Pancakes and patties

If you’re a fan of biscuits and gravy, chicken fried steak, and all day breakfast, there’s a new diner in downtown Spokane you should know about. Located next to the Days Inn hotel, it’s a place where generous breakfasts fuel weary travelers and hot-off-the-grill lunches feed those passing through the busy Third Avenue corridor.

The minimalist décor has a subtle Western theme, with paintings of wild game animals and rooms named “Back at the Ranch” and “Wild West.” Country music plays in the background, rounding out the ambience.

The breakfast offerings are plentiful, including standard favorites like pancake platters, strawberry-topped French toast and bacon and eggs. Breakfast prices range from $5 for a short stack to $9.25 for Joe’s favorite: pancakes, three kinds of meat, eggs, hash browns and toast. Omelets, oatmeal and Belgian waffles are also available.

For lunch or dinner, the menu features char-broiled burgers, tuna melts, and Reuben sandwiches served with thick-cut fries or applesauce. The Turkey Deluxe sandwich ($7) rates high on the comfort-food scale, with just the right amount of crispy bacon and melted Swiss cheese grilled between layers of golden sourdough. Our order was slow in arriving, but the kitchen seemed just to be getting warmed up, as other customers’ orders were filled promptly.

Starters include mozzarella sticks, onion rings, or soup of the day. Entrees ($7-$14) are traditional all-American favorites like chicken fried steak, charbroiled salmon, fish and chips and a rib eye with asparagus and hollandaise. For lighter appetites, Third Avenue offers a grilled chicken Caesar and a diner salad.

I had visions of ordering a chocolate milkshake along with my lunch, but it was probably a blessing to my waistline that the dessert options are limited to ice cream and cheesecake.

Third Avenue Diner serves its purpose by offering well-executed, tried-and-true favorites at affordable prices. After two failed Indian restaurants in the same space, maybe a little down-home comfort food isn’t such a bad strategy. — KIRSTEN HARRINGTON

Third Avenue Diner, 128 W. Third Ave., is open 6 am-10 pm, daily. Call 747-3251.