Loco Grinz
113 N. Main St
Mosocw, ID
(208) 883-4463
locogrinz.com
Restaurant Type: Casual
Hours: Thurs-Sat 11:00-9:00 Sun-Mon 11:00-8:00
Bar: None, but many close by
Credit Cards: Visa, MC, Discover
reservations: No Need
After four years spent in the
quaint town of Moscow, Idaho, I was finally about to eat at what I had
understood to be a town favorite. Loco
Grinz does not look like much from the outside, but once you walk through the
door… its just as unimpressive. A lavish
dining area and low lighting just isn’t this place’s style. The food is that of traditional the
Hawaiian barbeque meals and I thought
it best to go with the most famous of the dishes, the BBQ Beef.

Just about
all the dishes are fairly inexpensive at just around eight dollars. Each entrée comes with two sides of your
choosing. I went with the chow mien
noodles and some sautéed vegetables. The
drink selection keeps things family friendly, and right at the cash registered
I spied what looked like a local Hawaiian treat. It’s called Hawaiian Sun and it comes in
three flavors. The mango orange was superb. I felt the warmth of the sun and knew this
had to be some quality nectar. I should
have noticed that it called itself “drink” as opposed to “juice.” In the ingredients I found all the usual
suspects: high fructose corn syrup, ascorbic acid, sugar—you get the idea. But dammit if it wasn’t one of the best
combinations of processed corn I have tasted in years.

Soon, it
was time to eat. The beef was smothered
in that famous sweet barbeque sauce, as were the noodles. In this place, the barbeque sauce is
king. Having a bite of noodles, I felt
the sauce engulfing all my taste buds.
The sautéed vegetables seemed quite obviously steamed and unimpressive.
The portion of meat was more than satisfactory.
It was sweet, charred just enough and dripping with sauce. This stuff will fill you up fast
Keeping in
mind that this place is a humble one and one who caters primarily to hungry
college students, I’d have to say it is satisfactory. A lot of meat for a decent price. It may not be the first place I’d ever
recommend for a nice sit down meal. This
feels more like the kind of place you order to go. Though one may enjoy some of the photos of old Hawaii adorning the walls; I just wish they were bigger. The variation of flavor I imagine is
minimal. The menu is short and sweet and
the staff is ever friendly.
While the
meal was not one for the record books, I may find myself coming back for crates
of that high sugar mango smoothie…drink.
And if a real drink is what you need, there are several bars within
walking distance including the original local sports bar, The Corner Club.