Spokane Food Blog

Wish me luck.  Tomorrow I will eat turkey.  I have not eaten meat since the burger incident so I am nervous about the turkey.  Yesterday I went to the butcher to pick up my “fresh” bird, and I saw a pile of meat molded to look like a pig with sunglasses.  Now, I was warned the butchers at this shop like to have fun, but that did not help my anxiety about Thanksgiving Day.

I wish everyone a happy holiday and good luck cooking for the big meal.  If you would prefer to go out, a few select places around town are dishing out meals:

• The Davenport
• C.I. Shenanigans
• Prospectors
• Union Gospel Mission
• One World Community Kitchen

In addition, French Quarter has its grand opening this weekend. Make sure you check them out!

As a follow up to The Omnivore Hundred, I am attempting the The Imbiber’s Hundred. While I thought this would be easier than the omnivore… Well… Apparently it’s not! I’ve only attempted 61 of 100 so far. The list follows and, yes, I’m going for the hundred.

1. Manhattan Cocktail
2. Kopi Luwak (Weasel Coffee)
3. French / Swiss Absinthe
French. Very good.

4. Rootbeer
5. Gin Martini
6. Sauternes
7. Whole Milk
8. Tequila (100% Agave)
9. XO Cognac
I think this has been well established.

10. Espresso
11. Spring Water (directly from the spring)
12. Gin & Tonic
13. Mead
Surprisingly good.

14. Westvleteren 12 (Yellow Cap) Trappist Ale
15. Chateau d’Yquem
16. Budweiser
17. Maraschino Liqueur
18. Mojito
19. Orgeat
20. Grand Marnier
21. Mai Tai (original)
22. Ice Wine (Canadian)
23. Red Bull
I’ll take vodka and Limp Bizkit with mine, please.

24. Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
25. Bubble Tea
26. Tokaji
27. Chicory
28. Islay Scotch
29. Pusser’s Navy Rum
30. Fernet Branca
31. Fresh Pressed Apple Cider
32. Bourbon
33. Australian Shiraz
34. Buckley’s Cough Syrup
35. Orange Bitters
36. Margarita (classic recipe)
37. Molasses & Milk
38. Chimay Blue
39. Wine of Pines (Tepache)
40. Green Tea
41. Daiginjo Sake
42. Chai Tea
43. Vodka (chilled, straight)
44. Coca-Cola
45. Zombie (Beachcomber recipe)
46. Barley Wine
47. Brewed Chocolate (Xocolatl)
48. Pisco Sour
The Spokane Food Blog Editorial Board makes good ones.

49. Lemonade
50. Speyside Single Malt
51. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee
52. Champagne (Vintage)
53. Rosé (French)
54. Bellini
55. Caipirinha
56. White Zinfandel (Blush)
57. Coconut Water
58. Cerveza
59. Cafe au Lait
60. Ice Tea
61. Pedro Ximenez Sherry
62. Vintage Port
63. Hot Chocolate
64. German Riesling
65. Pina Colada
66. El Dorado 15 Year Rum
67. Chartreuse
68. Greek Wine
69. Negroni
70. Jägermeister
71. Chicha
72. Guinness
73. Rhum Agricole
74. Palm Wine
75. Soju
76. Ceylon Tea (High Grown)
77. Belgian Lambic
78. Mongolian Airag
79. Doogh, Lassi or Ayran
80. Sugarcane Juice
81. Ramos Gin Fizz
82. Singapore Sling
83. Mint Julep
84. Old Fashioned
85. Perique
86. Jenever (Holland Gin)
87. Chocolate Milkshake
88. Traditional Italian Barolo
89. Pulque
90. Natural Sparkling Water
91. Cuban Rum
92. Asti Spumante
93. Irish Whiskey
94. Château Margaux
95. Two Buck Chuck
96. Screech
97. Akvavit
My akvavit parties are famous.

98. Rye Whisky
99. German Weissbier
100. Daiquiri (classic)

Sante’s — Spokane’s newest charcuterie — main problem might in many ways be its location. Sharing a building with Auntie’s might seem like a good thing, but a part of me can’t help but wonder if some people will avoid the restaurant because of the sub-standard, cafeteria style cafe that used to occupy the spot.

That would be a bad thing, because Sante is good. Very good. If De Leon is a little piece of Mexico in Spokane, then Sante is a little piece of Southern Europe. Here you can get cured meats by the pound, or simply sit down and have a nice meal with a glass of wine.

I tried the “Butchers Board” during our first visit, a dish that might have had the manliest name I have ever seen. And with its three types of meat, homemade mustard and ketchup, and a few slices of baguette, it truly did live up to its masculine promise. The capicola stood out as the more interesting meat, with a nice deep flavor and a hint of spiciness to it. Paired with the dry salami and prosciutto, this was a straightforward yet flavorful meal, and one we so far haven’t seen too often in the Spokane area. Bonus points also given for their complimentary amuse-bouche, consisting of spinach and honey, as well as a “Autumn Harvest” soup that was mild in itself, yet spiced up with a few pieces of a very salty sausage.

On a later breakfast visit I was impressed with their crispelle, a goat cheese stuffed crepe. It came served with a light sprinkle of salt which rounded out the sweet gastrique sauce nicely. The coffee, too, was good, though my Americano was a bit too watered down.

There are many things to like about Sante. And I am not talking just about the food. The service is friendly, but also anonymous at just the right times. The decor is subtle and inviting. In fact, the whole experience is akin to something you’d expect to have in Southern Europe. This is a very good thing.

On the whole, I can’t think of any true problems with Sante. There are a few typos on the menu, which is strange, but, obviously, doesn’t make much of a difference either way. Also, the creme brulee, while nicely enough flavored, was not the best I ever had. The ramekin was a bit too deep, as opposed to the more traditional squatter dishes creme brulee usually comes served in.

Sante, then, is not another incarnation of Liberty Cafe. Instead it offers a trip to Europe right in the core of downtown Spokane. Highly recommended.

“Lips that touch liquor shall not touch ours”

Hamburger? Why not call it a beef-burger?

Sitting in the carpool mini-van, on the way home from tap dance class, stopping for a quick McDonald’s meal, I would always get picked on a bit for ordering a “hamburger without the burger.”  Healthy, I know, but in 1991 the options were scarce.  One of my friends always wanted me to try a burger or chicken nuggets. At times I was even bet $200 to eat some meat, but, of course, I refused the monetary temptation and did not eat it.

Celebration time!  My childhood friend came back from 4 years of service in the Marines, and we celebrated by going out for burgers at Globe Bar & Grille.   I got a bit cocky and thought I could pretend I was eating a Boca Burger instead of a beef burger.

Rookie move and big mistake.

I got sick!  A type of sick I have not felt before.  Almost like the moment before your stomach lets you know you have had too much too drink and that alcohol poisoning is imminent, but really… I just felt very heavy and horribly uncomfortable.  Do not get me wrong, my pineapple burger tasted great, but it was something I definitely could not digest properly.  I wonder if anyone can really eat hamburgers without feeling sick?

I am a recovering vegetarian, but please do not lead me to a hamburger just yet. I am going to stick to burger revised for a bit and cool off while being a recovering, recovering vegetarian.

OK, so my initial predictions weren’t exactly 100% on, but then again, they could have been quite a bit worse. Here’s a round-up of some notables in last week’s Top Chef, as well as a few predictions for the upcoming episode…

Out Like Flynn

So Patrick wasn’t a douche after all, though I maintain he did have his eyebrows waxed. The guy actually seemed perfectly likable, but my god, I hope he has a few more years to go at the CIA. His salmon based dish was about as far away from Chinatown one could expect a Top Chef contestant to get. And going with black rice noodles when you’ve never cooked with them before? Tut tut…

The New Douche

Enter Jeff, the new douche on the block. Now granted, I don’t think Jeff necessarily is a bad chef or anything. But, in the first episode at least, he comes off way too cocky, and shows a complete lack of time management. In the future, he might very well show us something interesting if he stops fussing over his hair and executes his ideas better. As it stands, he is the forerunner to be this season’s Marcel.

The Stefaning!

Oh, we all knew the power of The Stefaning would shine through, but who could have predicted it would shine this brightly? Winning both the Quickfire and the Elimination challenge was impressive in itself, but it was Stefan’s dishes that showed us he could be the real deal. His lamb chops and beef skewers were simple and, apparently, well executed, which is what you need to win this contest. Get too fancy and you can easily mess up; balancing creativity and simpleness is the name of the game.

Moving on…

It looks like the Quickfire will be centered around hot-dogs this time around, something which will give the contestants a good opportunity to show some creativity around a staple dish. I have a feeling some will get too fancy with this one, and that would be a mistake. It’s fine kicking it all up a notch and all, but a hot-dog is a hot-dog… It is, literally, a pedestrian’s dish, and should be treated as such.

Less is known about the Elimination round, though apparently it will involve serving a larger group of people. Can you hear the caterers shout for joy?

Ask an Italian if spanakopita is Italian or Greek, and you might be treated to a long anecdote about the Roman empire and why the dish is, in fact, Italian. The rest of us will probably just agree that spanakopita, like its name, is Greek. Regardless, we recently made some slight modifications to an ancient family recipe, which, Greek or Italian, was pretty awesome.

Cue less than stellar picture and recipe below.

I swear to god the filo was golden. Anyway! Give it a shot, it is good:

• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 5 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 cup feta
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon marjoram, minced
• 1 teaspoon dill, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 package filo, thawed

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion and garlic in butter just until tender. Combine all ingredients, except 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and filo. Turn mixture into greased 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle top with reserved cheese. Top with 6 sheets filo. Spread olive oil or butter between each sheet. Bake 60 minutes.

Makes 12 servings.

One of life’s simpler pleasures during these cold months is sampling the many seasonal brews, and few serve up a better one than our very own Northern Lights. With that said, this might also the season to enjoy the brewery’s standby, the Crystal Bitter, which will warm up even the coldest soul during these dark evenings.

Reminiscent of a British bitter in many ways (the label hints that German and American brewing techniques were also involved in production), the Crystal Bitter has a lovely deep, amber-ish brown color, and a fairly gentle hop aroma. Tasting reveals a crisp, sweet, malty flavor, which leaves a slightly dry aftertaste. The hops are front and center, but not in an overpowering manner a la Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA. In other words, there’s a nice complex flavor to be found here, one that I imagine would go well with some fish and chips.

Crystal Bitter might be the easiest Northern Lights beer to track down, be it at bars or in the store. Pick up a bottle, or get a growler from the brewery — it will guaranteed give you an entertaining night.

If not “getting” macrobrews makes me a snob, then I am fine with that. But I do understand that there are times when you have to let your Better Taster qualities go; when you have to dive into colorless, odorless beers. Here’s a recent beer trifecta I recently went through, just so you don’t have to:

Worst: Icehouse

When I was just a wee lad, I often enjoyed an Icehouse. Hey, I’ll admit it, we all make mistakes. Even I! Icehouse is an ice lager — read this if you need information abut the gimmick known as iced beers — brewed by Miller. It has a hint of flavor and nose to it, and if you close your eyes really hard and concentrate intensely, you might just feel like you’re drinking a beer.

Worster: Coors Light

We’ve all been there: You find yourself at some less than awesome concert and you just want to numb yourself down to being indifference. What do you drink? No, not PBR, that’s just sad. A pitcher of Coors Light, however, is… Well, it’s not good, it’s pretty awful, but in terms of a bottom of the pack standby, it will have to do. Get a pitcher and tune out the band you don’t care about anyway.

Worstest: Busch Light

See those pictures above? That’s me, drinking Busch Light for the first time. Do I look happy? No, no I don’t. Busch Light is awful. Don’t drink Busch Light. I have never tasted cat urine, but I imagine Busch Light being close to par with it.