The French dip is gone, replaced by an Idaho Philly the server promises is just as good. Maybe even better.

Here on the corner of West Idaho Street and North 8th Street, in the heart of the city he helped put on the college football radar, Chris Petersen would come to the Fork restaurant and enjoy what he called the best French dip he’s ever had.

“He always laughed at my jokes,” said Cody Meurer, a server who waited on Petersen several times over the years. A new chef recently took over, and a new menu was created.

Boise State, the mid-major Cinderella program that rose to prominence over the last decade, has moved on from Petersen, too. The Broncos were 92-12 in Petersen’s eight seasons as their coach, one of the most successful stretches in college football history, which makes Petersen’s return to Boise as Washington’s coach for Friday’s season opener all the more dramatic.

Or awkward, as Petersen has described it.