Powerhouse - Hailey, ID

The last night of the trip I had the pleasure of stopping into a great place in Hailey, ID (which is part of the Sun Valley area) - Powerhouse Pub & Bike Fit Studio. This place is pretty unique in the world as it combines a small custom bicycle fitting studio with, what I guess Americans now would call, a Belgian-style pub. If you've been to a bicycle fitting studio, you get that idea. If you've been to HopLeaf in CHI or maybe Buster's on 28th in MPLS, you get that idea (though it's a better combination of both at Powerhouse).

But, Powerhouse does much more to combine the two - bike parts in the fancy restaurant tables, often only bike racing on the TVs, and beers on tap that you don't often see in the US. It also struck me that the people that run the place are some of the nicest and down-to-Earth I have met in a long time.

The night started with me creating a new drink, that I dubbed the Hailey Mule (after the Moscow Mule). This version combines a great local ID rootbeer and vodka. Pretty simple and pretty damn good. Then it was time to mow down a 1/3 pound local-raised beef burger. Dang was it good. Took me all of 5 minutes (it's one of my top 3 burgers ever). I was still feeling a bit peckish, so I pulled the trigger on what I remember being called a Powerhouse Roll. This is a take on the sushi rolls from across the street. Instead of a raw fish roll, Powerhouse makes an all-beef corndog and tops it with special house-made hot sauce and goat cheese. On its own, it was the best corndog I'd ever bit into (awesome corndog batter). With the extras, it really became something special. Finally, the night tapered off into a Spaten Ocktoberfest, some Delirium Nocturnum and I'm not sure what else. Not only that, but I was talking bike parts the whole time - pinch me, I'm dreaming.

If you ever find yourself in Sun Valley, ID - do us both a favor and stop in at Powerhouse.