Parkade Plaza finally starting to shine
Ken Paulman sent me the following picture from his phone, and it bodes well for Downtown dwellers:
I'll have more on this new development as soon as I can. Anyone heard any rumors?
The Valley Mustard Seed is still closed
An astute reader called to point out that we have the Valley Mustard Seed in the dining guide in today's 7.
It's still closed - not sure how it got in there today, but apologies for the error.
Another beloved chain comes to Spokane
Here's a hint: I can't hear the name of this restaurant without getting this song stuck in my head for days.
Parker Howell has the dirt here.
French pommes freedom frites fries
Remember when Americans used to call julienned, deep-fried potatoes French fries, or, when served with fish, under the British nomenclature, chips?
Then remember when, in 2003, some idiots decided to start calling them freedom fries to thumb their noses at the French? That fad never reached escape velocity to extend beyond the Bill OReilly crowd, yet now Im wondering if were experiencing a freedom fry backlash here in Spokane, because the original French term pommes frites, or pommes de terre frites keeps apprearing on menus at local restaurants.
Granted, the restaurants are usually of the eclectic, upscale variety such as Mizuna or Cafι Marron.
And the fries are usually tossed with tasty add-ons, such as the truffle oil, sea salt, basil and parmesan Pommes Frites at Moxie.
Has the fry finally gone all the way upscale? And are fancy fries better than plain old, skin-on French fries?
Monte Cristo!
With the reopening of The Hedge House came great news:
Spokane has another place to get a Monte Cristo sandwich.
This tasty roadside diner-style version of my current food obsession features turkey, ham and Velveeta-ish cheese triple-decker stacked on French toast and cut into corners.
How much do I love the Monte Cristo? Let me count the ... nevermind. Moving on.
The Hedge's version wasn't as high-brow as the one formerly on the menu at Cafe Marron, but there's something beautiful about keeping it simple.
Only one complaint: No maple syrup for dipping! Hook it up, Hedge House!
Looking for liquor in all the right places
Here are two ways to make your Friday a little more interesting.
First, be sure to read today's review of The Melting Pot. I'd be interested to hear opinions from others who've been there.
Second, my colleague Ryan Pitts pointed me toward a Web site that will make my life so much easier. Well, at least the "buying liquor" part of my life.
Apparently, the Washington State Liquor Control Board has a search engine on its Web site that allows you to browse through all the types and brands of liquor it sells statewide, and then allows you to search for specific products by store.
Apparently the Chewelah liquor store has a bottle of Brora 30 in stock for whoever can drop a few hundred dollars on one of the best-reviewed whiskies in recent years. Personally, I'm going to scrounge for a few bottles of the Laphroaig Quarter-Cask, which is on sale for just a little more than $50, which is a smoking deal for one of my favorite drams on Earth.
Have a good weekend. I know I will -- except for the fact that I'm turning 29 on Sunday. Ack.
Something special brewing at Steam Plant
Steam Plant Grill and Coeur d'Alene Brewing started a series of what they call "celebration beers" in honor of Coeur d'Alene Brewing's 100th anniversary, which is this year.
The first, a porter conditioned in barrels from L'Ecole Winery, is gone. Alas, if someone would have told me sooner.
The current celebration beer, the Birthday Bock, has been conditioning since October, according to a press e-release.
Brewer Laurie Kraus calls the next brew in the series, the Hot Foot IPL, an Idaho Pale Lager, named in honor of a brewer who burned his foot in a chemical spill last year.
Keep checking back for more updates and reviews as I get the chance to try these celebration brews.
New @ Northern Lights: Huckleberry Port Dunkel
Got a voicemail from Northern Lights Brewing Co. owner-brewer Mark Irvin today announcing an experimental keg currently pouring at the brewery: Huckleberry Port-infused Chocolate Dunkel.
Irvin took the brewery's classic Chocolate Dunkel and merged it with the popular Huckleberry Port from the stellar Townshend winery in the Greenbluff-area.
Local folks working together. Brings a tear to the eye. Check back for reviews once I can get a designated driver to haul my beer belly over there.
Out to Lunch: The Two-Seven Public House
Grabbed lunch at the new Two-Seven Public House last week, and didn't have a chance to post the pictures until now.
Tom Bowers/The Spokesman-Review
One look at the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich ($8.25) should kill any worries that the Two-Seven wouldn't live up to the level of expectations set by its siblings, Moon Time, The Porch and The Elk Public House.
The traditional house-made buffalo sauce had that puckering vinegar kick to amplify the spice, with a flavor not unlike Frank's Red Hot (which is made to mimic buffalo-wing sauce in the first place). The blanket of melted mozzarella, blue cheese dressing and scoop of house-made slaw rounded out the sandwich, shown with a side of the restaurant's family's famous corn pasta.
Tom Bowers/The Spokesman-Review
My girlfriend ordered the Tacos de Pescado ($9.75), with beer-battered cod. As far as fish tacos go, you could troll forever without snagging a better substitute in the area (if anyone does, DROP ME A LINE!).
All-in-all, neither of us were surprised by our visit to The Two-Seven. And that's a good thing, because we expected tasty food and cool atmosphere, and that's what we got.
For a full menu, click here.
Bluefish presses pause on lunch
Hopefully this spells good news for the downtown lunch scene, but Bluefish has temporarily stopped lunch service. See the picture for details.
Solar Winds, blow me away again
My cell reception's all wonky, which can only mean one thing: The solar winds are blowing again.
Yep, Northern Lights Brewing Co.'s annual celebration of warming temperatures is back (pictured above at The Elk Public House).
Solar Winds is what's called a single-hop beer, meaning only one hop varietal is used in the brewing process, allowing the beer to showcase the characteristics of that specific strain (which is great for geeks like me).
This year brewer/owner Mark Irvin and his crew went for a repeat with the Amarillo hop varietal, which makes me a very happy boy. I probably drank half of last year's batch myself.
Light and bright enough for mild session drinking while flavorful enough to satisfy any true hophead, count the Solar Winds as Taste of the Town Must-Sip Suds™.
Arny's makes way for Wolffy's
Was out driving around and noticed that Arny's Diner, a bastion of the morning after scene at Gonzaga - as in "morning after a party" or "morning after the Kennel Club" - is currently undergoing remodeling as it prepares to turn into a Wolffy's location.
While the Valley burger joint's expansion into the Gonzaga neighborhood can't be anything but good news, it's kind of sad to see Arny's go.
Sure, in my days as a GU student the service was ... spotty ... but the counter-seating-only 1950s diner held a spot in every Zag's heart.
So, cheers, Arny's. At least your deserving successor also serves a mean milkshake.
When bad service happens to good restaurants
I recently had one of the worst restaurant service experiences of my life, and it gave me an idea: I want you all to e-mail me your own stories so I can use them for a project I'm working on.
But first, here's mine: My girlfriend and I stopped on the South Hill on a weeknight to shop for groceries, with hopes that we'd grab a sandwich at the new San Francisco Sourdough Eatery on the way home. Only it was closed by the time we finished shopping. (Clarification: this is not the "worst experience" I'm referring to. Read on ...)
So we had to punt. I came up with an idea for a downtown spot where we could pick up some tasty vittles to take home. The events that followed were enough to send me into fits of rage on the car ride home.
Elk's South Hill outpost now open
The long-awaited Two-Seven Public House on the South Hill is now open, according to an email from general manager Marshall Powell.
The menu at this newest member of the Elk/Moon Time/Porch family features some familiar favorites, including the Moon Burger, Grilled Lamb sandwich and the 74th Street Gumbo.
Click the extended entry link for contact info and the full menu, which I hastily copied and pasted from an attachment that Powell sent along.
Azar's opens location in Mead
So, the bad news is the Azar's Express on East Sprague in the Valley is now closed. The good news, at least if you live on the far North Side, is that Azar's has opened a new full-service restaurant at 14819 N. Newport Highway in Mead.
The new location is less like the Express and more similar to the North Monroe Azar's, except it doesn't have a liquor license or a buffet yet (though plans for both are in the works).
The Newport Highway Azar's is open from 11-8 Monday-Thursday, and 11-9 Friday-Saturday. Call 509-466-9440.
New Greek restaurant downtown
Santorini's Greek restaurant is now open in the space formerly occupied by Meritage Bistro in downtown Spokane. Owned by the same family that runs Olympia Restaurant in Coeur d'Alene, Santorini's features a standard but tantalizing array of Greek food, from basic gyros and falafel for lunch to mousaka and dolmades on the dinner menu (they even have a chocolate baklava).
Besides great food, Santorini's comes equipped with an experienced staff that knows how to handle a lunch crowd.
Santorini's is located at 112 N. Howard, across the courtyard from Rite-Aid. They're open Monday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Call 509-456-2349.
Zola, where'd you get that quirky name?
I just wanted to pass on a cool bit of trivia I picked up when I ran into local author Jess Walter the other night at Zola.
When I asked whether it was his first visit to the new club, Walter - who got his start here at The Spokesman-Review before lowering the bar and settling for a career as a National Book Award-nominated fiction writer - replied something to the effect of, "No, not at all. I named this place."
Then he went on to explain that he and downtown development mastermind Dan Spalding - who built Zola from the beams out - have been friends since high school.
That's Spokane for ya.
For more Zola, check out this video from online producer Andrew Zahler.
Get the Flash Player to see this video.
Cheers to freedom
Governor Chris Gregoire signed SHB 2959 into law yesterday, which will give craft distilleries in Washington State more wiggle room in certain areas, including allowing them to hold tastings on distillery property.
It's about time. The guys over at Dry Fly Distilling are pretty happy about it - they are, after all, the only distillery in the state since Prohibition.
Baby Bar now open Sundays
The Baby Bar is open on Sundays from 6 p.m. to midnight.
That's all I have to say. So here's a picture of one of bartender/owner Patty Tully's drinks - the Turf Burn - on the telephone.
Zola: A first look
Two consecutive nights haven't given me enough time to drink in all of the wicked-brilliant decorating skills that Dan Spalding used in creating Spokane's newest nightclub, Zola, 22 W. Main Ave.
Tom Bowers/The Spokesman-Review
Spalding - who owns the entire building as well as other property in downtown - scrounged for all the reclaimed materials he used in the decor, which harks back to the early- to mid-20th century in a rustic, age-worn sort of way best compared to one of the best video games ever, "Bioshock." Except without all the Big Daddies.
Speaking of big daddies, I'd be remiss in my duties as a journalist if I didn't take this chance to point out that while a friend and I had a drink there last night, Cuba Gooding Jr. and his cousin also were kicking it Zola style (Gooding Jr's in town filming a movie). I didn't want to interrupt, but did share a couple of pleasantries with the man - who was slightly more subdued than the character for which you probably know him best. Sorry, but out of respect, I didn't take pictures or video of him. My name's not Perez Hilton.
Tom Bowers/The Spokesman-Review
I did, however, take a picture of Erin Hottell and Crystal Clarkson - two interior design students at SFCC - the night before the invasion of Cuba.
Hottell (on the left) visited Zola with her class about a month ago, while the bar was still under construction.
Now that it's open, she brought Clarkson along to check it out. Both are impressed with the final product, which uses decommissioned neon signs for bar awning, tilt-a-whirl carnival cars as booths in the upstairs loft, upside-down mailboxes for mood lighting, flipped license plates as shingles ...
"It's really unique, all the reclaimed materials that he got from a scrapyard," Hottell said. "It was interesting to get to see how it all came together."
It's so interesting, in fact, that while I was there on Tuesday night, a number of gawkers strolled in merely to look around.
Spalding has achieved a work of art with this bar. You could pick Zola up and drop it smack in the middle of any city in the country and I bet it would stand out as a unique and noteworthy hotspot based on the interior alone.
That's hard to find anywhere.
Looking ahead: Check back for a full report next week.
And another thing: Make sure to check out the racing helmet signed by Steve McQueen while you're there.
Out to Lunch: Cafe Marron
Ken Paulman and I visited Cafe Marron the other day to see what the new chef, Dan Bower, had going on for lunch.
Tom Bowers/The Spokesman-Review
I had the World's Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich ($10) - yes, that's the name - and it was pretty damn good.
Not the best grilled cheese in the world, because, really, that will always be Velveeta on Wonderbread.
But this mix of gruyere, boursin, sharp cheddar and red onion confit, served on thick slices of golden browned bread, does the trick, and well.
Plus the herbed fries are right up there with some of the best upscale versions of the side dish that I've found.
Look for a review by Paulman along with another by Jim Kershner on Friday. (Thanks for covering for me, guys.)
Huevos and hoops at Heroes and Legends
I just got word that the De Leon-run Heroes and Legends plans to serve breakfast tomorrow because of NCAA tourney's early tip-off time.
Yep, authentic Huevos Rancheros, chorizo and more among what might be the most flatscreen TVs in the downtown area. I might actually eat breakfast tomorrow.
Breakfast is from 8 to 11 a.m.
While I was out ...
Zola opened at 22 W. Main Ave., under the watchful eye of William Webster (of Isabella's) and with an interior by downtown developer Dan Spalding.
De Leon Foods took over Heroes and Legends, tweaking the menu to include Mexican dishes. De Leon also plans to turn the banquet room on the building's western corner into an authentic Mexican deli. (Hell. Yes.)
Mike Hogue and partner Bud Mercer started Mercer Estates Winery in Prosser, Wash.
Cafe Marron introduced a new chef and new menu, and unfortunately discarded my favorite item on the menu, the Monte Cristo sandwich (though I hear the current menu items are also pretty darn tasty).
Luna hired a new chef (again!) and changed its menu. Anything else I missed? I'm trying to get back in the swing.
Dry Fly cleaning up
From a report by the S-R's Bert Caldwell:
Dry Fly Distilling has hooked a monster.Co-owner Don Poffenroth said today that orders for Dry Fly vodka and gin are backlogged more than five months. The company, just four months after its first delivery to the State of Washington, has already ordered a second still and other equipment from Germany.
Valley Mustard Seed closing closed
If youre a fan of the Spokane Valley Mustard Seed, you might want to swing by this weekend you're out of luck. The restaurant is closing on Sunday closed.
According to a news release, the owners hope to eventually reopen the Asian eatery, currently at 9806 E. Sprague, in a larger location.
The restaurants NorthTown location, 4750 N. Division, remains open.
Restaurant Contest:
