Shoshone County, Idaho is affectionately known by locals and visitors as the Silver Valley, for its historic gold and silver discoveries of the 1880s that sparked its vast silver mining industry continuing today.
Hearty appetites need not go unsatisfied in this year-round Mecca for outdoor activities, either. From summer fishermen and hikers to winter hunters and skiers, every hunger is met with great food at fair prices throughout the Silver Valley.
It is hard to choose favorite burger joints among the little towns that line interstate 90 in Shoshone County, Idaho. Here are three of the most delicious options in Pinehurst, Kellogg, and Wallace offering a good value:
Tall Pine Drive-In
In the 1960s, riding along with Dad on pilgrimages to the local hardware stores up and down old highway 10, near today’s Interstate 90, ending the trip was a reward of burger and shake at the Tall Pine Drive-In.
A few owners and years later, the little white and red diner still offers fabulous food under the same gigantic pine tree that awed me as a kid. Burgers just the way you like it, perfectly thick shakes in old-fashioned flavors like butterscotch, and fries to die for. Their motto is “Just good food at a fair price.” The Tall Pine offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, tacos, burgers and ice cream sodas.
Details: Tall Pine Drive-In, 203 N. Division, Pinehurst, ID 83850, phone (208)682-4294: Take-out, indoor dining, outdoor picnic tables; Price range $1.50 for a refillable soda pop or iced tea and up to $6.95 for a burger basket; Call for hours, which vary by season.
Humdinger Drive-In
Open since the late 1950s, the Humdinger Drive-In has a unique history. Of all the restaurants in the Silver Valley, only the Humdinger can claim the entire building was hoisted onto a trailer truck. About 1965, the Humdinger took a ride from its original quick-lunch location a few miles west from Osburn to its site in Kellogg, Idaho. Ask the staff about Humdinger, and they’re likely to pull out an entire photo album proving its colorful journey.
Humdinger has always been a center of summer treats. It has been synonymous with delicious ice cream dip cones since Humdinger’s debut. The staff offer quick lunches of great burgers, corn dogs, fries and even doggie meals. Yes, the doggie meals are meals made and served to customers' canine companions.
Details: Humdinger Drive-In, 2205 N. Hill, Kellogg, ID 83873; phone (208)786-7395; Take-out and outdoor picnic tables. Price range $1.50 for a soda pop to $6.95 for a specialty burger; Call for hours which vary by season. Ice cream sundaes and milkshakes range in size and price from $2.89 to $3.69.
1313 Club
The 1313 Club is in one of the historic buildings at Wallace, Idaho. It has been a bar and restaurant for most of its 90-plus years of operation and various owners. 1313 Club makes the top of the heap because they offer all-you-can-eat dinner specials at $7.50 from 4:30pm-7:30pm on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with $1.00 specials on Chianti wine and Busch beer. Tuesdays bring Darrell’s famous Chicken Enchiladas to the menu for $8.50, with rice and beans.
They always have great burgers and sandwiches at under $7.00. They also are the only place in the Silver Valley serving Guinness ales in addition to their own, tasty microbrews like huckleberry ale.
Details: 1313 Club, 608 Bank Street, Wallace, ID 83873; phone (208)752-9391; Open 7AM for breakfast, Mon.-Fri. and 11AM on Sat. for lunch and dinner. The kitchen closes at 9PM in summer and breakfast stops at 10:45AM.
Lynn Pritchett - Lynn lives in Arizona with her husband and is caretaker for a few pets left behind by their two grown daughters.
