(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

Credit to @simonds for finding this.

Look, I don’t know what went wrong here, but to begin with the end: Donut Parade isn’t really that awesome. Maybe they’ve changed owners—they’ve acquired a new website and opening hours recently at least—or maybe Spokane just has glorified memories of the spot. Whatever the reason may or may not be, we really weren’t particularly impressed with Donut Parade.

Sure, their prices are good. And there’s something about going into a place that probably has changed minimally since 1968. I can even forgive that Cuba Gooding, Jr. filmed a scene there. The donuts, however, aren’t up to par. They’re dense; too dense. Not “this is the perfect density!” dense, but “wow, this doesn’t have a great mouthfeel” dense.

The glazing on our maple bar and chocolate covered donut just felt too sweet really didn’t help either. And really, other than density and glazing, there isn’t a whole lot more to a donut.

Look, we don’t hate Donut Parade. But when we actually start discussing if Zip’s donuts are better… Well, that’s not a good thing.

A mere fire can’t hold a good steakhouse down.

And keep that in mind: Churchill’s is very much a steakhouse. This isn’t somewhere you go to be dazzled by clever and innovative cooking. For that you have Sante. If you want a steak with all its classic—some may say predictable—fixings, however, you can’t go far wrong with Churchill’s.

Honestly, I don’t really crave steakhouse meals that often, but once a year… Well, you know how it is. Our meal at Churchill’s, at any rate, was excellent for what it was. The tournadoes of Beef Oscar were perfectly cooked to medium-rare served with a nice bernaise sauce. Why I rarely can find a good bernaise around here is a debate for another time, but at least Churchill’s does one well enough.

The filet mignon, which probably is Team SFB’s favorite cut, held a high standard. I suppose that’s not too surprising, as, shy of overcooking it, it takes a bit to mess it up, but I digress… It was nicely seasoned, and looked about as good as a piece of meat can look on a plate.

Other than the food, the restaurant has undergone a post-fire makeover, and is a bit more contemporary and a bit less hotel-lobby like. I’d chalk that up as a good thing.

Really, the only negative part I can think of is that Churchill’s is not a cheap dinner. Two people can expect to pay around a hundred bucks for a couple of steaks and glasses of wine. Not exactly a casual meal in that aspect.

But by all means, Churchill’s definitely is what it is, and perfectly so.

Nerd Nite is a free monthly event where nerds get together and drink beer and give PowerPoint presentations to other nerds on subjects that are ostensibly of great interest to nerds. Like post-Soviet Belarus. And Ebola rates among gorillas. And killer robots. It has chapters in Austin, Boston, DC, Muenchen, NYC, and San Francisco.

So what topics would be discussed in Spokane? How about:

Etc. We all know at least one nerd who is so passionate about their hobby they won’t stop talking about. Â Now it’s time to let them be heard, or let you be heard. What would you want to learn about?