I don't know how to classify Kahootz. On the one hand, they've got 43 taps of wonderful beery libations, a good wine selection, a lovely well-built bar, and t-shirts that quote an old Scottish proverb: "They speak of my drinking but never mention my thirst." I think this easily qualifies it as the best watering hole, pub, or ale house in Meridian, if not the whole of Ada County.

One tasty piece of salmon

On the other hand, they've got some of the area's tastiest food, including a juicy Friday and Saturday prime rib, scrumptious fish tacos, a kick-ass reuben, and a bread pudding that our own Hugh Ballsley says makes his heart go pitter-patter like no woman ever has. And if you're lucky to be there when they're serving fresh salmon that's been out of the water less than 48 hours, well, let's just say that you won't be disappointed. Thus one could also say Kahootz is a damn fine restaurant.

I guess we should just call Kahootz what it is: a fantastic place to eat, drink, and be merry.

For me and my ugly wife, no trip to Kahootz is complete without two things: a pint of Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar and a bowl of clam chowder. To get the scoop on both these favorites, I went straight to founding owner John Forsberg. He's not hard to find most days, whether he's talking beer with someone at the bar, cleaning up tables, or checking in next door at Main Street Burger, which he also owns. I just had to know why he has 43 taps (not 42, or 45, or 50...), and why the clam chowder is so incredibly good. Seriously, it's the best chowder this side of Boston. Every bowl comes with a slice of sourdough bread, and that very combination, with the addition of the right beer, has been known to stupify me with repetitive culinary orgasms.

Nectar and ambrosia

As it turns out, the 43 taps are the result of simple math. John says that before he opened the place he measured the available tap space, and it came out to just over fourteen feet. In this case, 43 happens to be the number of taps he could fit in the available space if he put them four inches apart. The exact number of taps aside, the only thing beer lovers care about is that Kahootz has the best and biggest tap lineup in the state. The benefit of that? It features the godly libation otherwise know as Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar, a favorite of mine. I don't know of anywhere else around that has it on tap. You'll probably find your favorite there too. In fact, if you can't find something you love among the offerings from Rogue, Deschutes, Lagunitas, Pyramid, and many others, you should probably go back to Utah. On the other hand, if you can't choose just one because you love too many, you can get a sampler mat of eight 5-ounce samples for $9. That's a sweet deal. According to John, they go through about 40 kegs of the good stuff a month, which is enough to make the local beer distributors really, really love him.

The mythical 43 taps

As for the clam chowder, John says that's it's so good because he has an excellent chef named Joe Anderson, who has phenomenal taste and just happens to be the other owner of the place. It's Joe's recipe, and despite my pleas to John for help obtaining the recipe or a keg of it, I came up empty handed. I guess we'll have to continue to visit the place on Friday nights, which is the only time the clam chowder is served. The one-night-a-week thing is a shame, really, but a recent mid-week visit allowed me an opportunity to sample a chicken and sweet potato soup that had some of the bite of the chowder and was also delicious. And that's the opinion of someone who doesn't really like sweet potatoes.

The bread pudding that stole Hugh's heart

Kahootz has been around since 2002, and even in the tough economy it's still doing well and always seems to be packed. I think there's a simple reason for this: Kahootz has always filled a void in the Meridian area. Where else are you going to go for a superior beer selection, great food, and most of all, genuine character? The chain restaurants and franchises on Eagle Road just can't compete with Kahootz, from its awesome summer patio complete with misters and live Saturday music, to its homemade soups and desserts, to its fryer-less kitchen, to the flowers they cut from their landscaping and put on the tables. And that's not too bad when you consider that another local restauranteur told John that the place wouldn't make it a month. I'd say seven years and counting is enough to prove that wrong.