Hardware Brewing — Restaurant in Kendrick

My wife and I have been to Hardware Brewing several times after it recently re-opened under new ownership. Service is outstanding and the food is great. Today we stopped in and I tried a special of the day, a chimichanga plate. I honestly did not have very high expectations. I mean, yeah, the food has been good here, but now we are talking Mexican food. Small restaurant. Kendrick, Idaho. Hardware Brewing. Put all of those things together and you don’t really expect to have an incredible south of the border culinary adventure now do you?

Wow, was I surprised.

For context, I love Mexican food. I’ve traveled Baja from one end to the other. I lived in San Diego and Arizona for years and practically lived eating in little authentic taquerias. I also love to cook. Especially frijoles de la olla or “beans from the pot.” (Pronounced fray-hole-ace day lah oyah) This is one the the most basic and historical side dishes in Mexico. Moms in Mexico always have a clay pot of these pinto beans cooking on the stove and they are served with just about everything. If you go to a Mexican restaurant that claims to be “authentic,” just ask them if their beans are frijoles de la olla. If they don’t know what you are talking about, their beans probably came from a can. Period.

My plate came with a chimichanga (nicely garnished), rice, beans, pickled red onions, and salsa. Well, it sure looked authentic. Then I tried the beans, first thing. AMAZING! Perfectly prepared and great seasoning. Melt in your mouth good. This was the real deal all right. The chimichanga was perfectly cooked with the chicken filling tender and well seasoned. The Mexican rice was excellent, the guacamole was on point and the pickled red onions had just the right crunch with the ideal kick of lime that perfectly complimented the rest of the meal.

In short, one of the best Mexican plates of food I’ve ever had.

I was amazed. I was so amazed, I actually went back to the kitchen to compliment the chef. I met a lovely young Latino woman coming out of the kitchen door and I asked her if she had made the frijoles de la olla. She said that she had and it came from a recipe of her mothers that had been in the family for generations. And it tastes like it!

Run, do not walk, to Hardware Brewing in tiny Kendrick Idaho and pray that they have this permanently...

This is the third time I have been here. First visit was really good. Good service, good sliders, good craft beer. The place had just opened and we were there for lunch.

Second time I had a craft beer and "Kayak Kabobs" Beer was good; service was just okay, kabobs were dreadful...cold, large chunks of tough meat. Inedible.

Third time, I noticed the kabobs had been taken off the menu. Date ordered bite size and a salad. Slow service, did not get the salad and had to ask for it. I asked for a second beer and never received it. The waitress (and it was the same one all three times...MELODY) acted like it was a huge inconvenience to bring us what was ordered. She spent all her time at the bar flirting with the owner, Doug. It wasn't like the place was busy; three tables. AND it was a Saturday evening.

Took forever to get the bill. I double checked the ticket to make sure we weren't charged for items that were ordered and never received. We weren't, but I did not enjoy leaving a "tip" for awful service. My date insisted upon it.

Don't get me wrong. The beer is good and some of the food is palatable. The service was just TERRIBLE. Once I receive terrible service, I NEVER go back. There are only two places in Kendrick to eat but I will not be returning to Hardware Brewing Company EVER because of...

The food the service staff and atmosphere are all excellent, my only concern is with portion size. We were there for the mother’s day special menu and had both the prime rib and ham dinners. The prime rib special was quoted as a 14 ounce cut with potatoes, carrots and broccoli. The meal was delicious, however the cut was definitely not close to 14 ounces. I believe it was much closer to an 8 ounce serving, perhaps even as lean as 6 ounces. This was certainly not my first prime rib, and if you’re going to promote it as 14 oz you need to do a better job with an honest delivery. You need a scale in the kitchen to see what a 14 oz cut looks like. Additionally, the serving of ham was barely sufficient to make a sandwich. We are sincerely wishing you a successful entry into the restaurant business and I hate to provide a less than satisfactory review, however you seriously need to improve your portion...