Yes, we have written about Sante before; yes, we will write about them again. This is as good time as any to remind you to head back to what we feel is the best restaurant in Spokane.
It might sound like a hyperbole, but while Sante was amazing when it opened it has just gotten better. Back of the house has been fine tuned to a team that prepares outstanding dishes, from amuse-bouche to dulce. The ever changing menu currently features some of the best gnocchi I've ever had. Perfectly prepared, served in a sherry butter sauce with mushrooms and herbs. It's what dreams are made of.
Go for anything on the charcuterie menu, too, and you can not go wrong. You can't; you won't! The duck prosciutto is decadent, and so is the terrine. Even if you're a vegetarian, they have a menu for you. Not bad for a restaurant with 'charcuterie' in its name. And if you're into buying local and organic (you probably should be) then Sante is definitely what one would consider a true Spokavore spot.
Front of house has also steadily improved. The service here is stellar; friendly and knowledgeable, and not at all stuck up. For fun, play some food-Russian-Roulette and have the staff pick your courses. You won't be disappointed.
The list goes on... Five course meals, seven course, and now even ten course. Events like the upcoming 15 is definitely something new for this town. Great selection of wine and beer.
What's not to love? If you don't love Sante you're probably dead to us. In fact, we are so into this place, we want to send you there. Over to Top That:
To make a long story short: My Catholic Guilt will result in one of you winning a $16 gift-card to Sante! So, what do you have to do to win? Send ten reasons you love Sante or ten reasons you have not been there yet, but want to go. Team SpoCool will select the winner after 24 hours of this post. If you have played Apples to Apples, you many be onto a great strategy. Send your entries to team@spocool.com.
To inspire you, here are our top tens:
Top That
- Philosophy about ingredients
- Taste
- Selection of meals I would not succeed at making on my own
- Staff
- Some foods I have not tried before
- Conscience detail in every dish
- Every gnocchi and soup offering
- Atmosphere
- Watching the many ways people parallel park
- Presentation
Mack Salmon (a 2009 vintage top 10)
- The food is out of this world. I mean, it’s as simple as that. The food is consistently great, and always creative.
- The portion sizes are just right. I’m tired of plates filled with food you won’t eat anyway. Sante serves true portions.
- It’s affordable. And surprisingly affordable at that. Grab some brunch and we’re talking something close to diner prices. Dinner, too, is a lot cheaper than you’d expect from a place that—pretty literally—makes everything from scratch. Even the ketchup.
- They have a to-go charcuterie menu. Grab some of their duck prosciutto and put it in your pasta or with your steak—I did both. (This isn’t the dumbed down prosciutto you might be used to, though, this is the real, super-salty, Better Taster stuff.)
- The coffee is awesome. Four Seasons, and brewed really quite well. I admit to enjoying an espresso con panna.
- Vegetarian/vegan options. Even I have ordered from the vegetarian menu. That’s just how I roll.
- Best waiter in Spokane. Go during dinner service and you can experience what I consider to be the best waiter in Spokane. This guy really puts pride into his job, and watching him work is poetry in motion.
- The ambiance. Hey, feels just like a Southern European cafe. Plus being inside a bookstore is just kind of cool.
- Best gnocchi in town. Not that the competition is stiff, but the gnocchi is what dreams are made of.
- No really, it’s just really, really, really good. I mean, I hate ketchup, but I’d eat their homemade stuff by itself. Gourmet ketchup? I’ve heard the word used, but here it’s actually true.