Detective Diner

I was lured into the beautiful, historic Peyton building with promise of a mystery. A mystery café, that is. DASHIELL’S CITY CAFÉ chef/owner Mark McCracken loves a good mystery and named the café after The Maltese Falcon author Dashiell Hammett.

“Dashiell Hammett used to work as a detective in this building, and several of his books are set in Spokane,” says McCracken. He pays homage to one of Hammett’s best-known mysteries by offering The Maltese Falcon, a grilled Panini with turkey, two kinds of cheese and tomatoes. The café’s décor includes memorabilia from several mystery writers, including a copy of Nero Wolfe’s Too Many Cooks. A grandfather clock and old-fashioned telephone add to the 1920s ambiance.

City Café serves its own signature blend of Four Seasons Coffee, along with breakfast and lunch.

The breakfast menu ($1-$5.50) includes pastries, eggs and bacon, quiche and yogurt.

Sandwiches ($5.75 half/$7.50 whole) include the basic choices along with corned beef and Swiss, reubens, tuna melts and a daily special, served with a cup of soup or side salad.

McCracken boasts that his potato salad “is the world’s best potato salad to take to a picnic because it can’t spoil.” Made with vinegar and sugar and no mayo, I’d bring the tangy, German-style potato salad to a picnic just because it tastes good.

McCracken serves a rotating selection of soups, most of which he makes from scratch. The creamy broccoli cheese was surprisingly light, with a great flavor and texture. The secret ingredient, yogurt, provides the creamy texture without the fat. But there’s no skimping on the clam chowder, which McCracken makes every Friday. He’s got a peanut butter soup up his sleeve, which I’m not so sure about, but McCracken insists that the time-honored recipe was one of Thomas Jefferson’s favorites and it tastes just like a peanut butter cookie.

The seating at City Café includes a short counter on the main floor and a small room upstairs, which seats about 20 people and is available for private functions. — KIRSTEN HARRINGTON

Dashiell’s City Café, 10 N. Post, is open Mon-Fri 7:30am-6pm. Call 413-2285.