Yes :-) barman's review (Jun 26th 2008)

Despite what you might think on Bernard and 16th, Spokane is a town of neighborhood taverns. And if there is a Spokane Cuisine, it’s the food you used to get at these places. Blue collar. Grilled. Real.

Though the tav concept has largely passed into memory, a few holdouts remain. The Illinois is such a place, on the divide between the GU district, and the light industrial near-NE side.

The typical noon crowd seems to be locals, regulars and some Avista types. Nobody’s come in from Boise. Coupla pool tables, flat screen tvs, pinball, video golf. The shot machine on the bar suggests things might get a bit unwrapped in the evening, but I’m betting on a older crowd.

It’s a Bud house, but has a few additional taps, nothing particularly interesting. Kokanee is an import. It appears Crown is the whiskey of choice. Not much scotch. I’m suspicious of the menu. Too many items. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, deli sandwiches, fish and chips and a chef salad for crissakes. Prices look good, so what the hell I’m gonna test their integrity. I want a Burger and a Cold beer. While I wait, I look around. The tables are clean, the bar is clean, the floor is clean, everything is clean. Tables are bussed promptly and wiped down, everything is in its place. Not exactly what the Luna crowd might expect from a place like this.

The burger is real, not pressed. The fries have the skins on, and are pre-salted. They bring enough tartar sauce the first time. The onion and tomato were sliced by hand with a knife. The bun is fresh. This meal has flavor and texture and taste. The service is kind, prompt, and cheerful. The price is about what you can get a McWendiking happy meal, though this comes with a chillycold beer.

There’s other holdouts around, neighborhood tavs with simple good food served in an workmanlike fashion by people take pride in what they do and who act like they’d like to see you again. This is such a place. If you don’t know of any others, this is worth the trip.