(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

In November 2010 we opened the flood-gates and let you, the highly fastidious reader of SpoCOOL, decide what the Best of Spokane was in 2010. Hundreds of you voted, and these were the results, with convenient links to our reviews or posts. (You can also view our restaurant review index.)

Best Restaurant

1. Sante
2. Latah Bistro
3. Gordy's
4. Mizuna
5. Wild Sage
6. Luna 

Best Cheap Eats

1. Froyo Earth
2. Market St Bistro
3. El Mercado del Pueblo
4. Picabu Bistro
5. De Leon Foods
6. D Lish's

Best Pizza

1. Veraci
2. South Perry Pizza
3. Bennidito's Pizza
4. Flying Goat
5. Europa
6. David's Pizza 

BEST COFFEE SHOP/BAKERY

1. Taste Cafe
2. Rockwood Bakery
3. Atticus Coffee and Gifts
4. Lindaman's
5. Madeleine's Cafe
6. Rocket Bakery 

Best Market

1. Rocket Market
2. Main Market Co-op
3. Bottles
4. Huckleberry's 
5. Eggers Meat
6. De Leon 

Best Farmers' Market

1. South Perry Farmers' Market
2. Spokane Farmers' Market
3. Liberty Lake Farmers' Market
4. Millwood Farmers' Market
5. Airway Heights Farmers' Market
6. Indoor Farmers' Market 

Best Bar

1. The Lantern Tavern
2. LeftBank Wine
3. The Hop Shop
4. The Elk/The Two Seven
5. Zola
6. The Viking

Best Winery

1. Barrister Winery
2. Robert Karl Cellars
3. Townshend Cellar
4. Arbor Crest
5. Latah Creek
6. Caterina Winery

Best Brewery

1. Laughing Dog
2. Northern Lights
3. Golden Hills Brewing Co.
4. Coeur d'Alene Brewing Company

Best Coffee Roaster

1. DOMA Coffee
2. Bumper Crop
3. Thomas Hammer
4. Roast House Coffee
5. 4 Seasons Coffee
6. Craven's Coffee 

Best Restrooms

1. The Davenport
2. Nordstrom Cafe
3. Italia Trattoria (Same restroom as Marron's days)
4. Twigs
5. Churchill's Steakhouse

Best Guilty Pleasure: "Best" of the Lowest Rated Options

1. Pizza Rita
2. The Bulldog (has since changed for the much better)
3. Pizza Pipeline
4. Far West's Restroom
5. Celebrations Cupcakes

You wake up, and it's in the air. This is the day, the day to celebrate the best of Spokane; To take it all in, and live life to the fullest. Only the best will be good enough today. You deserve it.

What better way to kick off your morning, than with a steaming cup o' Joe from your favorite local corner shop, Dutch Bros. Nay-sayers might claim Oregon isn't quite close enough to be considered local, but come on... They have nipple-lids! Don't be a snob here.

Breakfast, of course, takes place at Frank's Diner, because average food tastes one hell of a lot better when eaten in a train car. It makes perfect sense, you dreamt of being a train conductor since you were a child, and will gladly brave the two hour wait to live those dreams while wolfing down on their Omelette a la SysCo. Très bien!

After a light fare for breakfast, the next logical step is a hamburger. And when you think good burgers in the Inland Northwest you think Red Robin. Oh, it is a toss up -- the It Kid, 5 Guys, is calling your name -- but you prefer choice with your burgers: Pink or not pink? It's a question to keep you up at night.

Azteca for lunch? Or maybe something less intimidating -- those Aztec pyramids could very well have been built by aliens -- like Anthony's? You know how you like your fish: Frozen and warmed up in a microwave.

Then: The crown jewel. Dinner. But where to go? Clinkerdagger hasn't changed their menu for 37 years, and you don't really like change, so that might be good. But then again, Savory has burst onto the scene, making dishes so out of this world that even the manager can't believe they're the best new spot in town. Decisions, decisions, and certainly something you ponder while noting that none of the best chefs work for either restaurant. 

The choice, of course, ends up being simple. Clinkerdagger also has the best dessert, and as the sweet tooth you are, how can you go wrong? Answer: Clearly you can't.

That evening, as you slumber off to sleep, you come to the realization. You are Spokane, and only the best is good enough for you. As your eyes slowly shut, you dream of what tomorrow will bring: A big plain steak from Wolf Lodge Inn.

Author's note: We don't hesitate to throw The Inlander under the bus, so credit where credit is due: Including a "Good Answers" pick from the readers was a good idea, as they were often more interesting than anything from the voters.

We're having a love affair with the coconut as of late, here at Team SpoCOOL. And why not? It might be an imposter (seeing it's not technically a nut) but it tastes damn good, can be used in cooking in a variety of ways, and replaces less healthy options to boot.

Here are just a few uses we've been into lately:

Coconut water: This is simply the clear liquid inside the coconut, and, somehow surprisingly, it's the perfect replacement for sports drinks. I kid you not. All respect to Gatorade for hooking athletes on syrup, but coconut water is higher on both electrolytes and potassium, with only around 60 calories per serving. And it tastes good too. Mix it in a smoothie or fruit juice, and it really compliments the flavors.

You can find various varieties across town, from Huckleberry's to Fred Meyer to COSTCO.

Raw macaroons: There are quite a few recipes online, but if you jet over to Fresh Abundance, they have some damn tasty ones there. I'm not particularly over the moon about the raw diet thing, but certain things taste better raw, and macaroons -- at least these ones -- are prime examples.

Coconut "sugar": This is a sugar replacement, and an excellent one at that. It's not cheap, but put it in some fat separated from coconut milk, whip it slghtly, and you have a cream that is both delicious and fresh tasting. Available from Huckleberry's.

And finally, any mix of coconut and chocolate... You can't go wrong. 

Respect the coconut. We're fans.

For whatever reason, many have been prodding me to try WingStreet on this Great Hot Wing Chase. Why, I don't know, though I'm guessing Pizza Hut's power of advertising might have something to do with it. That, or people really just want me to eat crap so they don't have to.

Regardless, there's no way getting around it: WingStreet has to be a part of this experiment, as much as it pains me. And it does. Not because the "buffalo burnin' hot" are painfully hot; they are painfully dull.

First, though, credit where credit is due: As opposed to Pizza Pipeline, you at least can somewhat recognize Pizza Hut's wings as being chicken-ish like. They're also covered in sauce. If you want fast-food wing -- and, really, you don't -- Pizza Hut is a step above Pipeline and possibly even Rock City Grill.

That's about as much praise as I can give them.

For being described as "extreme heat for the daring Buffalo eater," these are curiously flavorless. Sure, you can taste something that's probably watered down Frank's, but honestly, there's no kick here beyond the base flavor of the sauce.

Texture-wise, it's the same ol'. So far, only Northern Lights and Jones have provided wings that actually feel like chicken. WingStreet's are soft, almost mushy, and have little going for them as far as mouthfeel goes.

Look, of course it's bad. We all knew it would be. I will give WingStreet some credit for providing some variety in their wings -- lemon chicken and garlic parmesan -- but do you really want to eat here? No. I did, so you don't have to. You can thank me later.