SANDPOINT — Pretty soon, the rest of the country will know what the community's residents already do — that the Hydra Steakhouse is one of the best places to grab a bite to eat.

The Sandpoint restaurant, which opened in 1975 at its 115 Lake St. location, was recently selected to be featured on "America's Best Restaurants Roadshow," a YouTube series with over 2,000 episodes over the past five years.

"We’re one of America’s best restaurants," Kate Reeder, who owns the restaurant along with her husband Carson, said in a social media post about the long-time steakhouse's selection earlier this month. "But don’t take our word for it — the experts say so, too."

Kate Reeder began working at The Hydra about a decade ago — starting as a server, and then rising through the ranks to the general manager position, which she held for about six years prior to becoming co-owner. Both Sandpoint natives, the Reeders are the fourth local generation to own and operate the restaurant.

Headquartered in Florence, Ky., America’s Best Restaurants is a national media and marketing company focused on bringing attention to local, independently-owned restaurants.

Filming of The Hydra Steakhouse episode is scheduled for Aug. 11. The restaurant’s finished episode premiere date will be announced on social media and will be featured on America’s Best Restaurants’ website at bit.ly/3IS1Ced.

The show's rotating hosts travel the country visiting the country's best restaurants to help call attention to the establishments.

"We're humbled by this amazing opportunity and would like to thank all of our awesome customers for your support," Kate Reeder said in the post.

Popular dishes will be highlighted, along with an extensive on-camera interview with Carson and Kate Reeder about the restaurant’s special place in the community. The episode will be aired extensively on social media channels at a later date, ABR officials said in a press release.

The restaurant's menu features signature dishes ranging from traditional steakhouse fare — steaks, seafood and chicken — to a wide selection of soups, sandwiches and salads. The cozy ambience blends wood paneled walls, skylights and wildlife prints from local artists.

Open since 1975, The Hydra Steakhouse is the town of Sandpoint’s longest-running restaurant, offering an upscale steak-and-seafood dining experience in a former private residence that has expanded over the years to meet customer demand. To better serve customers, the restaurant features both private booths and an outdoor patio.

Among the signature dishes that might be featured on the show The Hydra's prime rib, the Reeder burger and its spinach artichoke dip appetizer. Other popular dishes include its French fries and a house-made mud pie.

It's that attention to customer service and quality local food that earned The Hydra a spot on the show, ABR officials said.

Restaurants featured on the ABR Roadshow are selected based on their customer reviews, menu items, social media presence, and level of involvement with their community. They are found through customer nominations, internal vetting or by a restaurant applying to be featured on the ABR website. 

After learning of The Hydra, it was an easy decision to feature the restaurant, which will feature both the couple's personal story but also their commitment to quality, local ingredients. 

That commitment includes never-frozen, Idaho-raised beef as well as the use of tallow and bacon grease for frying instead of conventional fryer and seed oils.

“We have a high dedication to quality food,” Kate Reeder said. “We've improved a lot of the beef quality and overall quality in general since our takeover, and then [we’d like to] just kind of give a glimpse of who we are to our community.”