(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

Some people love burgers. I'm not one of them, but that's not to say I don't like a good one. I might not be a connoisseur, but I like what I like, and I'm OK with that.

After the disappointment that was Fatburger -- in retrospect, I guess I should've seen that one coming -- I couldn't shake the want to try a new burger. Why not, right? Maybe, just maybe, a new spot, one I hadn't heard a whole lot about, would be some unknown Xanadu of meat and cheese.

The spot I landed on, Burger Express was, sadly enough, not what I had hoped for. I believe its location used to be a Zip's, and frankly, it probably should not have changed. Burger Express is not good. It's about the most flavorless burger I've had.

Oh, they make promises. Promises of top shelf ingredients, with a freshness that could blind you. The impression they try to give off, that of being a fancy drive-through, should probably be a warning sign in itself. I can't remember having heard of anyone being particularly blown away by a burger drive-through. (Take that as a free business idea suggestion, though.)

The biggest issue here is, as often is the issue with burgers, the patties. These aren't just flavorless, they are way to «well-done» (kind of a misnomer) for their thinness. Kill the actual patty, and the burger is dead on arrival in my book.

I can only assume the buns come directly from Franz, and the pickles and lettuce from Safeway's discount aisle. There is no flavor anywhere to be found. It's like eating air that inexplicably has obtained mass.

Therefore the quest for a good burger, one a bit outside the usual suspects, continues. Burger Express did not hit it home for me, although I suppose it's a really convenient stop if you're making a trip to COSTCO.

In the whole «authentic foods» debate, Chinese food is one that often comes out looking bad, at least for those who've actually visited the country.

Noteworthy examples of first hand experiences can be found in David Sedaris's «Chicken Toenails, Anyone?» (an essay that put the Political Correctness Police into a state of frenzy), as well as Karl Pilkington's An Idiot Abroad:

Really, sit through the whole thing. Karl is a living legend.

Me, I have not visited China, so I will have to take a handful of B-list celebrities's word on the quality of authentic Chinese food. From what I understand, a bit of Americanization might not have hurt it it, but then, who am I to judge either way?

What I do know, is that Gordy's is a mainstay in our Best of… polls, and that we quite enjoy the spot. Classify the style any which way you want: Gordy's has never come out as a disappointment to us.

The curry and coconut tofu is a good example of what to expect here. Yes, it is described as «Thai», but we're OK with that. It might not be as spicy as the menu advertises, but the creamy sauce soaks nicely into the braised tofu, giving it a quite a flavor nonetheless.

For something fresher, we like the lemon chicken. The small bites have a nice crunch to them, and they're well flanked by a tart sauce that takes us to warmer climates. 

The hunan beef, as opposed to the tofu, actually has a good kick to it. Not super spicy, but should you find yourself unexpectedly chewing on a pepper, you might feel some sweat coming on. Bonus points for the shaoxing wine sauce which adds a sharpness to the palette.

How Chinese is any of this? Lord knows. My guess, based on the aforementioned essay and video, is probably not a lot, be it sichuan or otherwise. Yet, I don't care. It tastes good. 

Read what you like into all of this, then, but I feel my two main points stand: David Sedaris and Karl Pilkington are both hilarious; Gordy's is great.

Agree or disagree, those are our opinions, and we're sticking to them.

It probably comes as a surprise to no-one that Walla Walla, for its size, has quite a decent food scene. I mean, with the wine and all that, it just kind of makes sense.

Salumiere Cesario is not a restaurant per se -- it's a «gourmet grocery» store -- but as you would expect from a spot like this, it also has a small dining area. Here you can enjoy sandwiches based around their ample selection of meats and cheeses, alongside a selection of beers and wines.

And enjoy it you will, as the selection in general here is quite excellent. Possibly not huge, but then, why should it be? What's here is impressive, and the balance between it all -- meats, cheeses, wine, beer, kitchen supplies -- is spot on. They even sell ramen!

A lot of the cured meats come from Salumi in Seattle, including their famous (and tasty) mole salame. You can also find charcuterie standards like guanciale, and the Spanish mainstay jamón ibérico. (The latter is not cheap, but well worth the price.)

In fact, a perusal of their vendors and goods is probably a must.

Grab some gruyere and taleggio (or, Team SpoCOOL favorite, Drunken Goat), a baguette, and some local wine and Belgian beer, and you have quite the take-home meal going.

Walla Walla's downtown might not be big, but the amount of good food related spots down there is good. Salumiere Cesario is one of those spots you probably should wander into if you're hitting the tasting rooms: great food, both to go and to eat there, and other things you'll be a fan of.

And you will be: Only a fool could not love Salumiere Cesario.

We're in the middle of an important fact finding mission, so for today, here are some short takes about what's going on around town and, indeed, the world.

Tinbender Craft Distillery has submitted yet another liquor license. They will, according to themselves, produce brandies and whiskies when they open.

Perry Street Brewing is, as you probably know, also getting ready to open soon. You should probably give them a follow on Twitter to keep up to date on when that will happen.

Speaking of brewing: No-Li is continuing its (apparently pretty successful) bidding to take over the world: Born & Raised is now available in four-packs.

New Belgium is continuing its #snapshot promotion with a «Snapshot Party» at Whiskey Dick's (which just turned five). This is a good reminder to tag your Snapshot Instagrams with #snapshotspokane and #21 to enter a drawing for a bike, and have $1 donated to Second Harvest.

Finally, you can do worse than watching Tim Wendelboe do his thing if you want to learn more about brewing some good coffee. I say «watching», as it is not in English, but still. You'll get the gist of it.