By Kevin Finch on November 4, 2010
This week I slipped into Italia for lunch and ordered one of the bruschettas on the menu with a side caesar. It was perfect… simple, tasty, and just the right size for lunch. When asked, I agreed to glance at the dessert menu even though I didn’t plan on ordering anything.
I typically get much more excited about savory appetizers and only order dessert if there is some compelling reason (like a review where I feel obligated to comment on the sweets). Yet I noticed that Italia offers a single scoop of ice cream with a piece of orange biscotti. $2.50.
This turned out to be as perfect as the bruschetta and salad: a small sweet finish that wasn’t going to break the bank. Several other places in Spokane are also offering small dessert portions, and this is a trend I love. A bit of sweet at the end of a meal can be fine end to a meal, but anything more reminds me of the Monty Python skit where a man explodes from a bite of a mint after an obscene meal.
Too often I’ve approached that same point myself… usually due to a full-sized dessert after a big meal. So it is rare that I order dessert when not working on a restaurant review. Yet this would change if more desserts were offered in sampler sizes.
By the way, the scoop I ordered at Italia was pumpkin with chunks of chocolate and roasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds). The pumpkin was subtle and the pepitas added a great touch while the orange biscotti was close to addictive. Add the cup of Roast House coffee and I’ve become a dessert convert… at least at Italia.
Posted in dining | Tagged Anna Vogel, Bethe Bowman, biscotti, dessert, Inland Northwest restaurants, Italia, Northwest restaurants, portion size, Roast House |
By Kevin Finch on November 3, 2010
If it is time for a lobster tail and you appreciate a view of the Spokane Falls, Anthony’s has a deal for you. $19.95 gets you a tail all for yourself with chowder or a salad through the month of November. While we can’t speak authoritatively about the West Side locations, in Spokane the view is a brilliant bonus.
Posted in dining | Tagged Anthony's, Anthony's at the Falls, lobster, Northwest restaurants, Spokane Falls |
By Kevin Finch on November 2, 2010
Savory has been the buzz of the food scene for months as its details of its ambitious vision hit the press. More recently the skeptics have had plenty of fodder for gossip as the official opening date was pushed back repeatedly and rumors of turmoil in the kitchen leaked out. This week the rumors end and reality sets in. You can finally taste the initial results of all that buzz for yourself.
During their soft opening over the weekend to work out a few kinks, I slipped in to look around and try a few dishes. Already the kitchen is turning out a great steak and the steamed clam appetizer with a bit of chorizo sausage kick is great. Yet possibly the one item I couldn’t get enough of was a condiment: Savory’s from-scratch saffron aioli.
Aioli is just glorified mayonaise, but do it right and it can turn into culinary crack that addicted patrons will smear on anything and everything. My personal resolve to eat lean melted after just one fry dipped in the stuff.
Savory has also done a great job with the space and it looks like they’ve hired good staff. Chef Curtis Smith from the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy has stepped into the top spot in the kitchen as Interim Executive Chef for two months while the owners continue to look for the right combination of cooking chops and personality to preside over an open kitchen with a special chef’s table section.
One architectural detail of note: the men’s bathroom includes a wall of street-level glass that allows you to stare down Grand Avenue toward the cathedral while taking care of business. In theory the nearly floor-to-ceiling window is one way, but you just might be tempted to head outside to confirm this fact before dropping your drawers.
Posted in dining | Tagged aioli, Curtis Smith, Northwest restaurants, restaurant openings, Savory, Spokane restaurants |
By Kevin Finch on November 1, 2010
Chef Ethan Stowell just published his first cookbook, Ethan Stowell’s New Italian Kitchen.
Yet if you look closely at the photo on the cover of the book you would be forced to conclude that Stowell is missing most of his right pinkie. Some horrific kitchen cleaver accident?
Not so. During an interview today with Jamie Peha and Anne Nisbet today on their Seattle radio show Table Talk, Stowell assured them he has only suffered a digital accident. In real life he still has all ten fingers, but lost part of his right pinkie to Photoshop for the book.
Posted in culture, dining, play | Tagged Anne Nisbet, digital accidents, Ethan Stowell, Ethan Stowell's New Italian Kitchen, Jamie Peha, Photoshop, Table Talk |
By Kevin Finch on October 24, 2010
In her blog, All You Can Eat, Nancy Leson did a great job describing a night at Seattle’s recently-opened Book Bindery which sits next to the ship canal on the north flank of Queen Anne Hill. Your typical big box warehouse this is not. Most of the footprint is taken up with the Almquist winery and distillery, but the end of the building formerly used to make books is now a restaurant. Not just any restaurant either. The space manages to be both casual and elegant and the food Shaun McGrain is sending out of the kitchen suggests that the Book Bindery is poised to slip past many of its culinary neighbors to claim a top spot in the local ranking of fine dining establishments.
Order a glass of the Almquist Family Vintners wine and start with the simply stunning Compressed Watermelon with Crispy Pork Belly and Garden Basil. At $12 it just might be the best appetizer I’ve had all year. Check out the food images posted on the the restaurant website for the full food porn picture of this amazing dish.
No doubt Seattle will deluge the Book Bindery so if you have the chance to book a reservation soon… do it. With nearly all the entree prices in the twenties, it is truly a fine dining find.
Then there is their decision to close Sunday night and stay open on Monday evening. This seems like a possible stroke of genius and insures them a steady stream of other chefs and industry professionals looking for a great place to go on the one night of the week nearly everyone else is closed.
Posted in dining, wine | Tagged Almquist Family Vintners, Book Bindery, Nancy Leson, Seattle, Seattle restaurants, Shaun McGrain |
By Kevin Finch on July 11, 2010
From down the street, it looked like the line waiting for a hot dog or sausage at Hot Doug’s spilled out the front door.
Talk about an understatement.
The full line not only spilled out the front door but twisted out of sight to snake back alongside of Hot Doug’s for half a city block. If it had been a little shorter I would have given up, but a line this long in the middle of a residential neighborhood usually means something epic. There was even a guy in line who had brought his own folding lawn chair… apparently the line was a normal part of the experience.
Then there is the fact that Hot Doug’s actually has a theme song with three separate mixes: rock, techno, and a hybrid. And the full name: Hot Doug’s: The Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium. I’ll stand in line to meet a guy who opens an encased meat emporium and hires a band to sing about jonesing for a hot dog.
One hour and 15 minutes later we get a glimpse of the line INSIDE and after a little over an hour and a half we are seated on stools along one wall with our hot dogs and hand-cut duck fat fries (a specialty Doug only offers on Fridays and Saturdays).
Was it worth the wait? Yes.
I ordered the basic hot dog ($1.75) and the duck fat fries. The dog was a classic Chicago dog with essentially a salad on top. I skipped the pickle (which I think overpowers the dog) and I tried Doug’s grilled onions rather than opting for the more common raw.
The verdict? A decent dog.
Yet it wasn’t life-changing. There are plenty of other spots around Chicago for a good basic dog. Next time I’ll spring for something you can only get at Doug’s… something like the “Game of the Week” sausage made that this week was made out of alligator.
I’d certainly get the duck fat fries again. I was braced for more ‘duck’ that there actually was. Yet after a moment of disappointment, I tucked into what turned out to be a great basket of hand-cut shoestring fries with just a hint of the exotic every few bites. I wasn’t expecting subtlety after Doug’s garish decor, but here it was in the last place I expected it: in the fries.
Doug is obviously doing something very right. I’ve never been in line this long where everyone seemed expectant and hopeful rather than angry or resentful. Doug also managed to get my daughter Megan and her friend Alyx to eat something clearly not vegetarian: encased meat and duck fat fries.
The Sausage Superstore and
Encased Meat Emporium
Posted in culture, dining, kitsch, travel | Tagged best Chicago dog, best hot dog, Chicago dog, Chicago IL, Chicago restaurants, duck fat fries, encased meat, fries, hot dog, Hot Doug's, Hot Doug's Encased Meat Emporium, Illinois restaurants, Red Hot, waiting |
By Kevin Finch on July 8, 2010
Twenty years ago on a trip back to school in New Jersey I pulled off Interstate 90 and headed into the heart of Chicago for one reason: pizza. A friend had suggested that the sausage pie at the original Gino’s East on Superior Street was life-changing.
That pizza remains one of the most wonderful meals in my memory.
But rather than attempt a repeat of it today, I instead decided to try the original deep dish pie: Ike Sewell’s pie at Pizzeria Uno. How would it compare to the pizza I remembered from grad school?
The result was quite good. Not life-changing, but good. I probably wouldn’t stand in line too many times for only ‘quite good’ but an hour once was fine.
I ordered two house signature pies: a Numero Uno and a Spinach and Mushroom. The crust reminds me of a cross between a buttery cracker and slightly savory shortbread. The sauce is both tangy and sweet and both pies are every bit as thick as remembered.
Unfortunately, the sum of all the parts didn’t live up to my memory of my first Gino’s pie, but I’m aware memories can be a bit tricky. I might have been disappointed at Gino’s East tonight as well. This said, I need to go back to Superior Street and see. And I’m also hearing rumors about a third spot that might be a real contender: Giordano’s.
Posted in dining, travel | Tagged Chicago IL, Chicago restaurants, Chicago style pizza, deep dish pizza, Gino's East, Giordano's, Illinois restaurants, midwest, pizza, Pizzeria Uno |
By Kevin Finch on July 7, 2010
Given a few more days in Kansas City, I might have managed an exhaustive BBQ survey. Given just one day and two vegetarians for travel companions, I opted for a solo progressive lunch that set two popular BBQ destinations up for showdown: Rosedale Barbecue and Oklahoma Joe’s.
Local insiders independently suggested both: Rosedale with 3/4 of a century of BBQ experience in the city and relative upstart Oklahoma Joe’s with only 14 years of operation out of a gas station in the south end of town.
Rosedale has only been in their current location since 1990, but it somehow managed to pack quite a few more of its distinguished history into the space. It feels like BBQ whereas Oklahoma Joe’s feels more like a cafeteria at a truck stop (which isn’t all that far from the truth). Ambiance goes to Rosedale.
Both serve up tasty pulled pork sandwiches. Rosedale’s is bigger with a great bun and good smoke, but Oklahoma Joe’s was the better sandwich. It’s meat was moist and smokey while Rosedale’s larger portion was on the dry side. I also preferred Joe’s two sauces (one sweet and one hot) to Rosedale’s single signature tangy sauce. Locals claim you either love or hate Rosedale’s sauce. I liked it. I just liked Joe’s more.
In addition to the pulled port I ordered at both places, I also tried one additional meat at each. At Rosedale I ordered Burnt Ends: good flavor again, but also too dry. At Joe’s: a single rib which turned out to be fall-off-the-bone tender and brilliant slathered in either of their sauces.
Yet possibly even more memorable than anything else I tried were the unexpectedly wonderful “corn nuggets” that come as an optional side at Rosedale. I expected something along the lines of a deep-fried cornmeal hush puppy only to be surprised by biting into one to discover a sweet creamed corn inside a crunchy shell. Like their sauce, I expect you will either love the nuggets or find them bizarre. I loved them.
I also appreciated the service at Rosedale. Joe’s is a machine with a line sometimes stretching like a snake through the restaurant out the door onto the gas station asphalt. Rosedale is slower, steadier with a single woman waiting under the “Order Here” sign at the end of the bar. Without out the pressure of Joe’s line, she had the time to talk me through their menu and suggested I try the corn nuggets. I would have missed them on my own and life without having tasted one of those nuggets would be a less wonderous thing.
Here then would be the showdown winners by category:
Ambiance: Rosedale
Best Pulled Pork Sandwich: Oklahoma Joe’s
Best Sauce: Oklahoma Joe’s
Best Side: Rosedale
Service: Rosedale
By unweighted totals, Rosedale wins, but Joe’s meats and sauces (the heart of barbecue in my estimation) were superior. I believe I’m going to have to call it a draw and come back to try them both again. Tough duty that.
When I do I plan to replace the vegetarians with other omnivores so we can and take our run at legendary barbecue as a team. And if we do this, it would be unforgivable not to expand the field to include other storied spots. You are welcome to suggest who should be on the list for round two and any critical categories we must include.
Posted in dining, travel | Tagged barbecue, BBQ, corn nuggets, Kansas City, Kansas City barbecue, midwest restaurants, Missouri restaurants, Oklahoma Joe's, Oklahoma Joe's Barbecue, pulled pork, restaurants, Rosedale Barbecue |
By Kevin Finch on July 6, 2010
Of the hundreds of billboards along Interstate 90 for Wall Drug, I think my favorite driving east from Rapid City SD is one about 40 miles from the exit. It says simply “Pretty Near.”
On the food front, I was quite unimpressed with the grill food, but 5 cent coffee and a caramel pecan role will set you back less that $3 and might be one of the best deals on the premises beyond the FREE ice water.
Posted in culture, dining, kitsch, travel | Tagged buffalo burger, caramel pecan roll, coffee, Rapid City SD, tourist trap, Wall Drug, Wall SD |
By Kevin Finch on June 29, 2010
I love opportunities to eat my way across a swath of the country. During the first two weeks of July my daughter’s need to visit several potential colleges has provided a great excuse to load up the car and go eating. Here is where you come in. I simply hate “wasting” a meal in a new town on food from a chain that I can eat back home.
So I’d like your suggestions of places to eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner along our planned route. Of course other suggestions of things not to be missed along the way are also welcome, but there is a reason this blog is called Traveling Feast.
Here is our planned route:
Day One: Spokane WA to Bozeman MT
Day Two: Loop down through Yellowstone Park
Day Three: Bozeman MT to Gillette WY
Day Four: Gillette WY to Sioux Falls SD (with a Badlands/Rushmore detour?)
Day Five: Sioux Falls SD to Kansas City MO
Day Six: Kansas City
Day Seven: Kansas City MO to Chicago IL
Day Eight: Chicago
Day Nine: Chicago IL to Madison WI
Day Ten: Madison WI to Sioux Falls SD (again)
Day Eleven: Sioux Falls SD to Billings MT
Day Twelve: Billings MT to Spokane WA
Posted in dining, travel | Tagged Billings MT, Bozeman MT, Chicago, Gillette WY, Kansas City, Madison WI, Road Food, road trip, Sioux Falls SD, travel food, Yellowstone Park |
By Kevin Finch on May 25, 2010
I feel a bit like a Pavlovian dog salivating for another burger that I can’t simply order when I feel like it.
Chef David Blaine from Latah Bistro has begun a culinary experiment called Pop-Up Restaurant. It is a culinary gypsy affair that “pops up” at random mealtimes around the region along trails, in parks, in parking lots. For a donation, you get food. Great food.
No problem with the food. No problem with the random locations. My only problem is my craving for another burger and uncertainty of when I might get to eat one. And if others are reacting the way I am, a desperate mob of people converging on the next location is not out of the question. I may need to prepare by bringing along a sharpened fork.
Posted in culture, dining | Tagged David Blaine, hamburger, mobile restaurants, Northwest restaurants, restaurants, Spokane, underground restaurants |
By Kevin Finch on April 26, 2010
I enjoy menus with a sense of humor. Note the Deluxe Chicken Dinner on this menu noticed by Aly and Jim Williams at the Suds Hut in Helena MT. The question is whether they have the Dom Perignon on hand if you order it.
Posted in culture, dining, kitsch | Tagged chicken, Helena MT, humor, menu, Montana restaurants |
