(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

Once again, we take a look at your votes for the best restaurants in Spokane. «But why is this different than the best of we voted in?!» you might ask, and a good question it is.

The main difference is that this list consists of more votes, many which were cast by people who randomly found a restaurant from a search or whatever, and only voted for that one spot. Plus, the best of was scored, as opposed to the :-) or :-( voting.

I'm sure we could get into a large analytical debate about the validity of either or any of these kinds of lists -- they're both arbitrary in most of our opinions, I'd assume -- but who really cares?

Anyway! Your votes:

1. Casper Fry (-)
2. Manito Tap House (-)
3. Santé Restaurant & Charcuterie (4)
4. South Perry Pizza (3)
5. Central Food (-)
6. Veraci Pizza (11)
7. Saranac Public House (9)
8. Atticus Coffee & Gifts (10)
9. The Flying Goat (6)
10. Jones Radiator (14)
11. De Leon Foods (7)
12. Bennidito's Pizza (8)
13. Bon Bon Lounge (12)
14. Main Market Co-op (18)
15. Coeur Coffee (13)
16. Wild Sage Bistro (20)
17. Mizuna (16)
18. Atilano's (19)
19. Huckleberry's (15)
20. Tacos Tumbras, Downtown Spokane (·)

Casper Fry clings ot the top, with both Manito and Santé breathing down its neck. Other than that... Well, the list kinda speaks for itself.

Want to vote yourself? Go right ahead and do so!

No-Li continues its bid for world domination, this time with Skyrail, a single hop IPA. The ale is based on the amarillo hop which, depending on your point of view, can be a blessing or a curse.

I mean, this is kind of the thing with any single hope ale; the hop will be dominant on the palate, and should it be a hop you're not a fan of, then... Well... You probably won't love the ale.

Which brings us to the Skyrail. I'm not entirely sure if I love this beer or not. My doubts are likely rooted in the summer-y feel I associate with the strong presence of amarillo; not an unpleasant thing, certainly, but it doesn't jive all that well with the season.

One cannot claim that Skyrail isn't crisp and refreshing of course. The amarillo shines through like a torch in the night, and if you're a fan of that (even at this time of year) then you'll probably be a huge fan of Skyrail. That citric finish goes down like a sip of orange juice.

I suppose what I'm saying is that -- my rambling opinions aside -- you might just end up loving this beer if you can forgive the unseasonal-ness of it. It's crisp and refreshing, and obviously well brewed, yet one that probably should have seen an April release instead of December.

Either way.

Give Skyrail a shot, as it clearly deserves some attention. Those who are more forgiving as far as the seasonal thing goes might just end up falling in love with it.

Black Label Brewing Company -- you remember them from their successful Kickstarter -- has a liquor license submitted for their 19 W Main Ave location. This, as you may recall, is the Saranac Building.

The brewery labels itself «Spokane's first green nano-brewery», which, hey, sounds enticing. Hopefully their brews will hit the market soon.

Speaking of breweries, Waddell's second spot -- which doubles as a brewery -- has opened its doors. Its address is 6501 N Cedar Rd, in the Five Mile neighborhood.

And right next door the Boiler Room is also in business.

Dawn of the Donut's truck is in business, which... Well, it is what it is, I suppose.

It just seemed appropriate to take a closer look at Rita, what with the amount of loving jabs we've thrown their way. If Pipeline is the chain Spokane potentially deserves, what exactly is Rita? Does Spokane deserve it too? Does Rita deserve Spokane?

We say «no».

See, we figure Pipeline has its place, for that evening where you really want to dumb yourself down. It's not great, or even good, but it is what it is.

Rita is also what it is, which is a step or two below what Pipeline delivers (more taste to your door, ding-dong!). Here the crust is not on par with what you find in Safeway's frozen section, but rather something akin to what you'd expect from Home Depot's plywood aisle.

You probably know that already, just like you know Rita's toppings. Frankly, there's not that much to know. It's all pretty awful.

So, the question, like we've asked so many times: should this this chain exist? Pipeline might be the chain Spokane deserves, and we're OK with that. We still have Veraci, Flying Goat, South Perry, and so on, and so forth. That all balances istelf out.

Rita, meanwhile, sort of off-sets said balance. Those awful yellow shacks you see around town, the coupons you get in the mail... It all kind of just goes hand in hand with the horrible pies.

We don't think Spokane deserves Pizza Rita, nor do we think Pizza Rita deserves Spokane. The chain won't go anywhere, of course, but even when we feel like turning our brains off, we should not fall for the temptation of that coupon in the mail. If anything, we should get our act together and go to a spot that matters.

Or just put on some sunglasses and a hoodie, and sneak into a Pipeline, while hating ourselves. It's a tough decision.