Sunday, Jun. 15, 2008

Mortimers to close Boise restaurant

By Wine Press Northwest

Mortimer's Idaho Cuisine in downtown Boise, one of the first restaurants in the state to showcase Northwest wines, will close effective June 21.

Jon and Shara Mortimer said they will focus their attention on Franco Latino, their restaurant in Eagle, Idaho.

"For those of you who wonder why we are closing after eight years, the answer is simple: Last month, Jon received the worst review of his career by The Idaho Statesman's restaurant critic, Guy Hand," she wrote. "The review made it obvious that Jon is spread too thin and needs to concentrate on one restaurant.

"Although we were devastated by the review, we both agreed with most of the criticism and decided neither of us could commit the time needed to make Mortimer's what it should be."