Wednesday, Dec 21 ~ Spokane, WA

Today was a day of great food discovery!  Since I am in Spokane for a bit, thought I would write about my food experiences there.  First, I am shocked at the number of GREAT restaurants there.  I was expecting something along the lines of the "everything fried" variety, but not here.

LUNCH


Using my favorite iPhone app (Yelp!), I searched for something simple yet interesting for lunch.  Found this dandy and headed on down (and when I say down, it is quite a steep hill from my office to anywhere to eat).   Europa Pizzaria is a quaint restaurant serving both lunch and dinner. It has exposed brick walls, going for a Mediterranean feel.

I had the tomato potato soup and the turkey/onion/cranberry cream cheese panini.  Yum! There is also a full bar and dinner menu. I will definitely be back.

DINNER


Dinner was at Wild Sage American Bistro, another restaurant located downtown Spokane.  This restaurant is cozy, again with exposed brick, high ceilings, and a small bar. Stellar reviews on Yelp!

Starter : had the Yukon taquitos > mashed Yukon potatoes, salted cabbage, chili lime sauce, avocado in a homemade tortilla shell.  Accompanied by Sriracha sauce.  May not sound appetizing, but they were very good.

Salad:  the waiter highly recommended this salad, so I went with it.  Very rarely have I been steered wrong by a waiter's recommendation. Crisp Bacon and Blue salad > bibb lettuce, lots and lots of bacon, vine ripened tomatoes, toasted pumpkin seeds, and a wonderful home made blue cheese dressing.  I could eat this for breakfast, it is that good.

Main Course:  I went with the special of the evening, roasted pork, apples, onions over mashed potatoes.  The pork may have been the best I've ever tasted; perfectly cooked, a little pink in the middle (which is how it should be!), crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.

Wine:  Accompanying this fine meal was a bottle of something??   I don't recall the name, but is was a Washington state Cab....delicious.

If you are ever in the area, check out this little gem.  Since it is small, you may need to call ahead for reservations.  It did get packed on the Wednesday night I was there.

More to come from Spokane!

Dee

Augie's Front Burner Holiday Candlelight Tasting December 16, 2011

The holidays are now in full swing...we stress over finding the perfect present, when the best present of all is making memories with family and friends.  Spent the evening in downtown Springfield with Dora, Tim, Todd, and Tricia at Augie's.  We never have a bad meal at Augie's, and tonight was their special Holiday Candlelight tasting; three of us opted for this, while Todd and Tim ordered off the menu.

I would first like to thank Augie for the return of the fried cheese Napoleon (yay!).  It is a tower of friend cheese accompanied by greens drizzled with balsamic vinegar.  It has been off the menu, and when I saw that it had returned, I promptly ordered it, along with a bottle of Plungerhead Zinfandel.   An appetizer to the appetizers....

Course One:  Roasted Yellow Beets with Greens and Orange Honey Vinaigrette.  Who knew I liked beets?  These were delicious!  Sweet, and tasted like dirt in the spring (trust me, it was delicious). The vinaigrette was light and refreshing. Served with Dona Paula Malbec.

Course Two:  Beef Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallop over Asiago Polenta.  Delicious!  I do prefer my bacon to be pork, but this gave it an interesting taste.  The polenta was wonderful, with just a hint of Meyers lemon butter.  You can never go wrong with Asiago polenta.   Served with Benton Lane Pinot Noir.

Course Three:  Porcini Dusted Pork Tenderloin with Horseradish Mustard Jus, Yukon Gold Pave and Winter Vegetables.  The pork was tender and not overcooked.  The "potato pancake" was delicious.  The portion was very generous.  Served with Deerfield Merlot Cuvee.

Roasted Goose/Brandy Risin Sauce, Caramelized Cauliflower and Wild Rice.  This was Dora's choice.  Next time, I would probably get this.  I had a little bit of food envy.

Course Four:  Lavender Waffles with Fire Roasted Cinnamon Apples and Goat Cheese Ice Cream.  Yum....I loved this!  I believe there was also some maple syrup on there somewhere.  The goat cheese ice cream was surprisingly good, very tangy and not too sweet.  The "fan" is a dehydrated wedge of pineapple.  Accompanied by Pennywise Petite Sirah.

The service was good; our waitress was attentive without hovering.  I love Augie's; you can always count on a good meal there.

Slow down, take time to enjoy the holidays with the folks that you love.  The memories you make will outlast any present.

Merry Christmas!