The Boar’s Nest specializes in smoked meats and spectacular views of Spirit Lake

Rob Egusquiza’s smoker is difficult to miss.

The centerpiece sits outside, encompassing some 490 square feet of cooking space and – since it’s typically parked near the entrance – serving as a sort of welcome wagon, receiving guests at the lakeside restaurant he runs with his brother.

The menu, as you might’ve guessed, is meaty.

The Boar’s Nest specializes in brisket, baby back ribs, ribeye steak, slow-smoked tri tip and pulled pork. There’s a full bar, too, and a dozen beers on tap, plus live music or karaoke on weekends and, always, spectacular views of Spirit Lake.

Business slows in winter. So, after a short closure following the spot’s first six months in operation, Boar’s Nest is preparing to reopen for spring and summer. The soft re-launch is April 6. A grand re-opening party is scheduled for April 22.

Egusquiza, the manager and smoker of meats, encourages customers to come hungry. Portions are ample. Dishes, hearty. Price points, reasonable.

His focus is “traditional, dry-rub everything, no sauce” – at least not during cooking. Customers can add barbecue sauce or other condiments, if they want.

The star of his show: a smoker built by Bubba Jax Custom BBQ Pits in Delhart, Texas, for a sum of about $20,000. There are 12 shelves to the charcoal-and-propane hybrid grill, which Rob Egusquiza feeds a mix of mesquite and apple wood.

The brisket takes about 20 hours. The tri tip, 14. Ribs cook for about eight.

“It’s all low and slow,” he said. “No short cuts.”

Not only do folks come to Boar’s Nest with appetites, but many also bring memories. Of dancing, drinking and shenanigans.

Some were regulars way back when – particularly in the 1960s when the place was hugely popular bar, a hip and happening watering hole. It was one of the main draws at Sedlmayers Resort, which – after decades of good times – fell into disrepair, sitting unused for “well over 20 years,” said Yon Egusquiza, who also owns Heritage Meats and More, which opened in Hayden.

He and his brother and their business partner David Howard, 42, took over operation of the old dance hall and roadhouse at Spirit Lake just over a year ago, launching into repairs and attracting the attention of old-timers.

“All summer long, while we were working on it, people wanted to see what we were doing,” said Rob Egusquiza, 38.

“We’ve had the privilege of meeting people who’ve worked here, who got married here,” said Yon Egusquiza, 40. “It’s been cool meeting people with memories of the place.”

The Egusquiza brothers gave the building a new look, name and focus. But the sentiment is the same as it was in the hall’s heyday: Boar’s Nest is a place to unwind and let go on the lake.

“This was, from what I’ve gathered, one helluva party spot,” Rob Egusquiza said. “It was the place to party on the lake. I don’t think they were known for the food.”

These days, though, the partners want Boar’s Nest to be known more for the food than for the bar.

“The bar is still there, but I want to make it more of a family environment,” Rob Egusquiza said.

The Egusquiza brothers grew up in Boise, where their dad settled after emigrating from Spain’s Basque country in the 1960s. Their father was one of 14 children in a family from just outside Balboa, and he came to America to herd sheep. Basque culture remains evident in pockets throughout Idaho, particularly in Boise, where about 15,000 people of Basque heritage live in what’s the highest concentration outside of Europe.

Rob Egusquiza is a kind of jack of all trades – and master of many of them. He’s worked construction as well as on a fire crew. He’s been a bartender and hog farmer. And he learned to smoke meat when he was in taxidermy school in Texas.

“I wanted to be a taxidermist,” said Rob Egusquiza, who did, in fact, work as a taxidermist for a short time. But, he said, “I’ve always wanted to have a restaurant.”

In early 2016, the partners began renovating the old dance hall and roadhouse at Sedlmayers Resort, a 3-acre resort with 21 RV sites with full hook-ups, 10 spots for tent camping and one cabin. The RV park had remained in operation on and off. But the building that housed the bar had sat unused for nearly 30 years.

The brothers don’t know too much about the history of the place, other than it was once a happening spot, a popular place for families to go fishing and single to mingle.

“It opened in the early 1940s from what I understand, and ran until the early 1980s,” Rob Egusquiza said.

“I’ve heard ’88. I’ve heard ’92. Roughly, the 1990 mark,” Yon Egusquiza said.

When they arrived on scene with their restaurant dream, squirrels were living in the building.

“The whole place was carpet,” Robert Egusquiza said. “It was really gross. There was probably 500 pounds of cigarette ash in it.

“We cleaned, cleaned and cleaned.”

They tore out the carpet, installed new flooring, refinished the wood on the walls, added a toe-kick to the bar, rebuilt the fireplace, gutted the kitchen, built a new deck and gave the place a new name. Boar’s Nest pays homage to the hog farm Rob Egusquiza owns with Howard, a longtime friend. Plus, growing up, “Dukes of Hazzard” was Rob Egusquiza’s favorite show. Boar’s Nest was the name of the watering hole in the television series, which ran from 1979 to 1985.

Howard and the Egusquiza brothers opened their real-life restaurant and bar in August, near the end of the busy summer lake season. A grand-opening event took place in October. Since then, word of the revived roadhouse has spread with the help of the establishment’s Facebook page – as well as through word of mouth.

The dining room seats 75 patrons, plus another eight at the bar. The deck seats 36 when the weather’s nice. Seating is a mix of booths, tables and high-tops.

“Friday and Saturday nights are packed,” Rob Egusquiza said. Those are prime rib nights.

Other menu items include wild salmon, nachos, sweet potato tots, street-style tacos on corn tortillas from DeLeon Foods in Spokane, mozzarella sticks, onion rings and a 1/2-pound burger with tomato, lettuce, onion and dill pickle. Add cheddar and Pepperjack for 99 cents per slice or smoked bacon or a fried egg for $1.99. There’s a black bean burger, too.

Other sandwiches include prime rib dip, grilled chicken, smoked brisket and pulled pork.

Of course, there’s a rub.

Rob Egusquiza won’t share his secret spice blend. He won’t even give any hints about what’s in it.

“That’s my special combination.”