No more delicious, buttery croissants. No more chocolate-orange scones. Those were the tear-stained, pastry-deprived thoughts of Bittersweet Bistro regulars when the favorite South Hill bakery shuttered its doors last June.
Gina Garcia, who ran Bittersweet, says not to fret: Those same croissants and scones will live happily again in your belly — you just have to stick it out until the first of the year. That’s when she plans to start firing up the ovens at Cake, a bakery being opened by Chaps Coffee Company’s owner, Celeste Shaw. Cake will open in a new 3,000-square-foot space connected to Chaps — baking all of the bread sold at Chaps and offering some of the delicious treats you could get at Bittersweet.
Garcia says that she and Shaw have been talking for years about collaborating on a bakery. When Bittersweet closed “for a number of reasons,” they started to get serious.
Cake won’t be the one-stop crèpe shop that Bittersweet was — they’ll leave the bistro end of things to Chaps. But Garcia says that Cake will be the spot for “bread you can’t find anywhere in town” — baguettes, sweet breads, pan loaves that are “different and really high-quality.”
Garcia, who’ll serve as the pastry chef for Cake, says that Shaw’s vision will enable her bakers to do things they couldn’t at Bittersweet, including top-notch ovens and high-end training — not to mention a huge, brand new space.
“We were trying to do so much in a small space up at Bittersweet. This is going to broaden our horizons even more,” she says.
More details to come — but Garcia promises to have those chocolate orange scones from Bittersweet on the menu.
“We sold the crud out of those things,” she says. — LEAH SOTTILE
Chaps, 4237 S. Cheney-Spokane Rd., is open Tues 11 am–3 pm; Wed–Thurs 11 am–3 pm and 4:30–close; and Fri–Sun 7:30 am–3 pm and 4:30–close. Call 624-4182.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Upscale flapjacks
I always intended to swing into Dolly’s before it closed in December last year for massive renovation. The sheer seedy audacity of the formerly Pepto pink-and-white exterior promised a great greasy-spoon diner experience. The quality of the remodeling effort suggests that it was good that I waited.
Dolly’s today looks positively swank. Its cinderblock façade has been redone, with muted green and canvas arches in green, maroon and goldenrod over the windows. Inside, the transformation is equally upscale with high-backed booths, rich fabrics, polished wood and warm harvest colors on the walls. Then there are the bathrooms, which must be seen to be believed: Imagine a cross between high-end chic and an airplane lavatory.
It’s not just the bathrooms either: I find it stunning how many people can actually fit into the truly tiny building at once. From the street, you might guess five to 10 — but that many fit just at the counter that wraps around the tiny galley kitchen, which itself is just large enough for two cooks working shoulder to shoulder.
But the space wasn’t the most important thing Desiree Olsness bought when she took over Dolly’s 16 years ago. With the space, she got the name and a story stretching back to 1958: Dolly Mueller and her famous pies. For several years, Olsness personally served as custodian of the Dolly’s name, but in the late ’90s, she arranged a lease-to-own deal to save herself from restaurant burnout. That deal fell apart last year, and Olsness found herself faced with a building in serious disrepair — customers complained of a waterfall inside when it rained — and a business to resurrect.
And that’s exactly what she’s doing. The current menu doesn’t feature any of Mueller’s pies, but Olsness and her kitchen crew do serve up a great Belgian waffle and menu of diner classics.
These include chicken fried steak and eggs ($11.49) and eggs Benedict ($9) on the breakfast side of the laminated menu, and hot roast beef and turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy at on the lunch side. For breakfast, I’m sweet on the waffle; at lunch, a great place to start is the straightforward mushroom and swiss burger. At either meal, grab a stool at the counter and listen to the regulars banter with each other, Olsness and her staff. — KEVIN FINCH
Dolly’s Café, 1825 N. Washington St., is open daily, 6 am-2 pm. Call 326-0386.
Dolly’s today looks positively swank. Its cinderblock façade has been redone, with muted green and canvas arches in green, maroon and goldenrod over the windows. Inside, the transformation is equally upscale with high-backed booths, rich fabrics, polished wood and warm harvest colors on the walls. Then there are the bathrooms, which must be seen to be believed: Imagine a cross between high-end chic and an airplane lavatory.
It’s not just the bathrooms either: I find it stunning how many people can actually fit into the truly tiny building at once. From the street, you might guess five to 10 — but that many fit just at the counter that wraps around the tiny galley kitchen, which itself is just large enough for two cooks working shoulder to shoulder.
But the space wasn’t the most important thing Desiree Olsness bought when she took over Dolly’s 16 years ago. With the space, she got the name and a story stretching back to 1958: Dolly Mueller and her famous pies. For several years, Olsness personally served as custodian of the Dolly’s name, but in the late ’90s, she arranged a lease-to-own deal to save herself from restaurant burnout. That deal fell apart last year, and Olsness found herself faced with a building in serious disrepair — customers complained of a waterfall inside when it rained — and a business to resurrect.
And that’s exactly what she’s doing. The current menu doesn’t feature any of Mueller’s pies, but Olsness and her kitchen crew do serve up a great Belgian waffle and menu of diner classics.
These include chicken fried steak and eggs ($11.49) and eggs Benedict ($9) on the breakfast side of the laminated menu, and hot roast beef and turkey sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy at on the lunch side. For breakfast, I’m sweet on the waffle; at lunch, a great place to start is the straightforward mushroom and swiss burger. At either meal, grab a stool at the counter and listen to the regulars banter with each other, Olsness and her staff. — KEVIN FINCH
Dolly’s Café, 1825 N. Washington St., is open daily, 6 am-2 pm. Call 326-0386.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
First impressions
For most of last week, the POST STREET ALE HOUSE’s bar was stocked and its neon signs were blazing but, alas, we weren’t allowed in. On the door, a sign read: Private Party. That party ended at 3 pm Friday, and another party began, this one big and open to the public. By sundown, this new pub was packed, the waitresses looked like frightened deer and almost every table was taken in the expansive location that once housed both 360 and Cavallino Lounge. First day, new staff, an untried menu and a packed house. Needless to say, there were some bumps, but plenty of potential.
Sitting down in the back of the restaurant, the place seemed familiar. Not in the I’ve-been-here-before way, but in the this-kinda-looks-like-a-chain way, despite it being locally owned by Walt Worthy, the man behind the Davenport Hotel, who bought the piece of land the new pub stands on earlier this year along with the Hotel Lusso.
While the décor did not overwhelm us, the menu, at first glance, did. Twenty beers on tap and a full bar promised many quaffable selections. And the food menu — with BBQ Pork Sliders ($7), Peel & Eat Shrimp ($8), Patty Melt on Grilled Marble Rye ($9) and Guinness Braised Short Ribs ($14) — was nothing to scoff at.
Looking closer, however, the beer selection wasn’t as awe-inspiring as hoped, mainly because there was nothing too surprising there — Bud Light, Northern Lights Chocolate Dunkel, Stone IPA, Anchor Steam, Moose Drool, Blue Moon and others ($3-$5). All brews you can get in many other locations.
And for vegetarians there is zilch. Some salads (which all come with meat, so you gotta tweak ’em) and appetizers (mainly deep fried) and that’s it. How ’bout a veggie burger or some fake German sausages?
A downtown pub is great. And we have high hopes that they’ll soon start staking out taps for truly strange brews, and add a little more greenery to the menu.
On this night, though, the place was packed and buzzing with cheery diners. “We’re staying across the street [at the Davenport],” I overheard the man next to us telling his waitress. “We asked for a great restaurant, and they told us to come here.” — NICHOLAS DESHAIS
Post Street Ale House, 1 N. Post St., is open daily from 11 am-2 am. Call 789-6900.
Sitting down in the back of the restaurant, the place seemed familiar. Not in the I’ve-been-here-before way, but in the this-kinda-looks-like-a-chain way, despite it being locally owned by Walt Worthy, the man behind the Davenport Hotel, who bought the piece of land the new pub stands on earlier this year along with the Hotel Lusso.
While the décor did not overwhelm us, the menu, at first glance, did. Twenty beers on tap and a full bar promised many quaffable selections. And the food menu — with BBQ Pork Sliders ($7), Peel & Eat Shrimp ($8), Patty Melt on Grilled Marble Rye ($9) and Guinness Braised Short Ribs ($14) — was nothing to scoff at.
Looking closer, however, the beer selection wasn’t as awe-inspiring as hoped, mainly because there was nothing too surprising there — Bud Light, Northern Lights Chocolate Dunkel, Stone IPA, Anchor Steam, Moose Drool, Blue Moon and others ($3-$5). All brews you can get in many other locations.
And for vegetarians there is zilch. Some salads (which all come with meat, so you gotta tweak ’em) and appetizers (mainly deep fried) and that’s it. How ’bout a veggie burger or some fake German sausages?
A downtown pub is great. And we have high hopes that they’ll soon start staking out taps for truly strange brews, and add a little more greenery to the menu.
On this night, though, the place was packed and buzzing with cheery diners. “We’re staying across the street [at the Davenport],” I overheard the man next to us telling his waitress. “We asked for a great restaurant, and they told us to come here.” — NICHOLAS DESHAIS
Post Street Ale House, 1 N. Post St., is open daily from 11 am-2 am. Call 789-6900.
Tacos Tumbras
The bright splash of yellow-and-orange paint on an otherwise drab corner of Second and Cedar was a sure sign of good things to come. Apparently I’m not the only one who had eagerly anticipated the opening of TACOS TUMBRAS. The restaurant was buzzing with diners and take-out orders on its second day of business.
Carlos and Susana Zuniga know a thing or two about the restaurant business. Along with their son Ben, they own three taco trucks and a second Tacos Tumbras restaurant in Spokane Valley.
“It’s just like a Mexican taqueria,” Carlos says of the new space, where patrons can perch on red vinyl barstools overlooking the kitchen or slide into a booth. The sound of sizzling meat and the clang of spatulas on the flat-top grill attest to the freshness of the food.
If you are looking for adventurous Mexican food, the menu includes tongue and tripe tacos. But don’t worry if you don’t fall into this category — the extensive menu includes simple à la carte tacos for $1.50, fajita platters and combination meals with rice and beans topping out at $11.
You’ll find your favorite burritos and enchiladas as well as lesser-known items like the huarache (Mexican sandal). Imagine a warm, foot-shaped corn tortilla, topped with beans, tender, tasty beef, lettuce, tomatoes and cotija cheese. It was deliciously satisfying and fun to eat.
Then there are the sopes. Palm-sized round tortillas are fried to chewy-crunchy perfection and topped with carnitas — rich, juicy shredded pork. I stole as many bites as I could before my 4-year-old scolded me for eating off his plate. At $2.50 a pop, I can afford to order my own next time.
The Zunigas plan to open a Mexican market in the back of the restaurant and have applied for a liquor license with thoughts of opening a bar in the adjacent space. In a section of downtown saturated with fast food, Tacos Tumbras is a welcome change. — KIRSTEN HARRINGTON
Tacos Tumbras, 1325 W. Second Ave., is open Thu-Sat 11 am-2 am and Sun-Wed 11 am-9 pm. Call 456-8226.
Carlos and Susana Zuniga know a thing or two about the restaurant business. Along with their son Ben, they own three taco trucks and a second Tacos Tumbras restaurant in Spokane Valley.
“It’s just like a Mexican taqueria,” Carlos says of the new space, where patrons can perch on red vinyl barstools overlooking the kitchen or slide into a booth. The sound of sizzling meat and the clang of spatulas on the flat-top grill attest to the freshness of the food.
If you are looking for adventurous Mexican food, the menu includes tongue and tripe tacos. But don’t worry if you don’t fall into this category — the extensive menu includes simple à la carte tacos for $1.50, fajita platters and combination meals with rice and beans topping out at $11.
You’ll find your favorite burritos and enchiladas as well as lesser-known items like the huarache (Mexican sandal). Imagine a warm, foot-shaped corn tortilla, topped with beans, tender, tasty beef, lettuce, tomatoes and cotija cheese. It was deliciously satisfying and fun to eat.
Then there are the sopes. Palm-sized round tortillas are fried to chewy-crunchy perfection and topped with carnitas — rich, juicy shredded pork. I stole as many bites as I could before my 4-year-old scolded me for eating off his plate. At $2.50 a pop, I can afford to order my own next time.
The Zunigas plan to open a Mexican market in the back of the restaurant and have applied for a liquor license with thoughts of opening a bar in the adjacent space. In a section of downtown saturated with fast food, Tacos Tumbras is a welcome change. — KIRSTEN HARRINGTON
Tacos Tumbras, 1325 W. Second Ave., is open Thu-Sat 11 am-2 am and Sun-Wed 11 am-9 pm. Call 456-8226.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Cherry-picked items
A dense-looking baguette, bisected and stuffed with some sort of cheese, sits in a cooler, wrapped in cellophane. Stuck to it is one of those red-and-white striped badges that reads, “Hello, my name is,” and then, handwritten, “Gruyere & Butter.”
The presentation makes me chuckle. I know what I’m having for lunch, because it just introduced itself to me.
Atticus, the new coffee and gift shop owned by Andy and Kris Dinnison, is (or will be, once they’re done painting and changing out the horrid ’90s track lighting) subtle and tasteful and clever in all the ways their other venture, the beloved adult toy store Boo Radley’s, is brash and hip and gaudy.
The Dinnisons have added their touch to the goods of sale, which still communicate the subversively quick-witted, bookish vibe of Boo Radley’s, while doing so in a toned-down way.
The Halloween décor they sell is all allusions to Poe and the Romantics. There’s a nice collection of inspirational cards and some antique-y furniture. There’s an insane collection of Four Seasons teas — along with those super-hip Tea Forte pyramids — and the location, which used to be a Four Seasons Coffee, is still selling the roaster’s bulk beans.
An autumn opening is fitting. The whole place — from the gorgeous, backlit window decoupaged with pages from To Kill a Mockingbird in a way that recalls a shoji screen to the pillowy foam on their lattes ($2.20-$3.35) — makes you want to curl up and tuck into a book.
The cleverest thing about the food selection, besides the name tags, is that Atticus buys from multiple local bakeries. They stock scones ($2.50), including the deliciously smoky ham-and-cheese, along with various turnovers ($2.50) from Bouzies Bakery. They stock éclairs ($2.50), macaroons ($1.75) and the tantalizing-sounding Citrus Madeleine ($1.25) from Santé. They have the Rocket’s famous no-bake cookies ($2.25) and a gooey-as-all-hell caramel almond roll ($2.75) from Sweetwater Bakery. “We just kinda cherry-pick,” Andy says. I don’t know why more coffeehouses don’t do this.
The signage by designers Richard and Kate Vande Wend — an outline of a bird on a branch with “ATTICUS” in a ragged-edged typewriter font above — communicates, with few cues, what the space is all about.
It’s pitch-perfect branding. You get it before you even walk in the door.
— LUKE BAUMGARTEN
Atticus, 222 N. Howard St., is open Mon-Sat 7:30 am-6 pm, Sun 10 am-5 pm. Call 747-0336.
The presentation makes me chuckle. I know what I’m having for lunch, because it just introduced itself to me.
Atticus, the new coffee and gift shop owned by Andy and Kris Dinnison, is (or will be, once they’re done painting and changing out the horrid ’90s track lighting) subtle and tasteful and clever in all the ways their other venture, the beloved adult toy store Boo Radley’s, is brash and hip and gaudy.
The Dinnisons have added their touch to the goods of sale, which still communicate the subversively quick-witted, bookish vibe of Boo Radley’s, while doing so in a toned-down way.
The Halloween décor they sell is all allusions to Poe and the Romantics. There’s a nice collection of inspirational cards and some antique-y furniture. There’s an insane collection of Four Seasons teas — along with those super-hip Tea Forte pyramids — and the location, which used to be a Four Seasons Coffee, is still selling the roaster’s bulk beans.
An autumn opening is fitting. The whole place — from the gorgeous, backlit window decoupaged with pages from To Kill a Mockingbird in a way that recalls a shoji screen to the pillowy foam on their lattes ($2.20-$3.35) — makes you want to curl up and tuck into a book.
The cleverest thing about the food selection, besides the name tags, is that Atticus buys from multiple local bakeries. They stock scones ($2.50), including the deliciously smoky ham-and-cheese, along with various turnovers ($2.50) from Bouzies Bakery. They stock éclairs ($2.50), macaroons ($1.75) and the tantalizing-sounding Citrus Madeleine ($1.25) from Santé. They have the Rocket’s famous no-bake cookies ($2.25) and a gooey-as-all-hell caramel almond roll ($2.75) from Sweetwater Bakery. “We just kinda cherry-pick,” Andy says. I don’t know why more coffeehouses don’t do this.
The signage by designers Richard and Kate Vande Wend — an outline of a bird on a branch with “ATTICUS” in a ragged-edged typewriter font above — communicates, with few cues, what the space is all about.
It’s pitch-perfect branding. You get it before you even walk in the door.
— LUKE BAUMGARTEN
Atticus, 222 N. Howard St., is open Mon-Sat 7:30 am-6 pm, Sun 10 am-5 pm. Call 747-0336.
Nautically Speaking
The Hayden Lake Marina is a little off-the-beaten path, on the southern part of Hayden Lake. But it’s nestled among the toniest of tony residences on one of North Idaho’s most stunning lakes.
With its casual, local feel and extensive deck overlooking the busy marina, The Boathouse should have no problem capturing the tourist crowd, yet it’s locals who’ll keep this place afloat through the long winters that have been tough on previous tenants docked there. Thus their menu is nicely broad-based: fairly reasonably priced appetizers, salads, burgers and an after-5 dinner menu that remains under $20.
Appetizers have nautically themed monikers like Life Rings and Buoys (onion rings and fries, $8) or the Bailer’s Bucket (clams in garlicky wine broth with warmed bread, $14). Other easy-to-share items include beer go-withs like chicken strips ($8), taquitos ($8), or the ever-popular fish and chips ($12).
Certified Angus beef is featured in the one-third-pound Boathouse burgers: classic ($8), mushroom and mozzarella ($9.50), the double-patty “works” burger with grilled onions, bacon, cheese and the usual garden items ($12.50). Other sandwich options include fish tacos ($8), and the Chicken Point Sandwich, which includes — no surprise — chicken ($9).
The regular menu lists five standard dinner options, such as the First Mate ($12), penne pasta with grilled veggies and a creamy Parmesan pesto and tomato sauce. The Lake Runner was an 8-ounce salmon filet (with lemon dill sauce or blackened), and either potatoes (thick with cheese and topped with green onion and bacon) or wild rice and seasonal vegetables ($18). There are also dinner specials like the Idaho Fried Chicken, which the reader board boasts is so good that it made the Colonel leave his wife. Sometimes it’s refreshing when a restaurant doesn’t take itself overly seriously.
While warm weather means dining outdoors on the deck, cooler weather is made all the more cozy by the small and lively bar scene that anchors one end of this eatery. There are six microbrews on tap at any given time and a modest wine list. — CARRIE SCOZZARO
The Boathouse, 3799 E. Hayden Lake Rd., Hayden Lake, Idaho, is open Mon-Thu 4–9 pm, Fri-Sun 11 am-9 pm. Call (208) 772-5057.
With its casual, local feel and extensive deck overlooking the busy marina, The Boathouse should have no problem capturing the tourist crowd, yet it’s locals who’ll keep this place afloat through the long winters that have been tough on previous tenants docked there. Thus their menu is nicely broad-based: fairly reasonably priced appetizers, salads, burgers and an after-5 dinner menu that remains under $20.
Appetizers have nautically themed monikers like Life Rings and Buoys (onion rings and fries, $8) or the Bailer’s Bucket (clams in garlicky wine broth with warmed bread, $14). Other easy-to-share items include beer go-withs like chicken strips ($8), taquitos ($8), or the ever-popular fish and chips ($12).
Certified Angus beef is featured in the one-third-pound Boathouse burgers: classic ($8), mushroom and mozzarella ($9.50), the double-patty “works” burger with grilled onions, bacon, cheese and the usual garden items ($12.50). Other sandwich options include fish tacos ($8), and the Chicken Point Sandwich, which includes — no surprise — chicken ($9).
The regular menu lists five standard dinner options, such as the First Mate ($12), penne pasta with grilled veggies and a creamy Parmesan pesto and tomato sauce. The Lake Runner was an 8-ounce salmon filet (with lemon dill sauce or blackened), and either potatoes (thick with cheese and topped with green onion and bacon) or wild rice and seasonal vegetables ($18). There are also dinner specials like the Idaho Fried Chicken, which the reader board boasts is so good that it made the Colonel leave his wife. Sometimes it’s refreshing when a restaurant doesn’t take itself overly seriously.
While warm weather means dining outdoors on the deck, cooler weather is made all the more cozy by the small and lively bar scene that anchors one end of this eatery. There are six microbrews on tap at any given time and a modest wine list. — CARRIE SCOZZARO
The Boathouse, 3799 E. Hayden Lake Rd., Hayden Lake, Idaho, is open Mon-Thu 4–9 pm, Fri-Sun 11 am-9 pm. Call (208) 772-5057.
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