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.
Showing posts with label cafe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cafe. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Freshly pressed
The clientele at PRESS is a mixture of pharmacy students, medical students and hospital staff — Grey’s Anatomy is a running joke — plus, depending upon the time of day, journalists, moms, business types, book clubs and symphony goers. It’s a broad slice of Spokane’s population reminiscent of the Central Perk of Friends fame.
The French press service of freshly ground Doma coffee comes with a four-segment plate with sections for raw sugar, cinnamon sticks, shaved chocolate and whipped cream for your mixing and matching pleasure. The largest size ($10) serves four in fun black and white pinstriped mugs. There’s a full espresso menu, too.
If caffeine is not your drug of choice, martinis range from the traditional ($8, double), made “wet” or “dry” to suit your mood, to the espresso-based, such as the Caramel Macchiato ($8), made with Stoli Vanil vodka, Bailey’s Caramel, Bols Butterscotch, Doma espresso and cream. If you prefer fruity drinks, there’s the Press original Grapefruit Tini ($9, double), with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, Finlandia Grapefruit vodka and a dash of Cointreau. A dozen beers and even more wine selections round out the drink menu.
The food currently comes from a variety of local sources including White Box Pies, Luna, Fery’s and Rocket Bakery, but co-owner Marianne Guenther is also considering renting a kitchen “to have my mother — who is a chef by trade — make some of her award-winning desserts.”
If you’re looking for something savory, consider the three quiche choices, assorted Rocket sandwiches and mini muffalettas from Luna for your noshing pleasure.
The former oil-change shop has been converted to an urban-industrial motif; the space next door, currently under construction, will be Spokane’s first Samurai Sam’s, opening “hopefully before mid-May,” according to Guenther. This franchise features Japanese-style favorites such as teriyaki, grilled vegetables, and rice and noodle combos. Visitors to Press will be able to order meals from Samurai Sam’s as well.
As the weather warms, more changes and additions will be coming, including a five-bike rack, newly painted parking spaces, a small “sustainable farmers market” in the parking lot on Sundays mornings, and — as soon as Samurai Sam’s opens — a hybrid car plug-in.
All this variety is just what the doctor-to-be ordered.
— M.C. PAUL
Press, 909 S. Grand Blvd., is open daily 5:30 am-2 am. Visit www.presspokane.com or call 747-7737.
The French press service of freshly ground Doma coffee comes with a four-segment plate with sections for raw sugar, cinnamon sticks, shaved chocolate and whipped cream for your mixing and matching pleasure. The largest size ($10) serves four in fun black and white pinstriped mugs. There’s a full espresso menu, too.
If caffeine is not your drug of choice, martinis range from the traditional ($8, double), made “wet” or “dry” to suit your mood, to the espresso-based, such as the Caramel Macchiato ($8), made with Stoli Vanil vodka, Bailey’s Caramel, Bols Butterscotch, Doma espresso and cream. If you prefer fruity drinks, there’s the Press original Grapefruit Tini ($9, double), with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice, Finlandia Grapefruit vodka and a dash of Cointreau. A dozen beers and even more wine selections round out the drink menu.
The food currently comes from a variety of local sources including White Box Pies, Luna, Fery’s and Rocket Bakery, but co-owner Marianne Guenther is also considering renting a kitchen “to have my mother — who is a chef by trade — make some of her award-winning desserts.”
If you’re looking for something savory, consider the three quiche choices, assorted Rocket sandwiches and mini muffalettas from Luna for your noshing pleasure.
The former oil-change shop has been converted to an urban-industrial motif; the space next door, currently under construction, will be Spokane’s first Samurai Sam’s, opening “hopefully before mid-May,” according to Guenther. This franchise features Japanese-style favorites such as teriyaki, grilled vegetables, and rice and noodle combos. Visitors to Press will be able to order meals from Samurai Sam’s as well.
As the weather warms, more changes and additions will be coming, including a five-bike rack, newly painted parking spaces, a small “sustainable farmers market” in the parking lot on Sundays mornings, and — as soon as Samurai Sam’s opens — a hybrid car plug-in.
All this variety is just what the doctor-to-be ordered.
— M.C. PAUL
Press, 909 S. Grand Blvd., is open daily 5:30 am-2 am. Visit www.presspokane.com or call 747-7737.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Taste of home
Author Michael Pollan famously advised, “Don’t eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food,” but he’d be really comfortable with the whole ingredients used at TASTE CAFÉ.
My late-afternoon lunch of quiche and salad ($8) was a lovely, warm, light and earthy-tasting compilation of eggs, butter, goat cheese and sliced leeks baked into a savory crust. The side of fresh greens had spinach tossed into the mix, and bits of Gorgonzola added surprising bursts of sharpness that went nicely with the roasted spicy walnut halves and the raspberry champagne-merlot vinaigrette.
“We use all my mother’s recipes — my mother [Jane] is my partner,” explains co-owner and pastry chef Hannah Heber. “My whole family’s English, and I’m the only one without the accent.”
She describes the menu as “old English comfort foods” that have been in her family for years. (You can even get crumpets.) The quiche I enjoyed so much? “I remember going to my grandmother’s house and eating that quiche,” Heber says with a smile, adding, “My mother would have had it with a cup of tea.”
There are plenty of other savory treats (including moussaka, shepherd’s pie and the surprising South African bobotie), plus tea and Doma espresso drinks to go with pastries such as the almond breakfast cake ($2.25). Described as “scratch-baked daily with raspberries baked in the middle,” it is an appealing paradox of butter and almond aromas with mellow flavors — at once rather densely textured and crumby, yet moist and light, with the fresh raspberries offering a tart line of scarlet in contrast to the delicately sweet yellow of the cake.
“I feel that if you bake with quality ingredients and you make [everything] fresh every day, it speaks for itself,” says Heber. I suspect her grandmother would agree.
— M.C. PAUL
Taste Café, at 108 S. Howard St., is open Mon-Fri 7 am-6 pm, Sat 8:30 am-2 pm. (They’re closed on Sunday — for now.) Visit www.tastecafespokane.com, e-mail info@tastecafespokane.com, fax 315-5300, or call 468-2929.
My late-afternoon lunch of quiche and salad ($8) was a lovely, warm, light and earthy-tasting compilation of eggs, butter, goat cheese and sliced leeks baked into a savory crust. The side of fresh greens had spinach tossed into the mix, and bits of Gorgonzola added surprising bursts of sharpness that went nicely with the roasted spicy walnut halves and the raspberry champagne-merlot vinaigrette.
“We use all my mother’s recipes — my mother [Jane] is my partner,” explains co-owner and pastry chef Hannah Heber. “My whole family’s English, and I’m the only one without the accent.”
She describes the menu as “old English comfort foods” that have been in her family for years. (You can even get crumpets.) The quiche I enjoyed so much? “I remember going to my grandmother’s house and eating that quiche,” Heber says with a smile, adding, “My mother would have had it with a cup of tea.”
There are plenty of other savory treats (including moussaka, shepherd’s pie and the surprising South African bobotie), plus tea and Doma espresso drinks to go with pastries such as the almond breakfast cake ($2.25). Described as “scratch-baked daily with raspberries baked in the middle,” it is an appealing paradox of butter and almond aromas with mellow flavors — at once rather densely textured and crumby, yet moist and light, with the fresh raspberries offering a tart line of scarlet in contrast to the delicately sweet yellow of the cake.
“I feel that if you bake with quality ingredients and you make [everything] fresh every day, it speaks for itself,” says Heber. I suspect her grandmother would agree.
— M.C. PAUL
Taste Café, at 108 S. Howard St., is open Mon-Fri 7 am-6 pm, Sat 8:30 am-2 pm. (They’re closed on Sunday — for now.) Visit www.tastecafespokane.com, e-mail info@tastecafespokane.com, fax 315-5300, or call 468-2929.
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