Sherman Junction opens Thursday

COEUR d'ALENE - She says to ask for the "Tubbs Hill Challenge."

It's on the menu at the newly opened Sherman Junction Restaurant, said the establishment's owner, Leisa Wagner.

A pound of ground beef (in three patties), ham, bacon and three cheeses are held together at top and bottom by grilled cheese sandwiches. It's $9.99, and seven customers tried the burger on the restaurant's first day, Thursday.

"I think one gentleman came close" to finishing, Wagner said. She hasn't settled on what successful eaters get if they polish the monster off - maybe their name on the wall, she said.

"Another guy came close, but the salad he ate just before slowed him down," Wagner said.

Wagner also is the owner and operator of The Corner Cafe, in Post Falls.

Wagner said the new restaurant in 4,000 square feet of leased space at 819 E. Sherman Ave., will serve "comfort food" with a North Idaho influence.

She said The Corner Cafe in 1,600 square feet of leased space at 203 E. Seltice Way, and Sherman Junction will have 48 employees combined. She hired 32 new people to get ready for the opening of Sherman Junction.

Wagner said she likes the restaurant's location near downtown, and the free off-street parking for about 50 vehicles. The restaurant also has a dual-line kitchen, and a banquet and multipurpose room that will allow it to host different group events.

Sherman Junction will be open 24 hours, and dinner prices run from about $9 to $12.

Dinner items include huckleberry glazed chicken, pork tenderloin medallions, baked vegetarian lasagna, baked chicken macaroni and cheese, and meatloaf.

The restaurant also offers chicken wings, bacon cheese fries, and "prime sliders," which have thin-sliced prime rib on a slider bun with au jus and horseradish sauce.

The menu includes salads, burgers and specialty sandwiches. It offers a full list of breakfast options, including a "Sherman Burrito," which is a tomato basil tortilla filled with chorizo, potatoes, scrambled eggs, and topped with chili verde and cheese.

Wagner hired Coeur d'Alene native Terry Alexander to be Sherman Junction's executive chef. He said he'll be jazzing up some basic menu items.

"It's my style of food - comfort food with a flair," Alexander said.

Alexander, 40, has 26 years of experience as a chef.

Alexander said he was previously a corporate chef for Rock Bottom Restaurants, based in Louisville, Colo. It operates Old Chicago and Sing Sing restaurants and Rock Bottom Brewery locations. He also was corporate chef for Red Robin Gourmet Burgers restaurants, headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colo.

Wagner said it has taken 13 months to get the restaurant open for business. She had to fix plumbing, repair kitchen equipment and remodel bathrooms.

The process of opening the restaurant was made more difficult because the property had to make the legal switch from office use to restaurant use.

The building had long been used as a restaurant, and was the one-time location of Rustlers Roost, but was most recently occupied by a travel office, Wagner said.

Wagner has only been in the restaurant business for a year, she said.

Before that, she spent eight years working in information technology for Health Services Northwest, in Renton, Wash. She was in banking for 15 years prior to that, she said.