LATE JUNE NEWS

Hello!

We’re turning on the misters above the hill and gearing up for the summer heat. It really helps drop the temperature on the patio and create our own little downtown oasis. On that note, here’s a little One Capitol Center history (that’s the building that we’re in). The building opened its doors in 1975 aka Remi’s birth year. What is now KIN & Art Haus opened up as The Main St. Bistro. A few years later the landlords of the building searched for a new restaurateur tenant. They courted a chef from Seattle, Ray of Ray’s Boathouse, which sat on the edge of the Puget Sound. They eventually convinced Ray to head to the high desert; his aptly named establishment was Ray’s Oasis. We don’t have a lot of information from that restaurant but we do agree that it’s still a nice respite from the downtown heat.

Upcoming Events

KIN Kaiseki

Wednesday-Saturday, June 24th-27th

7:00p

KIN Tasting Room

We’re really excited about this week’s kaiseki menu. It’s 11 (kinda actually more) courses showing restraint and highlighting the microseason of Southern Idaho in this very moment. We always try to be local and seasonal but this is it to the nth degree. The dishes will all be small, some only a few bites. Each in a thoughtful order based on Japanese tradition but of course with our own spin on it. Included is a beverage pairing with light wines and sake that will carry over from course to course. Of course, we’ll have an NA pairing available as well. There are a few more seats on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday and Saturday are currently sold out but we can start up a waitlist. Tickets are available through the “Experiences” on OpenTable.

SOLD OUT

Night Market!

Thursday, July 2nd

5:00-9:00p

Art Haus Patio

Night Market II of the season is next week! We’ll have some new vendors down here on the patio with a summer BBQ theme! Matt is making some kielbasa, cheddar brats and smoked carrot dogs complete with house baked buns. We’ll have Fourth of July to go kits as well of the same sausages and DIY S’more kits as well! Bring the visiting family and friends down and come hang out on the hill.

Mantha Wine Dinner

Thursday, July 9th

7:00p

KIN Tasting Room

Come join us for a special one night wine dinner with Samantha Bauer of Mantha Wines. Sam is a Boise native but moved down to the Californian Sierra Foothills to start her wine label. A former geologist, Sam knows a thing about terroir. We haven’t had a wine dinner in a long time so we’re excited to have a fun collaborative menu celebrating a young Boise winemaker. She just started carrying her wines in her home state and they haven’t hit any other restaurants or shelves yet so it’s a good chance for a sneak peek of what’s to come.

SOLD OUT

Sundog Flower Farm Dinner

Saturday & Sunday, July 25th & 26th

6:00p

Sundog Farm, Dry Creek Valley

Join us for dinner out on the farm in the Dry Creek Valley. Our friends, Brooke and Davis of Sundog Flower Farm are hosting us for a floral-inspired dinner for about 70 guests. You’ll start with a welcome cocktail and a short tour from Brooke or Davis then settle in for a family-style meal nestled amongst all the flowers. We’ll have a little music from our friend Scott Thompson and linger until the sun sets. It’s setting up to be a beautiful scene for a fun and jovial night.

SUN DOG DINNERS

Art Haus

As mentioned, the bar is all set up for a great night out on the patio. We have new macarons themed around popsicles and a new special burger, the Kimchi Grilled Cheese Burger. The bartenders are cycling through new cocktails and NAs as well, so there’s always something new to try. Ampersand is great in the summer too, just watching the lazy clouds drift by over the hills.

Days Open: Wednesday-Saturday

Hours of Operation: 4-11p

Happy Hours: 4-5p & 10-11p

KIN

So, we have the kaiseki menu running in the tasting room this week. We are only open Thursday and Friday of the following week since we are closed on the Fourth. That is Tyler’s last week with us on the regular (he will make guest appearances on special events and Night Markets). If you’ve developed any sort of relationship with him we definitely suggest you come by the next couple weeks and show him some love. I know he’d appreciate it.

KIN seatings for June &  July

Thursday (and some Wednesdays) : 7p

Friday & Saturday: 6p & 9p (Supper Club)

As always, thank you for your support of our little pirate ship restaurant. The business doesn’t get any easier but we’re finding more ways to appreciate the people we’re surrounded with and the community that we call home. Thank you and hope to see you soon!

JUNE NEWS

Hi!

Hard to believe we’re already moving through June. We’re nearly halfway through the year, and 2026 is flying by. Really, it feels not that far removed from when we were a makeshift version of Art Haus with thrifted everything, in the shell of the former Angell’s safari-themed interior decorating. We were running two bars in one space to hold liquor licenses while trying to develop the plan for what would eventually become KIN.

Around that time, a chef mentor of mine from Portland told me something while I was visiting former colleagues. He said, “Komori, you’ve maybe figured this out already, but we’re not in the business of food—we’re in the business of people. That’s the guest, but more importantly, the crew.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Since those early Art Haus days, we've hosted dozens of meaningful community collaborations, created hundreds of menus and special events and welcomed thousands of happy guests through our doors (a handful of unhappy ones as well). But when we think about what has mattered most over the years, we keep coming back to the people who have helped build this place.

It’s an interesting balance: caring for people and investing in their development, both professionally and personally, while also paying them and maintaining expectations for performance. Over the years, nearly 100 unique employees have worked with us. While our staff tenure is relatively long by restaurant standards, it can still feel like a revolving door at times.

There are difficult conversations when someone isn’t the right fit or when circumstances force a change. Fortunately, those situations have been relatively rare for us. More often, someone is simply ready for the next phase of their life.

Replacing a team member who has gained experience and confidence within our system is certainly costly, but over time we’ve learned to see the bigger picture. The fleeting nature of working in a seasonal restaurant has taught us to enjoy the time we have together while appreciating the bittersweetness of change. We can celebrate the next chapter in someone’s life, even when it means moving on from us.

I’m not proud of many things in my life, but reconnecting with former employees and hearing about the positive impact we had on them makes all of the effort feel worthwhile.

And that brings us to Tyler...

We are happy to announce that Tyler is ready for the next step in his own adventure. He joined KIN in the winter of 2021 but his history with us goes back even further—to the makeshift Art Haus days and even the old State & Lemp era. He has worked in every front-of-house position and has become almost as recognizable and synonymous with KIN as me and Remi.

Quite simply, we would not be the place we are today without Tyler. He leaves some very big shoes (specifically Nikes) to fill, but more than anything, we love him and are excited to see what comes next. He’ll be with us through the first week of July, so please stop by and help us send him off with well wishes.

Speaking of new paths forward, we’re also excited to share a couple of promotions within the team.

Jim will be stepping up to lead our bartending crew. While he’s still relatively new to us, he brings a ton of bartending and management experience. He embodies our ethos and everyone who has worked with him has become a fan of Jim.

We’re also excited to announce that Courtney, who has been with us for nearly three years, is now our General Manager. Over the years she’s become the face of Art Haus and, more recently, the voice of KIN, handling most early guest interactions on the phone. Personally, I’m thrilled she accepted the position—even after realizing how much more she’ll have to deal with Remi.

We know she will grow into an exceptional leader for our team. She’s one of the hardest-working and empathetic people we have and we’re excited to watch her take on new responsibilities, challenges and successes in the years ahead.

As always, thank you for being part of this ragtag community. Restaurants are often measured by food, drinks, awards or accolades, but we've always believed the real work is about the connections. The menus change, the seasons pass and eventually everyone moves into a new chapter. What stays are the relationships, the lessons learned together and the opportunity to help one another grow. We're grateful for everyone who has been part of this journey, and we're especially excited to celebrate the next steps for Tyler, Jim and Courtney. There are many benefits to owning a restaurant but watching people grow into bigger versions of themselves just might be the best one.

Late May Newsletter

Hello!

It’s one of our favorite times of the year; the weather is perfect, not too hot yet, the farms are just about to be fully on and the foothills are still a vibrant green. It’s asparagus and peas, strawberries, elderflower and the first of the foragable currants. The only bummer is the Idaho morel season is pretty hard this year due to the warm winter, rainy April and subsequently a lot of bug issues. On the other hand, porcinis are a bit early and looking good.

It’s also fully patio season (although this week might get a little drizzly). We’re about to have our first of this year’s outdoor events. We’re really hoping to be able to engage the outdoors a bit more this year, be it concerts, readings, theater or just having people come down and sit on the grassy hill. Speaking of which…

Upcoming Events

Death Rattle Literary presents: Ekphrastic

Thursday, May 28th

7:00-9:30p

Art Haus Patio

We’re partnering with local nonprofit Death Rattle for a session of readings themed around notional ekphrastic poetry, which is a  subgenre where poets and fiction authors will write a piece describing an imagined, fictional or lost work of art/folklore rather than an existing tangible one.

The poets will read from between the flagpoles outside of our patio, the hill open to listeners. We’ll be jartending outside with original, collaborative beverages. The patio and bar will open for regular business with the kitchen fully open for dinner. Come down and support the local literary arts and relax on the hill! Just in case it gets a little wet, we’ll move it inside and go upstairs!

Night Market!

Thursday, June 4th

5:00-9:00p

Art Haus Patio

Night Market is back on First Thursday! We’re opening up the patio and hill to our local small businesses to sell their wares and make new connections. It’s a really fun event with jovial, supportive energy. We’ll have everything from local artists, ceramicists, nonprofits, DJs, flowers, books, bees and tarot. We’ll even have a young entrepreneur, Kichi, selling some magnetic origami hearts (a very unbiased plug for my 10 year old son). In addition to our friends, we will also have a table slinging cocktails, focaccia, cookies, pickles and skewers. Inside Art Haus will be fully open for regular service, as is the tasting room in KIN.

Also, any purchase from one of the vendors will get you a raffle ticket for the chance to win a $100 gift card to KIN & Art Haus. You don’t need to be present to win, so long as you leave your info on the ticket. We’re hoping for a good turnout and a fun night highlighting the hard working small businesses in our community.

Art Haus

Come on down and try out a new wave of summery beverages. The special burger this week is a mock on Char Siu, with some sweet hoisin glazed pork belly and five spiced napa cabbage slaw. We’re fully up on asparagus with a grilled dish and others tucked into a satisfying bowl of yakisoba. There’s also a tasty rhubarb sorbet…just saying.

Due to a lot of people asking for it, Wednesdays will consistently be Gyoza Night! We’re sticking with the traditional pork or mushroom filling but looking to add a few more varieties down the road.

Happy hour is still the first and last hour of the evening, perfect as the sun sets a little bit later.

Days Open: Wednesday-Saturday

Hours of Operation: 4-11p

Happy Hours: 4-5p & 10-11p

KIN

We’re onto Menu 77 - America! Semiquincentennial Regional Americana Thru Time! In honor of the 250th anniversary of these United States of America, we’re doing a menu based on food stories through American culinary history. It’ll dance around a little, from life on the frontier pursuing the American dream to Ellis island, “Melting Pot” fusion foods and of course, the iconically American condiment, Ranch. Because of a few pop menus interspersed through, this menu will go straight up to July 3rd (we’re all taking the Fourth off).

Menu 78 is one of those pop up, 1-week long menus and it’s one we’ve been wanting to do for a while now. It’s Kaiseki! Kaiseki is a traditional Japanese dining style built around a series of small, hyperseasonal courses. Each dish shows a bit of restraint, focusing on the natural qualities of the ingredient rather than covering them up. The meal follows a thoughtful progression, moving from lighter preparations to more intricate dishes, then back to something simple and grounding. Rooted in tea ceremony traditions, kaiseki is meant to reflect a specific moment in time and place through food. Our kaiseki meal will follow this arc but of course, reflect our own perspectives, experiences and local landscapes. We’re really excited about this menu. It’ll probably end up being around 11-13 courses and have some much more elaborate plating. A good chance to step outside our typical routine and push ourselves that much more. The menu will run Wednesday, June 24th through Saturday, June 27th. It is a ticketed event with everything (food, beverage, tax and gratuity) included in the price. Here is a link to purchase a ticket. It is set for Wednesday, but you can choose a different date from links below (Kaiseki #1-#4)

https://www.opentable.com/booking/experiences-availability?rid=1065754&restref=1065754&experienceId=715608&utm_source=external&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=shared

The other ticketed special pop up menus are also located on OpenTable for you to check out. We have a link to our calendar of events on the website here. https://www.kinboise.com/news

They are starting to fill up so make sure to snag a seat if you want to join!

KIN seatings for May & June

Thursday: 7p

Friday & Saturday: 6p & 9p (Supper Club)

As always, we really appreciate the support of everyone that makes it this far in an email. Business is still up and down. Despite what it may seem from the outside, there are typically reservations available on the tasting room side and plenty of room in the bar while the patio is running. We’ll continue to do more summer events, even outside our ticketed events, so stay tuned! We’re always open to catering summer BBQs as well! Hope everyone had a great long weekend and happy start to the summer season!

2026 Menu Calender

We’re excited to share our KIN calendar and menus for the summer.

In the past, we’ve run menus for about five weeks at a time, with a few off the cuff pop-ups sprinkled in here and there. This year is pretty much the same except for one positive difference. We’ve actually mapped the whole thing out ahead of time. 

Think of it a bit like a season’s show run at The Morrison or LED or a concert lineup you’d plan your summer around. The goal is to give you time to look ahead. Well, for all of us to look ahead. We hear often that guests missed out or heard too late on some of our shorter, collaborative menus. Hopefully, this will help you work around vacations and maybe even plan a night with visiting friends or family. Our longer menus (5–6 weeks) will run just like they always have, with reservations available by phone, through our website or on OpenTable.

For our shorter, one-week (or one day) special menus, we’re switching things up a bit. These will be ticketed*, purchased in advance. Tickets will include the price of food, beverage, gratuity, our health & wellness surcharge and tax—so everything is covered except for any additional drinks you might want to explore. Due to the small dining room and limited tables, most single diner reservations may be combined with each other which is another great way to meet a person with similar interests. We’ll also try to accommodate as many dietary restrictions as we can but some may take away too much from the experiential menu.

Again, just like a concert or play, these ticketed events are non-refundable, but they are fully transferable. We’ll just need the new guest’s info so we can take care of them. On that note, they’ll also make great gifts!

Below, you’ll find the lineup of menus and themes, along with a bit of context for each. We’re still finalizing dishes but we have a really good sense of the ingredients and direction.

It’s a lot of info but if something jumps out as a can’t-miss, you can grab tickets linked below each description. We’ll also have a number of pop ups, classes and events run through Art Haus that we’ll let everyone know about through other future emails and on Instagram.

Summer ‘26

April 14 - May 16 TM76 Hallie Maxwell

May 19 - July 3 TM77 Semiquincentennial Americana

June 16 TM78* IBG 6.0

June 24 - June 27 TM79* Kaiseki

July 7 - July 31 TM80 Summer Memories 4.0

July 9 TM81* Mantha Wines

July 25 & July 26 TM82* Sundog Flower Farm Dinner

Aug 5 - Aug 8 TM83* Family Meal

Aug 11 - Sep 26 TM84 All Dressed, Salad Edition

Aug 26 - Aug 29 TM85* Back to School Week

*Ticketed menus that are one week or shorter

TM76 - Hallie Maxwell

April 14 - May 16

Price: $130 (tasting menu) $40 (beverage pairing) $99 (Supper Club)

A menu completely inspired by local artist, Hallie Maxell. A Boise State MFA graduate, Hallie has completed residencies at Surel’s Place, Common Well and The James Castle House. Each course of the menu draws from a piece of work displayed throughout the dining room as well as her personal history and ongoing exploration of identity. We love our artist collaboration menus and are really excited to share Hallie’s talents and stories.

A few featured local ingredients: Sunnyside asparagus, baby artichokes, green garlic, radishes, pork belly, pea tips and more.

TM77 - Semiquincentennial Americana

May 19 - July 3

Price: $130 (tasting menu) $40 (beverage pairing) $99 (Supper Club)

We typically avoid running a menu concerning a specific date. It always feels weird once we go past it. But it just so happens that this menu ends the night before the 250th anniversary of America. So, we leaned into it. In honor, this six-week menu looks back to the early days and traces a few of the moments, ingredients and odd little food stories that have helped shape American food over the last two and a half centuries. Think regional influences, native ingredients, iconic brands and of course, there’s nothing more american than ranch.

A few featured ingredients: Ramps, morels, rhubarb, snap peas, mint, carrots, salmon.

TM78* - Idaho Botanical Garden 6.0

June 16 *Ticketed - one night only

Location: Idaho Botanical Garden

Price: $295 (donation included)

This is the sixth collaboration with the Idaho Botanical Garden. It’s a one night fundraising event to support their work growing and educating our community around all things plants. We’ll be serving dinner family-style at a long, rustic table right next to the Meditation Garden. We set up a firepit and get to grilling, utilizing ingredients from nearby farms along with a few things grown right there on site. It’s a really fun event with all the good early summer vibes with a great organization at the center of it all.

A few potential ingredients: Elderflower, spruce tips, hakurei turnips, strawberries, broccoli leaf.

TICKET LINK BELOW...

KIN X BOTANICAL GARDEN DINNER

TM79* - Kaiseki

June 24 - June 27 *Ticketed - one week

Price: $285 (11-course tasting menu, beverage pairing, tax & gratuity)

Kaiseki is a traditional Japanese dining style built around a series of small, seasonal courses. Each dish shows a bit of restraint, focusing on the natural qualities of the ingredient rather than covering them up. The meal follows a thoughtful progression, moving from lighter preparations to more intricate dishes, then back to something simple and grounding. Rooted in tea ceremony traditions, kaiseki is meant to reflect a specific moment in time and place through food. Our kaiseki meal will follow this arc but of course, reflect our own perspectives, experiences and local ingredients.

A few potential ingredients: Apricot, cucumber, squash blossoms, mulberries, burnet, albacore.

TICKET LINKS BELOW...

KIN KAISEKI 6/24

KIN KAISEKI 6/25

KIN KAISEKI 6/26

KIN KAISEKI 6/27

TM80 - Summer Memories 4.0

July 7 - July 31 

Price: $130 (tasting menu) $40 (beverage pairing) $99 (Supper Club) 

Always a favorite traditions is “Summer Memories”, where we ask the team to share a favorite story from years past. Then we build a dish around it. Over time, that’s meant everything from Erika’s family’s annual Oregon coast trip to Michael getting up early and drinking coffee with his dad, Syd’s snowcone bike runs, picking flowers through the neighborhood and of course that time Tyler and the gang bought a yacht. We’ve got a few new faces on the crew this year and it’s always a fun way to introduce them through food and the memories that have shaped them.

A few featured ingredients: Cherries, cucumber, zucchini, basil, nasturtium, porcini.

TM81 - Mantha Wine Dinner

July 9th *Ticketed - one night only

Price: $245 (tasting menu, Mantha Wine pairing, tax & gratuity) 

*We will not be offering a nonalcohol beverage pairing

It’s been a while since we’ve done a wine dinner and we’ve been looking forward to collaborating with Mantha Wines for years. Samantha Bauer, a Boise native and former geologist turned winemaker, focuses on terroir while caring for grapes in the Northern Sierra Foothills, part of the North Yuba AVA. She’s coming back to visit, bringing a selection of her wines for us to explore. Each course is built to meet the wine where it is. Sometimes it’s matching its body and aroma, other times branching off into a story or idea connected to Sam herself. It should be a really fun night and a great chance to support a young winemaker with Boise roots.

A few potential ingredients: Plums, sweet cicely, currants, okra, collard greens.

TICKET LINK BELOW...

KIN X MANTHA WINEMAKER DINNER

TM82 - Sundog Flower Farm Dinner

July 25th & 26th *Ticketed - two nights only

Location: Sundog Flower Farm

Price: $150 (food, beverage pairing, tax & gratuity)

Join us for dinner out on the farm in the Dry Creek Valley. Brooke and Davis of Sundog Flower Farm are hosting us for a floral-inspired dinner for about 70 guests. You’ll start with a welcome cocktail and a short tour from Brooke or Davis then settle in for a family-style meal nestled amongst all the flowers. We’ll have a little music from our friend Scott Thompson and linger until the sun sets.

A few potential ingredients: Sunflower, calendula, marigold, taper tips, nonflower things.

TICKET LINKS BELOW

KIN X SUNDOG FLOWER FARM DINNER 7/25

KIN X SUNDOG FLOWER FARM DINNER 7/26

TM83 - Family Meal

Aug 5 - Aug 8 *Ticketed - one week

Price: $80 (food, beverage pairing, tax & gratuity)

One of things we love most about our tasting room is the shared experience. We know it’s not for everyone, or every occasion, but bringing people together around a dinner table feels really important, especially now. So for one week, we’re switching things up. We’ll lower the price, push the tables together and serve a family-style meal meant to be shared. It might be fewer courses but based on some of our staff’s favorite daily family meals. The hope is that you leave nourished, nutritionally and emotionally, and maybe meet a couple new friends along the way.

A few potential ingredients: Fennel, cherry tomatoes, squash, porcini, shishitos, shiso.

TICKET LINKS BELOW...

KIN FAMILY MEAL 8/5

KIN FAMILY MEAL 8/6

KIN FAMILY MEAL 8/7

KIN FAMILY MEAL 8/8

TM84 - All Dressed, Salad Edition

Aug 11 - Sep 26

Price: $130 (tasting menu) $40 (beverage pairing) $99 (Supper Club)

A whole menu based on salad dressings you ask? You betcha. Nonintentionally, we’ve had a few courses on recent menus based on dressings. There was the 1000 Island Macaron with the tomato mac shell, sweet olive oil emulsion and pickled elderberry buttercream. We couldn’t do an America! menu without a course centered around ranch. Naturally, the next step is to just do the whole menu riffing on classic salad toppers. From Catalina to Lemon Poppyseed, they’re all up for grabs. Stubbornly, the only thing you probably won’t see is an actual salad.

A few potential ingredients: Tomatoes, eggplant, melons, chanterelles, peaches, sea beans.

TM85 - Back to School

Aug 26 - Aug 29 *Ticketed - one week

Price: $275 (food, beverage pairing, tax & gratuity)

This one’s for all the parents out there! Getting back to school and settling back into a little rhythm is reason enough to celebrate. So, we’re cracking open the cookbooks and sharpening those #2s. Each course will be inspired by one of those yearbook superlatives, you know, the “Most Likely to Succeed” or “Best Dressed”, the latter apparently being what Remi claims to have been dubbed. It’ll be a great chance to get that gang back together and rekindle some of those vibes from the good ‘ol days. Proceeds from the event will go to help out our local Boise title one elementary schools.

A few featured ingredients: Sweet corn, peppers, grapes, elderberries, lobster shrooms.

TICKET LINKS BELOW...

KIN BACK TO SCHOOL 8/26

KIN BACK TO SCHOOL 8/27 SOLD OUT

KIN BACK TO SCHOOL 8/28 SOLD OUT

KIN BACK TO SCHOOL 8/29

AND…if you’ve made it this far, we’ll put a little teaser for a two-night collaboration in the middle of September. We’re teaming up with our fellow James Beard Award Winner, Sal Alamilla & Amano…