Unique Homes On Location: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Unique Homes is on location in Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, this weekend to tour a variety of luxury developments.
While Sandpoint remains fairly undiscovered (the town has just two chain hotels and a small handful of independent inns one has to look closely to notice), the city of Coeur d’Alene exudes the feel of a popular, long-established resort town. French Canadian fur traders christened the lake Coeur d’Alene, or “heart of the awl,” a reference to the local Indian tribe’s sharp trading practices.
The city’s premier accommodations are found at The Coeur d’Alene Golf and Spa Resort, which originally opened in 1986 and dominates the city’s skyline as well as the north shore of the lake next to Tubbs Hill. I am privileged to be staying in a 17-floor Premier Lakeview suite, which features a gas fireplace and two separate balconies overlooking the resort’s marina, 3,300-foot boardwalk (the longest floating boardwalk in the world) and the city’s Independence Point. The suite’s whites, beiges, pale blues and abundant natural light create a cheery atmosphere from which to view the sparkling lake waters.
Overlooking the marina and lake from its 7th-floor, floor-to-ceiling windows is Beverly’s, the resort’s signature five-star dining experience, recognized as one of the top restaurants in the country. Named for the mother of Duane Hagadone, whose Hagadone Corporation owns and operates the resort, Beverly’s is home to a $2 million wine collection that is the most extensive in the Northwest.
Jeremiah Neal, Food and Beverage Director, joined me for dinner, which began with a Huckleberry Lemon Drop and one of the restaurant’s signature and highly flavorful Dungeness Crab Cakes with lemon garlic aioli and chili oil. Over a house salad with huckleberry vinaigrette, and a sweet orange roll prepared using Beverly’s own recipe, Neal described his career in the restaurant business with gusto, a journey which has taken him from working at the resort as a teenager to managing chain establishments such as Pizza Huts and Chili’s, to a stint in Hawaii, always returning to the resort in between other gigs. He ordered the caribou and insisted I try a piece of this tender meat, which cannot be hunted by anyone other than the Inuit tribe in Alaska. Fine dining in a casual, yet elegant ambiance is Beverly’s calling card, and it delivered, from the appetizer to the Chocolate Molten Cake with dulce de leche ice cream, caramelized bananas, and macadamia nut brittle, which was baked during our other courses.
Next up is a tour of the residential component of Coeur d’Alene Resort—The Terraces, a gated waterfront development comprised of 30 ultra-exclusive condominiums.
–Sarah Binder
