Spokane Food Blog

Here at the old SFB we’re all about guides. I mean, why not, if Google is any indication, people love to do research, so why not jump on the bandwagon, right? Right? Right!

The question we often get is “where are the ultimate places to eat in Spokane?” Sometimes it comes from people new to town, other times from people who have lived here for a while, but have yet to find the gems in a sea of mediocrity. Then there are, of course, visitors.

Therefore we have decided to put together a dining guide. And when I say “we” I mean “us” as in “all of us.” Yes, we want your input! The guidelines are simple: We want only the best places, all over town, in different price classes, representing the three standard meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as late-night dining. To start you off, here are some we’ve come up with:

Breakfast

Fine Dining: Sante
Cheap Eats: Kalico Kitchen

Lunch

Fine Dining: Mizuna
Cheap Eats: De Leon

Dinner

Fine Dining:  Latah Bistro
Cheap Eats:  Pete’s Piza — The Calzone King

Late-Night Dining

Fine Dining: Rain Lounge
Cheap Eats: The Satellite

You get the idea. Some of those might not even make the final cut. Or maybe they will, who knows‽ How many will make it under each category — and if you have suggestions for additional categories, then please go ahead and suggest them — just depends on how creative we get, as well as the amount of suggestions we get from you guys.

Be a decider and  contribute your suggestions in the comments.

Update: Forget about just the “fine dining” and “cheap eats” categories — making up your own is now encouraged!

What exactly lead to a panel beer test at a recent birthday party is too long of a story to get into, though sufficient to say, we gathered six people to try a wide array of beers to find a winner. The main goal was to wean one of the participants off Kokanee Gold. If we succeeded or not is unknown, but the results of the beer-off was surprising, particularly seeing most of the jurors didn’t consider themselves “beer people.”

Which means:
1. Rogue Chocolate Stout
2. Laughing Dog
3. Red Hook ESB (#1 in the tie breaker)
3. Black Butte Porter (#2 in the tie breaker)
3. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA (#3 in the tie breaker)
3. Kokanee Gold (#4 in the tie breaker)
7. Northern Light Crystal Bitter
8. Bud Light

The science here is questionable, obviously. But it’s interesting to see how a wide array of people with different interest in beer judge a wide array of beer, and kind of surprising seeing the Rogue on top. What does it all mean? Probably nothing. But it’s a good excuse to drink beer.

Deschutes is known for releasing weird and wonderful limited edition brews, some good, and some just weird. Mirror Mirror, luckily, falls into the former category.

This 2009 reserve oozes class. Black wax covers the top quarter of the bottle, and the label looks like that of a nice wine. Fitting, then, that this ale (classified as a barleywine) is aged in oak barrels.

Pouring, the beer is a deep red color, and gives a nice smell of cherry. The cherry carries over into the flavor, which also as an oaky hint to it, and is lightly creamy on the tongue. At 11% it actually tastes a lot milder than it is, but there is certainly a nice complexity to the flavor all the same. And, equally important, it’s really refreshing.

You can find a bottle at Yoke’s at Argonne, and I’m sure it’s available other places around town too.

Niiiice!

The Nathan Sports Steel 700 ml Flip Straw Bottle is my favorite BPA-Free bottle on the market.

1. The straw makes it easy to drink when out and about
2. It is a spill proof bottle, when the straw is flipped down
3. The quick clip comes in handy when you least expect it
4. Wide mouth that makes it easy to clean and fill with ice
5. BPA-Free and comes in 9 different designs

Pick one up at REI or Mountain Gear in Spokane, WA.

Let’s face it: the area around Spokane Community College does not offer much in terms of quick and good lunch food. Quick, yes, but in terms of quality, it’s pretty much a wasteland. And while Sparky’s never have delivered Spokane’s best subs, the addition of it at Misson and Havana certainly is an improvement for the neighborhood.

Sparky’s slogan is “Friends don’t let friends eat at Subway,” which, while I do not have any particular beef with Subway, are words to live by. You won’t find any of Subway’s wilted vegetables at Sparky’s. Everything here is fresh, and that makes all the difference when it comes to the overall experience. And the service is fast. Really fast. I sat down for less than a minute, and the sub was done. They even apologized for making me wait.

What keeps Sparky’s out of Sub Division’s league is the average meat and bread. The vegetables are stellar, and I could forgive the average meat, but really… The bread is where it’s at when it comes to the perfect sub, and Sparky’s feels a bit “ho hum” in that area.

Still. This is a great addition to the SCC area, and a place that is well worth visiting. Go there and support them if you live or work near-by.

Good subs.

I suppose Sultan isn’t on top of everybody’s place to visit, but should you be heading to Seattle on Highway 2 (or indeed go hiking through Stevens Pass) then Sultan Bakery should be a destination for anyone anyone who likes baked goods. And really, who doesn’t?

One thing is the cinnamon roll which is huge. I mean huge. The picture does not do it justice; this thing was about the size of my face. The real winner, in my view anyway, was the bear claw. Filled with strawberry and covered with a light frosting, it was the perfect sweet way to start off a drive back to Spokane with marathon-educed stiffness.

Word has it the food is excellent there too, but with lines out the door and an hour wait, we didn’t get the chance to check it out.

But hey, there are always other marathons.

In case you haven’t already lined up outside Vino for their annual “biggest sale of the year,” then, well, stop reading this and run down there.

Save between 10-20% if you’re a regular customer, or 25% on any bottle if you’re a member of the Connoisseur Club, and you have the beginning of a good night. The sale ends at 6pm, so really, I’m not kidding… Stop reading! Run to 222 S Washington and shop!

And when you’re done, run over to OMO and try some of Marta’s new truffles.

Step 1. Find items in your house to pawn.
Step 2. Pawn said items (DVDs, CDs, etc.) and take your cash.
Step 3. Order the NEW vegetarian sandwich ($7) and in-case pasta salad, full order ($4).
Step 4. Pay ($11) from the pawn shop money, an amazing meal for two

Alternate method:

Step 1. Find books in your house to sell.
Step 2. Sell said books to Auntie’s Bookstore.
Step 3. If Auntie’s buys your books they provide in-store credit.
Step 4. Think of Auntie’s credit as cash.
Step 5. Order the NEW vegetarian sandwich ($7) and in-case pasta salad, full order ($4).
Step 6. Pay ($11) from your pocket and feel great now that you have Auntie’s credit, this still equals an amazing meal for two.

You probably read S-R’s article about Natural Start Bakery, and walked away oh so impressed at the proprietors’ dedication  to provide Spokane with a high quality organic bakery. And why not, it is admirable? Good intentions aside, though, the important part is to provide high quality goods, and Natural Start has that down just fine.

Star of the show, for me anyway, is the DOMA coffee. The guys and girls at Natural Start make a great Americano, particularly in an area of town that pretty much consists of Starbucks and less than stellar coffee stands. And their prices are fair too — $2.25 for an Americano made with DOMA is OK with me.

The only issue I really have with Natural Start is that they charge 25 cents extra when paying with debit card. I mean, c’mon, it’s not like we’re not a plastic economy. If they want to make up the difference, just tack the 25 cents on to the prices, and have us all pay the same, cash or otherwise.

Minor criticism aside though, Natural Start is just OK with me.

More info on Taste Everything Once.

Great coffee!

We like pesto here at ye olde SFB, which is kind of a hard thing to love here in Spokane. For good pesto there are really only two options: one is to make it yourself, which, granted, isn’t too time consuming. But why bother when Trezzi Farm provides a tastier, and probably cheaper, alternative.

For $4 you get a 8oz container which likely will last you a while. The pesto is very flavorful, and a little goes a long way. Put some on a Petit Chat loaf with a bit of fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, and you’re set.

In fact, pick up some meatballs too, because really? How bad can they really be? (Answer: They can’t.)

The only thing missing is fresh pasta, which they don’t make because, apparently, Spokane doesn’t see why they should pay more for it. I mean, seriously? I’d kill for fresh pasta, but have yet been able to track any down for wholesale. If anyone know where they sell (good) fresh pasta in town, let us know. We’d like to know.

Anyway, I digress. Trezzi Farm is awesome, if only for the pesto, and soon they’ll have their own wine too. Go give them some love.