Madre Boutique Taqueria serves up one-of-a-kind tacos in the Lusk District
Story by Veronica LeMaster
Photos by Kimberlee Miller
If you’re a taco lover looking for something new, fresh, edgy and unique, Madre Boutique Taqueria is your new favorite lunch spot.
Opened in the Lusk District last April, Madre offers edgy comfort food that you can’t find elsewhere in the Treasure Valley.
“It was time for a change,” John explained.
At the time, the duo noticed that Boise was an untapped market in the taco industry, and wanted to change that. After being in the food industry for twenty-years, John, a chef that has worked at multiple five-star restaurants, and Julie who worked twenty-years as Food and Beverage Director for a five-star hotel, decided it was time to do it on their own.
John, a classically trained French chef at the Culinary Institute of America in Scottsdale, Arizona and nominated for a James Beard Award, created the menu with uniqueness in mind.
The la carte menu consists of different tacos priced between $4.50-$6. The tacos are more substantial than a street taco, but has you wanting to try two or three at a time. Tacos range from a chicken tinga taco that is filled with avocado, chipotle, pickled onion and fresh cheese to a pineapple al pastor taco that has pineapples, sauce mojo, rajas, avocado and blue cheese. You can also try the Idaho taco, an Idaho potato and chorizo filled tortilla with tomato mojo and jalapeno pesto.
For those not in the taco mood, Madres offers options such as a fish sandwich that is blackened fish, wild arugula, shaved cucumber, roasted tomatoes, Haas avocado, paprika and jalapeno aioli or the chicken tinga salad which includes baby greens, beans, rice, pickled onion, fresh cheese, corn and cilantro vinaigrette. The taqueria offers eleven regional beers, six different wines by the glass, and Tractor Soda’s from Coeur d’Alene.
The taco menu changes often with chef specials running daily, in the hopes of getting people out of their comfort zone and trying different foods between a tortilla.
The Cuevas not only believe in great food, but also great service when you step into their restaurant.
“I don’t know of another field where you get that instant gratification of the look on people’s faces when we bring the food out to them and you can just tell their so excited for what their about to eat,” Julie said.
About once a month the tacos get a night off as Madre hosts a pop up where they pair with another local company to create a six-course fine dining menu. The next pop up is April 28th.
With their opening anniversary around the corner, the two have big plans of opening one or two more restaurants in the future, along with a catering company.
With “Here’s to Mothers, Warm Kitchens, and Full Bellies” painted on their wall, Madre will have you feeling as if your eating in the Cueavas kitchen, nourished and loved.
