(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

Exactly why the Palm Court Grill has decided to re-open as a new, more laidback dining spot we do not know, but we're guessing Walt Worthy feels he has cracked the code on casual dining after the "success" of Post St Ale House. Maybe he has? The ale house seems to attract a crowd, though lord knows why.

We tried the Palm Court Grill during their half-off grand re-opening special, and really, there is little point going there after that is done on Wednesday.

Most everything has gone wrong here, from the service to the menu to the quality of the food. The remodel does look the part and the Palm Court is probably a good place to take an out-of-towner for a quick appetizer and a martini while looking at the Davenport. So there's that.

Our visit, meanwhile, was not much of a success.

We stepped up to the "please wait to be seated" sign while five waitresses stood huddled around a podium, deep in discussion. After a couple of minutes  we inquired if we possibly could be seated, to which we were told there was self-seating until 5pm. ("Bar tables only!") Why the "wait to be seated" sign was out is anyone's guess.

The menu can best be described like something out of a hotel in 1998. It's all here, everything from a signature salad drenched in a creamy dressing to coconut prawns to a "prawn-tini".

We tried the Cougar Gold cheese dip -- easily the best part of the meal -- because, frankly, screwing up Cougar Gold is nigh impossible. And the dip wasn't bad, though the bread seemed stale. Maybe Sysco hadn't made its delivery for the day? I'd be shocked if the bread was baked in-house at least, and if it was, somebody forgot that bread actually is supposed to taste like... something... "Stale" is not a flavor in and of itself.

As for the main course we tried the signature salad -- hey, if it is a signature salad it has to be good, right? -- and a "twist" on a classic, the coconut salmon. There's not much to either, really. The salad was so drenched in dressing that the lettuce felt wilted, and the beets tasted like they'd just come out of a can.

And the coconut salmon... Where to start... The actual salmon was, if nothing else, cooked properly, though with little flavor. Even the coconut breading was dull.

The sauces were where everything went wrong, to the point where I felt the need to eat around them. The dish came with three sauce: Some sort of citric dressing (probably meant to accompany the salad), a hot orange marmalade (I assume it was aimed at the salmon), and a balsamic vinegar (lord knows, though I think it was mostly there to make the plate look pretty). The dressing and the vinegar meshed in such a bitter way that it was close to inedible. Have you tried eating around sauces? It's not easy.

Do not order the coconut salmon or its close cousine, the coconut prawn. In fact, none of the "house specialties" have much to offer by the looks of it. It all just looks so so dull.

The apple crisp dessert, finally, is not too bad, but certainly nothing that will set the world on fire, and you could probably make something better at home yourself.

The Palm Court Grill has preciously little going for it as far as food goes. Order a drink and appetizer, and you'll probably be OK. It's hard to beat the Davenport's interiors if nothing else. 

Wow, seriously, you guys! Our Cystic Fibrosis Foundation fund-raising has come to an end, and we couldn't be happier with how well it all went. Throughout the past few months we've put on various events with the help of both individuals and local businesses that truly gave it all to support this worthy cause.

And therefore, we'd like to thank the following for donating to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation!

Blue Spark: They were our super gracious host for SpiceaWAR, an event that really helped us reach our goal! Blue Spark always have a great tap selection, and you're clinically insane if you are a beer hound and haven't visited them yet.

Big Sky Brewing Company: Provided prizes for both SpiceaWAR and SpoBREWING for the CFF. Prizes meant excitement. Excitement meant donations! Their Powder Hound is currently our favorite winter ale too.

DOMA Coffee: Coffee was a central theme to the final SpiceaWAR challenge, and nobody provides better coffee than DOMA. But you already knew that. Their mugs were also awesome prizes and are great to drink from.

Dreyer Press: Designed kick-ass programs and posters for SpiceaWAR.

Brain Freeze Creamery: Another ingredient to SpiceaWAR was the spicy yet delicious Brain Freeze ice cream. A crowd favorite.

Fremont Brewing: Provided beer for SpiceaWAR, and it was delicious too. Try their IPA, it's excellent

IBU: Homebrewers are always a fun bunch, and Inland Brewers Unite was instrumental in making SpoBREWING for the CFF happen.

LK Studios: Sold the amazing 6pack Saddlebag at SpiceaWAR and donated proceeds to the CFF. What do you mean you haven't bought one yet? Do so now!

LuLu's Jewels: Sold jewelry at the Whitestone Winery event, donating proceeds to the CFF. The owner here is also a CF pharmacist.

Manito Tap House: Very kindly provided space for SpoBREWING for the CFF, even in the midst of a hectic start-up period. We like their food a lot, and with 50 taps, how can you go wrong?

Monterey Cafe: Provided pizza for SpiceaWAR, with slices sold to benefit the CFF. And it was a really tasty pizza too, with an appropriate name:"Ring of Fire".

Nectar Wine: Part of the sales of bottles were donated to the CFF over a weekend at this excellent tasting room.

Pyramid Brewing: The perennial favorite provided beer for SpiceaWAR. Check out their winter ale, Snow Cap, it's like Christmas in your mouth.

Red Bull: Provided prizes and beverages for SpiceaWAR. Big thumbs up to their rep who actually dared to sample the insanely hot wings in the contest.

Red Couch Bistro: Baked habanero cupcakes for SpiceaWAR and sold them in support of CFF. I quite enjoyed the cupcakes myself, and wish I hadn't been so full by the time their turn came in the contest!

Rex's Burgers and Brews: We are fans of this new spot, and their SpiceaWAR hot wings truly lived up to their label as the hottest thing anyone has ever made ever.

Saranac Public House: Not only did they provide a great meal for SpiceaWAR, they had a Facebook special where their Brain Freeze Creamery ice cream dessert proceeds went to CFF!

Savor Sweets: Our friends at Savor Sweets hooked us up with suckers to sell at SpoBREWING for the CFF, where the proceeds went to the CFF. A large bag of them was also given to a CFF auction. Furthermore, they made insanely hot ghost pepper suckers for SpiceaWAR. Savor Sweets's products are good. Very very good. Very very very good. Pick some up next time you hit Chairs (or anywhere else).

Soulful Soups and Spirits: They cooked up a nice chili for SpiceaWAR. Hey, it's snowing outside; that's a good excuse to try some soup and spirits, right?

Spike's Phillys:They provided excellent sandwiches with habanero salsa for SpiceaWAR. Check their phillys out, they're quite tasty.

Steelhead Bar & Grille: The downtown spot donated gift certificates to a CFF auction. Did you know they have hot buttered rum right now? Yes? Then go get some!

Tacos Tumbras: Sold tacos at SpiceaWAR. They're also still one of our favorite taco places in town.

Team Rawr Photography: Took awesome photos at SpiceaWAR! Expect to see more of them here soon.

Whitestone Winery: Whitestone put on a first class event with wine and a raffle, and donated proceeds to the CFF. Huge turnout with people enjoying excellent libations.

Numerous individual donors and Craigslist purchasers! You're all awesome!

So, seriously, thank you to all of these fantastic businesses! Hopefully anyone who reads this will consider supporting them, they truly deserve it. 

During the fundraising period a breakthrough drug was made. One that could significantly improve the quality of life for a portion of people with cystic fibrosis and pave the way for the development of additional drugs that will help others who have the disease

And! It's not too late to donate! Run over to our donation page and consider supporting this worthy cause.

But enough of that best of voting shenanigans for now, let's instead look at things that severely will improve your life. Like the AeroPress, also known as the best thing to have happened to coffee since somebody figured out that roasting coffee beans was better than chewing them.

So what is the AeroPress? Basically it's just a coffee maker, one that at first glance looks like a French press replacement (which it is). Give it another look and you'll probably just want to replace your espresso maker with it too. And at a third glance, you'll find that it's its own unique creation, one that will make the smoothest coffee you could possibly imagine at home without going through Keaton's bootcamp.

The basic process is simple: Grind your beans up finely -- we prefer DOMA -- and toss two measuring spoons into the AeroPress cylinder on top of a cup. Pour hot water -- between 165 to 175 degrees is recommended -- up to "2", let it steep for ten seconds, and give it another ten second stir. Press the plunger down all the way slowly, and voilà, you have two shots of espresso. And may we say it is a damn good espresso at that.

From here you can really play barista. Drinking the espresso straight up is enjoyable in itself, or top the cup off with water to make more of a regular cup of coffee. Warm up some good milk, and make a café au lait. Frankly, with the ease of making the coffee, you can make true lattes and macchiatos -- as opposed to the crap Starbucks and its ilk call lattes and macchiatos -- quickly at home.

Obviously you can adjust the numbers above for more or fewer shots. Plus, the steps are merely the basic AeroPress technique, and there is plenty of room for experimentation. Our favorite barista and AeroPress judge, Tim Wendelboe, has a video of the basics (slightly modified) and a guide of three other techniques.

You can find the AeroPress for under $30 in a bunch of stores; we got ours at the Kitchen Engine. In fact, that store will feature the AeroPress as a Thanksgiving day doorbuster for $19, so if those kind of sales are your thing, you can get one on the cheap. It's worth it, and it really will be your go-to coffee maker. Going back to anything else, including area coffee shops, is hard after using an AeroPress.

They had their say, and what they said sucked. Therefore we're repeating the success from last year: You, the Better Tasters of Spokane, can have your say and decide what really is the Best of Spokane, as far as food and libations go!

Like last year the voting system is a bit different than most "best ofs" and we think it's more fair too:

We've picked out the categories and, with your help, the nominees. You don't vote for spots, you score them all between one (:( worst) and six (:D best). Just leave the "-" for any place you haven't visited or you don't have any opinions about.

You'll have to type in your e-mail address at the end, but don't worry, it will not be given away to anyone.

That's it! Hundreds proved they were Better Tasters last year, so let's see how it goes down this year. We'll reveal the results in a couple of weeks.

Go vote!