Taste Everything Once

Cathay Inn

Remi — Wed, 01 Oct 2008

Actually, I’d prefer not to come on in to the Cathay Inn. Awful. Avoid. That is all.

Perry Street Cafe

Remi — Wed, 01 Oct 2008

I suppose I just don’t see the allure.

It’s not that I’m broken hearted for what Perry Street Cafe could have been, and that could frankly have been quite something. The exposed bricks, the ceiling… With a bit of of TLC and creative decorating, this could be a unique and cool diner, something along the lines of Satellite Diner.

Instead the interior is a mess. A combination of cheap looking tables and chairs—not that cheap is bad, it could be cool if done right, which sadly isn’t the case here—a floor that reminds me of my elementary school in 1984… Yes, I know they are going for an elementary school theme, but really. There are better ways of achieving that goal, than a generic messy 80s look.

Of course, the point is moot when the food isn’t up to scratch. And it isn’t. The so-called “fluffy” pancakes were dense and brick-like. No amount of butter and syrup could hide that fact. The bacon? Charcoal strips. At least the over-easy egg came as advertised. That wasn’t enough to save a dire breakfast however, one that sat heavy in the stomach for hours afterward.

It’s somewhat of a tragedy that Junebugs couldn’t survive in the Perry Street district, when this place is doing booming business. I’d rather go to IHOP than return to Perry Street Cafe.

Globe Bar & Grille

Remi — Tue, 30 Sep 2008

Globe is one of those places I expected to be similar to other “Old Spokane Institutions.” Like Clinkerdagger’s. You know. Crap.

As it turned out, I was wrong just this once.

While you don’t get gourmet dining at Globe—nor should you for that matter—you do get tasty and fresh high-end bar food. My buffalo chicken sandwich, for example, was really quite awesome. The true test of any good buffalo sauce is the level of spiciness, and if it masques the flavors or not. No problems here; the sauce definitely had a kick to it, but it never overpowered the actual flavor of the sauce. With a dash of blue cheese dressing, it was a wonderful messy experience.

The accompanying pumpkin wasabi sauce might have been even better. I expected the wasabi to be overpowering, something that thankfully turned out not to be the case. You could taste the wasabi, sure, but it just complemented the pumpkin perfectly. The seeds were a nice touch too.

Globe, then, is good. Excellent in fact. It’s nice to see some old-school Spokane institutions earning their reputation.

Opa Pizza Greek and Italian Cuisine

Remi — Sun, 21 Sep 2008

Opa and Taste Everything Once has had a rocky relationship. The previous owners of the eatery ballot stuffed the user reviews with glowing recommendations, while the actual customers lambasted the food.

With new owners I decided to give the place a shot and see if they bear the sins of the father.

Long story short: No, no they don’t. Opa is not bad at all.

I shared a couple of appetizer plates with my dining companion, to get a good sample of Opa’s offerings. The gyro lamb was nicely seasoned, and the sampling of cheeses went well with it. The feta definitely had a nice fresh flavor to it. In fact, overall, everything was better than passable. Not mindblowing, but good.

The service, too, was just fine. Quick, friendly, and not too “in your face.”

I don’t think I will make many trips north as I prefer Santorini’s downtown. Had I lived closer to Northpointe, though, I would probably visit Opa on more than one occasion.

Pear Tree Inn

Remi — Tue, 16 Sep 2008

Remember the Seinfeld episode where George decides to do exactly the opposite of his instinctual decisions, and orders a chicken salad sandwich instead of a tuna salad? At the Pear Tree Inn I had a similar experience, though not by choice.

One would think it wouldn’t be all too complicated to put together a chicken salad croissant, but apparently it is. Ten minutes after I placed the order, the waitress came back and informed me they were out of chicken salad and asked if I would be OK with tuna salad instead. Well, sure, but why did it take ten minutes for them to discover they were out of something as simple as chicken salad?

Ten minutes later, and what do you know… Apparently there weren’t any croissants left either, would sourdough work instead?

In twenty minutes I moved from a chicken salad croissant to a tuna salad sandwich. Wow.

That it took another fifteen minutes to make the sandwich is another thing completely, and it should come as little surprise at this point that it was somewhere below average. Slightly stale bread, way (way) too many cucumbers slices, and a salad I strongly suspect came from a tin. Yeah, it was all there.

Pear Tree Inn is, apparently, historical, and that’s well and good. That’s not to say it’s much good however.

Stir Restaurant and Lounge

Remi — Fri, 05 Sep 2008

Despite my broken heart, I don’t hate Stir. We’re not talking a heart that was shattered to pieces here, it was more pushed off a ledge accidentally and broken that way. In fact, reading a response to the reader reviews from one of the Stir owners gives me hope that the place might just turn out OK some time in the future.

The issue with Stir’s food is not, in my opinion, so much that the chef lacks technical proficiency. Judging by my steak, I’d say the reality is quite the contrary, as it was cooked perfectly medium-rare.

With that said, it felt like the glaze and potatoes were firmly stuck in a 1992. I am all for a good sauce, but when it overpowers the meat, what’s the point of eating a steak? Medium-rare hardly matters at that point.

The mashed potatoes, meanwhile, didn’t have any flavor at all. I don’t have the menu in front of me, but I seem to recall they were supposed to be wasabi flavored. I’m almost thinking the chef forgot to put the wasabi in.

There aren’t many dining options up in North Spokane, and Stir is definitely better than its neighbor, Golden Corral. With some re-focusing I think the restaurant could end up being quite decent, but, for now, I can’t say it’s worth the trip from downtown.

Villagio

Remi — Mon, 01 Sep 2008

Villagio is a strange restaurant which seems to suffer from some sort of split personality disorder.

The crust on the A’Pizza Villagio was certainly excellent. Nice and crispy, it is second only to Ferrante’s here in Spokane, and I recommend going to Villagio just because of it.

On the flip-side, the toppings were not entirely a success. Sure, the prosciutto was fine, and the amount of cheese was perfect—not too much, but still enough to add a bit of flavor. The problem was with the balsamic port reduction. There was simply too much of it, and it overpowered the rest of the pie to such a degree I had to scrape some of it off. I have a feeling it would have soaked through the crust had I waited to do so.

Not good, but lesson learned, and I have a feeling the PHT (pancetta, fresh herbs, and fresh tomatoes) or Carni Italiane (salami, pepperoni, sausage, and pancetta) might have been better choices.

As for the service… It’s friendly, certainly, though possibly a bit too far on the eager side. The owner came up and talked to us numerous times, often bragging how awesome his restaurant was. That does not give a good impression, particularly when the place is far from perfect. I mean, talking about how authentically Italian your restaurant is when the house wine is from Chile? Strange.

The interior is a bit “eh” too, and I’m guessing it was done by a wannabe designer. The bar area, in particular, just looks like a mess, with a PC tower on the bar, the bottles stashed around willy-nilly, and the cable box, stereo, and wiring proudly on display for everybody to see.

Villagio’s savior, then, is the pizza crust. It is very very good. Other aspects of the restaurant need work, but I’m optimistic the place could turn out quite nice in the future.

A hesitant recommendation in other words.

Cafe Neo

Remi — Sun, 17 Aug 2008

Ambrosia Bistro was responsible for one of the worse meals I’ve had in recent memory, yet adventurous as I am, I decided to give Cafe Neo a shot.

And while my impression is favorable enough to put Neo way ahead of its sibling eatery, the spot decidedly has some ways to go before it can join the ranks of Spokane’s better establishments.

Walking in, the first thing you notice is that the interior is decidedly rooted in early 2000s decor, and gives a very faux-trendy vibe. Think “upscale chain restaurant” like P.F. Chang’s. I suppose this kind of look goes well with the Northside crowd, however, with Neo being located about as far north in Spokane as it is possible to get.

Regardless, the menu selection fared better. Most of the items were unassuming and fairly simple, which in my mind is a good thing. The lunch options ranged from some interesting looking sandwiches to plenty of pasta dishes, and the only question mark I could come up with was an unseasonal salad with pumpkin seeds, but whatever. Definitely a decent selection then, though I think the prices are a bit high for being a stripmall restaurant all the way up north. Almost $14 for the penne pasta dish I went for, and closer to $18 for the mushroom ravioli my dining companion chose. That probably won’t get the crowds flocking from downtown.

That’s not to say the food wasn’t good; it definitely was. My penne was perfectly al dente, and was not drowned in the cream sauce, which, sadly, seems to be the more typical way to do pasta in Spokane. The onions and peppers added just that little extra that was needed and, again, there were no attempts to make the dish more complex than it needed to be. I highly approve of that.

Sampling the ravioli, my impression was equally favorable. Nicely seasoned with fresh herbs, the flavors were simple and tasty. Any fool should know that the two “secrets” behind pasta are freshness and simplicity. Cafe Neo does both right.

In fact, the only issue I really had with the food, was that the plates were decorated with parsley around the rims. It’s 2008. Let’s get over that.

Cafe Neo, then, is definitely worth some love. It’s not perfect, but then again, nor are most people, so go give it a shot.

Waffles Plus

Remi — Wed, 16 Jul 2008

So, yes, the waffles are good. I mean, come on, bacon stuffed waffles, how can you go wrong with that? The problem, though, is the price. Almost $6 for a single waffle? I’m fairly certain you could do something similar at home for half the price.

As for the interiors? I suppose they’re… organic, though in this case that’s just a very nice way of saying the smoking ban must have taken its toll on Waffels Plus’ regulars.

Maybe the “plus” is an indicator of the price point…

Santorini's

Remi — Sat, 10 May 2008

The fact that Spokane now has its own Olympia is definitely a good thing, although “Santorini’s” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.

Regardless, if you have visited the Coeur d’Alene location, you know what you can expect here. Great tasting simple Greek food like gyros, falafels worthy of Bill O’Reilly, and an amazing chocolate baklava is paired with more traditional dinner dishes like the classic moussaka.

Also like its Idahoan cousin, the interior has a decidedly old world feel.

Overall, this is a great down to earth place to try out some good food fast, and a good alternative to Mexican food. Awesome.