessional, and UNSAFE HEALTH WISE!! The couple even knew it occurred and we reassured them it wasn’t touched by us… regardless!!! That should never have occurred. The food should have been destroyed. I’m still flabbergasted at this behavior. When our food was delivered, my friends food was delicious according to him, but my food was meh. Underwhelming. Lastly, when it came time for the bill… after everything we and the staff and the concierge knew had occurred… nothing was comp’d. I paid the full amount AND TIPPED OUR WAITRESS as she was at least kind, HOWEVER, this was one of the most shocking food experiences I think I have had in nearly 35 years of being an adult. I mentioned my concerns to the people who seat patrons and was under the impression it was going to be forgotten as soon as I walked out of the door. I never made a scene, was direct and pleasant but wanted some accountability and none was taken. Not a please wait for the manager, please wait for the owner. Just “bye!” I left my phone number on the receipt with Instructions to call if they wanted to discuss any issues, and will be surprised if I receive a...

There are a lot of overwhelmingly positive reviews here and I’m unsure why. I put in a reservation here and we were excited to try it.

First of all, it is not “by the lake”. It is by an embankment and a road. It is across the highway from the lake.

When we arrived, the dining area was completely packed. Since COVID has begun, I have never seen a place this packed. Typically, restaurants limit the seating and make sure the tables are spaces out. Here, the waiter took us to one of two empty tables in the room— to a 4-person table directly in the center of the room. It was so close to other tables that I bumped a guy’s chair trying to pull my seat out. I immediately asked if we could sit at the 2-person table in the far corner of the room. Duh. Why did I need to ask?

Then I went to the restroom and noticed several empty tables outside on the deck. I asked if actually we could be moved there. The hostess said “no”, that they are already at capacity on the deck. This didn’t make sense to me, but I did not want to argue the point. She said that if a deck table opens up that she would re-seat us. She kept this promise and about 25 minutes later, right before the entrees came, she moved us out to the deck, which was much nicer. It was the same empty table I had asked to be seated at earlier on the deck... I’m still confused why we couldn’t sit there when I asked, there were multiple deck tables that were empty.

The food was “meh”. I eat at a lot of high-end restaurants so I know good food from bad. This was “meh”. I had the gnocchi con gorgonzola and it was so boring that I couldn’t eat more than a third of it. This plate should’ve come with halves of fire roasted Romas and peppers, some roasted garlic cloves. Something to kick it up and lend some flavor. My girlfriend did not eat more than a third of hers, either.

In the end, a restaurant is only as good as its food. This was lackluster and 3 stars is...

Food price / quality (value) rating 9.5. The atmosphere is contemporary Italian. This restaurant is 50 feet from Lake Couer d'Alene, and has wonderful expansive views of the lake and surrounding mountains. Although the restaurant has been at this location for eighty years, it has undergone changes in ownership a few times, and was recently totally remodeled / rebuilt to reflect the higher standards of modern high end Italian dining. The menu is succinct, but includes the most classic and loved Italian dishes that you'd expect. Our server,Thomas, was experienced and attentive. A fresh sourdough bread was served before dinner. I had the Halibut, which was prepared properly, and presented beautifully. It included a flavorful parmesan risotto, and seasonal vegetables. Excellent! The wife had the Vegetable Risotto, and ate every bit of it. They offer a limited, but well chosen, draught beer selection, including some local microbrews. We both ordered dessert (highly unusual for my wife) because they were house made. She had the Cherry Creme Brulee (very unique), and I had the Tiramisu, which is typically very generic, but theirs is made individually in separate goblets, and the ladyfingers are not totally whipped, adding texture to the dessert. The place was packed by 6 pm on a Wednesday, a very good sign, and more than one local resident highly recommended it to us. The prices were very reasonable for the quality. We felt a little bit rushed at the end of our meal, but, being a seasonal restaurant, I understand that turning over tables is important . Coeur d'Alene is a wonderful tourist town, undergoing a continuing dramatic renaissance including many new modern buildings and businesses. It has a very walkable downtown with many attractions such as art galleries, restaurants, and street fairs. There are also many lake related activities, and you'll want to spend more than...