Porterhouse Market: An Eagle, Idaho Sandwich Shop Worth Trying

Last month, I took National Sandwich Month pretty seriously. Okay, maybe way too seriously.

I spent the month visiting locally owned sandwich shops around the Treasure Valley, eating my way through some fantastic sandwiches and eventually putting together my personal rankings of my favorites.

But there was one place I really wanted to get to and just couldn’t make it happen, Porterhouse Market in Eagle.

We actually tried. One weekend Sara and I were coming home from camping at Montour and thought, “Today’s the day. We’re finally going to Porterhouse.”

Yeah…no. By the time we got back into Eagle it was around 6:30, and Porterhouse was already closed. Turns out we were even more doomed than I realized. Porterhouse is open until 6 p.m., but they stop serving sandwiches at 5.

So National Sandwich Month came and went without Porterhouse making the list, but now that I’ve finally eaten there? That was a mistake not making it sooner.

This Place Has Been in Eagle, Idaho Since 2000

Porterhouse isn’t even remotely new. Dave Faulk opened Porterhouse Market in April of 2000, meaning they’ve been doing this in Eagle since before I even moved to Idaho. Today it’s still a family-run market, deli and catering business.

We finally stopped in while some friends were visiting from out of town. We were headed toward Emmett to look at some properties and decided this was finally our chance.

This isn’t just a sandwich shop, either. Walk through the door and you’ll find an actual meat and seafood market with steaks, fresh meats, prepared foods, deli salads and plenty of things that made me think, “Okay, I need to come back when I’m actually grocery shopping.”

Porterhouse says it focuses on fresh local ingredients, including all-natural meats raised in the Northwest, along with products from small local producers.

But we were there for sandwiches.

The Unique Flavors of The Grinder

I ordered The Grinder, and this thing is completely different from what I normally picture when somebody says “grinder.”

It’s made with Porterhouse’s house made meatloaf, sun-dried tomatoes, melted provolone, pesto mayo and lettuce on a whole-wheat bun and it was really, really good.

The meatloaf was fantastic, and that pesto mayo with the provolone and sun-dried tomatoes just worked.

Of course, I wasn’t only eating my sandwich. I’m married, so that means Sara’s sandwich is also partially my sandwich. At least that’s how I think marriage works.

She ordered the Roast Beef, made with Porterhouse’s house-made roast beef, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and horseradish sauce on sourdough.

Yep. I stole a bite and it was also excellent.

Our friends went with the tri-tip and the pastrami. Porterhouse makes its pastrami in-house, too; its Reuben pairs it with Swiss, Thousand Island dressing, Guinness mustard and pickled red onion on grilled rye.

Between the four of us, there wasn’t a disappointing sandwich on the table.

Ranking the Best Sandwiches in Treasure Valley

Where would Porterhouse have landed if I’d gotten here during National Sandwich Month? I don’t know exactly, but it would’ve made things considerably more difficult.

After finally eating at Porterhouse, I think it absolutely would’ve had an argument for being somewhere up around the top of that list. It’s that good.

And maybe that’s actually the fun part of doing these local food adventures. There is always another place you’ve driven past, heard about or had sitting on your “I really need to try that place” list.

Porterhouse had been on mine for way too long and now it’s on my “I need to go back” list.

If you’ve never tried it, this is one is absolutely worth the drive when you’re craving a dang fine sandwich.

Just don’t make the mistake I did.

Get there before 5.

I Tried 5 Treasure Valley Sandwich Shops. Here’s My Final Ranking

Before somebody gets mad at me over a sandwich, let me establish the rules here.

This is my ranking based on my experience and the specific sandwich I tried at each place. I paid for all of my food. I wasn’t compensated by any of these restaurants, and these are simply my honest opinions.

It's important to know, once we get past number five, this gets REALLY difficult. I would happily go back to any of these places.

But a ranking is a ranking. So here we go.

Gallery Credit: Cory Mikhals