Being roughly 300 miles from the sea doesn't exactly make Spokane much of a haven for great seafood. Thankfully there is still Williams Seafood, which likely is the best place to buy anything from the ocean -- or any body of water for that matter -- around here.
It's actually pretty impressive how fresh their seafood is. We recently picked up a Copper River king salmon, which was excellent in all senses of the word. Not that it was cheap, but at a price that was, apparently, fairly similar to what you could find one for in Seattle, I guess it's hard to complain.
Their selection of anything from tuna to eel is also always great. If you want seafood that doesn't always scream "farmed," then Williams is a safe bet.
Add to that a good selection of beer and wine as well as rubs and marinades, and you can easily make this your one-stop shop for a barbecue this summer.
We tried out Forza Coffee Company because the line a Black Tie was too long. The lesson learned here is that patience is a virtue, and those who don't have it get bad coffee.
Forza could probably compete with Starbucks when it comes to brewing forgettable coffee. What possibly makes the Tacoma based mini-chain worse, however, is that they're really trying. I mean, honestly, I think Starbucks stopped a while back. They have about 72 million franchised locations out there, so why even pretend like they make good coffee? 15th Avenue Coffee & Tea aside, there aren't many more places to go.
Forza, meanwhile, hasn't given up. They really really really want to be your neighborhood Italian coffee shop. And bless them for that. It doesn't work too well, though, when their Americanos just taste like burnt beans. There's no depth, there's no nuttiness, there's really little of anything. Just espresso that seemed to have been brewed amazingly quickly. That's not a good thing.
So why bother?
Black Tie is just across the street. Various outlets serving Doma are within a one mile radius. I'm sure there must be a Thomas Hammer not too far away. Forza just isn't worth it.
You like Pop-Up. You like Doma. I mean, of course you do, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. And therefore you probably want to head over to Post Falls this weekend to sample omelets, scones, and, of course, coffee from Doma. It's all local and/or organic, but really, most importantly, it will be delicious. Of course it will; it's Pop-Up and Doma. How can it fail? Head over to 6240 E Seltice Way in Post Falls on Saturday, 9am-noon, to experience it yourself.
Then, on the way back, stop by Pool World in the Valley for their "BBQ Cookoff!" Going from 11am-5pm -- which seems like a long time for a barbecue -- you will see the people behind Chicken 'n More, Sante, and Crazy G's face off in a deadly BBQ-off. This is definitely an interesting contest, as the three come from very different backgrounds and all do great food in very different ways.
On Sunday, however, you may do whatever you feel like.
Hey, it's still American Craft Beer Week! As our Twitter followers know, The Better Tasters of Spokane jumped into the event both feet first and drank our way through the current Deschutes Reserve Series.
The Dissident
This was the oldest of the lot -- from 2008 -- and you probably will have a hard time to track down a bottle. That's too bad, seeing it was delicious. An oud bruin, The Dissident mixed sweet and sour and delivered a punch right in the nose, and that was before even tasting it. Flavorful as it was, it was still drinkable; definitely one to sip on. I doubt I could have handled a bottle by myself, and splitting it amongst four people seemed appropriate.
I haven't seen a bottle in almost a year, but good news: A 2010 edition should appear in September.
Jubel 2010
Once every ten years, Deschutes digs out its Jubel, the newest (or oldest depending on your perspective) entry in the Reserve Series. Released in February, the ale still hasn't matured to its "drink after" date, but that's not to say it wasn't drinkable. In fact, it still tasted great. Go pick up a couple of bottles; age one (or more) and drink one (or more). We recently tried it with a Copper River Salmon, and it was great.
Black Butte XXI
Another one that hadn't reached its "best after" date was the Black Butte XXI. No matter, it still was an amazing ale. Think Black Putte Porter on steroids and you get the idea. The flavors of Theo Chocolate and coffee hit heavily with its big flavors and, not surprisingly, this was another one intended for sipping. After being out of stock for a while, it also seems you can find this in the stores again, so stock up.
Mirror Mirror
This, I found, was the mildest Reserve, and probably the most refreshing, being based on the Mirror Pond Pale and all. Of course, mildest... With 11% ABV it's probably more correct to say the barley wine disguised any hints of booze rather well. I, for one, loved the malty tones of the Mirror Mirror.
It's still possible to track this one down around town -- Bottles has a few left -- but it seems to be going the way of the Dissident. Pick it up and enjoy it; the "drink after" date has just passed.
The Abyss
Considered by many to be one of the best ales in existence, The Abyss truly lived up to its name. This was the '09 edition and should still have been stored for a while longer, but with 11% ABV and more flavors than most, the ale packed a crazy good punch. Sip and enjoy this one; if you follow our order of tasting, it will be a great ending to a great night of beer.
Of course, you could always do a vertical tasting, but after having five of these bottles, I'm not sure you would be left standing.
