The Cedars was recommended to us by our B&B innkeeper. He certainly steered us to the right location in Coeur d'Alene. We had an interior table right by the windows, which afforded us a lovely twilight view of the lake and the resort downtown. The service was friendly and professional without being too attentive. The seafood was very fresh and well prepared. The cedar plank wild Pacific salmon was among the best I've had. The salad bar was just ok, but I have to admit I'm not one to get excited about salad bars.

The Cedars is in a great location on the lake. The outside dining area can be breezy and a little cool. The inside dining room has a bit of a background "hum" from some inner source -- not really disturbing but noticeable. The food was very good, all seemingly cooked fresh and not pre-cooked and kept warm on a steam table. The wine list is adequate, focusing on regional wines (very few international labels). Service was excellent. No real complaints, but it just wasn't special enough to make it up to a 5-star rating. Nonetheless, we'd happily return.

My husband took me here hours after he proposed (coincidentally the same place my dad proposed to my mom). The view is beautiful, because the restaurant is actually floating on the lake and they make the atmosphere very romantic but comfortable. The service was excellent - very attentive and helpful but not overly attentive. Our food was very good - they brought out the excellent flavors of the meat and fish, rather than masking it by fancy sauces.
The most memorable thing about this restaurant, however, was the desserts. There are few restaurants that put as much effort into their desserts as they do the dinners (I am a pastry chef and am very picky about desserts). Cedars honestly had the best dessert I had ever tasted. (I had the chocolate molten cake and my husband had the creme brulee.) I have heard wonderful things about their pastry chef, and their desserts and bread exemplify that. I love Cedars - its my favorite place in CDA!
Go there - and don't forget to save room for dessert!

For a restaurant that has been in business 30+ years, the Cedars has done an amazing job of continually ranking among the best in Idaho. It IS steak and seafood, folks, and the focus is on high quality, fresh ingredients rather than fancy sauces. The decent salad bar is included with most meals. Hint: menu portions are huge so split a plate to leave room for the excellent giant-size desserts.