I’ve got a confession.  For many years I drove by Norm’s and never stopped.  Then some months ago a friend suggested we drop in for lunch.   And I discovered what I’d been missing.  Good golly!  It may be a small place but the taste is seriously big.  The menu is massive.  The burgers are delicious.  A friend tells me she had chicken soup a few days ago and spent the next several days thinking she wanted more. 

The atmosphere is great and you can tell the regulars knew a good thing when they first found the place.

While parking is limited on site, if I park by the Mustard Seed I can walk off some of the portion after I finish lunch.  The atmosphere is great and you can tell the regulars knew a good thing when they first found the place.

A neighbor moved here 5 years ago from Wyoming.  Within his first week in Idaho someone suggested they stop at Norm’s for lunch.  He continued eating there several times a week.  Sadly, he passed away in November but many of his final meals were heavenly.

I’ve been truly impressed by all of the independently owned restaurants I’ve visited in the region.  Even driving across country some years back, I made an effort to find the local joints when I pulled off a highway exit.  I’m not knocking some of the national entries.  Those are sometimes great because you know exactly what you’re going to get.

The locally owned restaurants are more than menus.  It’s the people who always seem genuinely happy to see you walk through the door.

A few summers ago I spent a week in Wallace.  Within a few days everyone on staff at my morning breakfast stop knew where I was from and what I did for a living.  And they wanted me to buy a nearby radio station!

This I can’t get from a kiosk.

 

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