So Mother's Day, as most of you probably know, was this past Sunday. We've been hitting it pretty hard in these parts with farming, school, sports, getting ready for a state shooting sports competition, and oh yah, I work too. This of course meant that on Mother's Day, I just wanted to veg. By veg, my goal was to plant my butt in the seat of my riding lawnmower and mow uninterrupted for a few hours while listening to podcasts and music. A girl can dream.
Anyhoo, I did get to have that Mother's Day mowing dream come true, but when one of my family members called and said, "Hey! Let's go to Embers for dinner." I acquiesced. Now, my family would have cooked and/or baked whatever I wanted for dinner, but they have been busy too, and for years people have been chirping at me to go to Embers, so I gave in to peer pressure and went to the place.
Embers By The Lake is a wood fired pizza joint on the shores of Hauser Lake, Idaho. The whole place kinda feels like visiting that cool, quirky aunt house whose yard is a outdoor recreation paradise. Set on the hill next to the lake, Embers is a terraced meeting place that revolves around one thing, oven baked pizza.
And holy wow, do they know how to do it right! Embers is only open from 4-9pm Thursday-Sunday every week, and let me tell you, word has gotten out. There were vehicles and people everywhere! It's almost like the people who run the place know what people will do or how long they will wait for excellent pizza, so they set up seating everywhere, and while you wait for your table, you can sip a drink from the bar and chill around little propane fireplaces. They even sell smores stuff if you want to have a smore, a nice little homey touch for sure.
My family members have been to the Embers a lot, and while we sipped sangrias, they told me all about the pies to choose from. One adored the Jalapeno Popper, which has a cheesy ranch base, with jalapenos and smoked bacon, another swore by The Carmelita, which was a ranch-like base with caramelized onions and blue cheese. There's even a dill pickle themed pizza and one with macaroni and cheese onit! Embers has more traditional types of pizza too, for there was no shortage of olive oil, garlic, basil, and tomatoes lurking around. I found that I spent the hour we waited for our table in a state of mild droolage, but honestly we were having so much fun BS'ing that the wait didn't seem that long. In fact, the wait and socializing is definitely part of the experience.
My hubs ordered the wood fired deep dish pizza, me, I got half the Wildwood which was a smoked chicken, ranch, bacon, and onion extravaganza and half The Carmelita. Actually, all of us got half and half pizzas, and when they all arrived on wooden boards, we proceeded to trading slices so we could try them all.
Because isn't that the amazing thing about pizza, that it's best when shared? It's my favorite food because the flavor combinations are endless, and the combination of crisp, chewy crust, stringy melty cheese, and tangy sometimes crunchy toppings is just awesome. Embers even has gluten free pizzas for those who can't glute. So everyone can get involved. Heck, even if you have a dairy issue, the garlic knots and marinara were fantastic. Seriously, there was something for everyone.
And the best part, aside from the delectable pies, was the atmosphere. I felt like I was at a big extended family BBQ. Everyone was chill and not in a hurry. There were scads of little kids running around exploring the place and trying to stick things into the propane fires. Embers is one of those magical places where people just people. I loved it.
If you are ever in North Idaho, I totally, completely recommend Embers By The Lake!
And as most of the time, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's non wood fired iPhone.