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🎲The Wild Card

The Narrows Steakhouse

Idaho's Most Surprising Steakhouse Wine List

McCall Β· McCall Β· American Β· Visit Website β†—

date-nightold-world-focussplurge-worthydeep-cellar

Reviewed April 7, 2026

Wingman Metrics

List VarietySolid Range
MarkupSteep
GlasswareBasic Stemmed
StaffWilling but Green
Specials & DealsSet & Forget
Storage & TempProper

First Impression

You're in McCall, Idaho β€” a mountain lake town better known for snowmobiles than Stag's Leap β€” and the wine list runs 200-plus bottles with a Best of Award of Excellence to its name. That alone earns a double-take. The list lands with more ambition than you'd ever expect from a lodge steakhouse this far off the beaten path.

Selection Deep Dive

The backbone is exactly what you want with a dry-aged bison cowboy steak: California Cabernet country, with Jordan, Silver Oak, Caymus, and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars all present and accounted for. Washington gets proper respect too β€” Chateau Ste. Michelle and L'Ecole No. 41 are smart inclusions that nod to the regional story without feeling like tokenism. France shows up through Louis Jadot Burgundy, which keeps things honest for the crowd that doesn't want to go full New World. The gaps are real though β€” no serious Italian, no RhΓ΄ne depth, and the list skews heavily toward the same West Coast hits you'd find at any steakhouse with a budget.

By the Glass

With 12-20 pours on offer, the by-the-glass program is genuinely useful for a table that can't agree on a bottle. Expect the California usuals to dominate β€” this isn't a by-the-glass program built for adventurous drinkers. Rotation appears minimal; don't count on anything surprising showing up mid-season.

πŸ’°Best Value

L'Ecole No. 41 (Washington) β€” $50-$70

L'Ecole consistently punches above its price class, and in a list full of California trophy bottles, it's the sleeper pick that actually delivers complexity without the ego markup.

πŸ’ŽHidden Gem

Louis Jadot Burgundy

Most tables here are locked in on Cab, so the Jadot Burgundy sits quietly on the list, largely ignored. That's a mistake β€” with the dry-aged bison or the seared ahi, a solid Burgundy reads the room better than any Napa Cab.

β›”Skip This

Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon

Caymus is everywhere, and lodge restaurants love to mark it up knowing guests recognize the label. You can do better on this list for the same money β€” or less.

🍽️Perfect Pairing

Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon + Dry-aged bison cowboy steak

Jordan is structured enough to stand up to the bison's intensity without the showboat tannins of something like Caymus β€” it lets the meat do the talking, which is the whole point of ordering a cowboy steak in Idaho.

🎲 The Bottom Line

The Narrows is a genuine outlier β€” a mountain lodge steakhouse in central Idaho that takes wine seriously enough to hold a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence, and mostly backs it up. Pricing runs steep and the staff isn't guiding you through a Burgundy master class, but if you're already driving to McCall for the lake, this list is reason enough to make a reservation.

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