We're a few days late on this one, but either way. If you haven't checked out the Inland Northwest Ale Trail, you probably should. This is pretty much what you'd expect it to be: a trail of every(-ish?) brewery in the Inland Northwest, all mapped out (in PDF) for your convenience.
That is all well and good in itself, but as you can collect stamps to receive a mini growler too... Well, why wouldn't you want to take this hike? Grab ten stamps -- probably not in the same trip, but who are we to judge? -- and the prize is yours.
Grab your bicycle and give it a go. It seems like a worthy undertaking.
And, neither here nor there, but in case you've been clamouring to know what the liquor store down on Division will be called, it's... Zagz. That's right, Zagz. A perfect combination of Spokane's favorite college basketball team, and its love for the letter "z".
On August 2nd a ceremony of pomp and glitter was held, a ceremony that was the coronation of Mr Spokane himself. The occasion featured pretty much anything you'd expect: a crown, a sash, a scepter, and a throne. Only the best is good enough for Mr Spokane!
And there was, of course, a speech. Entitled "Why Mr Spokane?", it was delivered by Barry Geraghty and you can read it in its entirety below. Don't worry if you feel tears start rolling, that is just the natural reaction to something as beautiful as this:
Why crown a Mr Spokane? When we arrived in Spokane we heard stories from long-time residents about the dark days of the 80’s and 90’s when downtown was a ghost town, the Davenport shuttered, people just waiting to leave. But in the 8 years since we came to this town we’ve gone from wondering if we’d have enough to do here to keep us entertained to being genuinely overwhelmed, never being able to take in all the events, parties, festivals and music. The number of truly amazing restaurants, wineries breweries, and distillers, so many less than 5 years old, is just stunning. The art and music scene have been on a steady upward trajectory, albeit with some bumps along the way. I’m not sure exactly when it was, maybe a couple of years ago, but we got to that point where we realized Spokane had grown up. It had grown up significantly in just the few years since we’d arrived. And it’s still growing. I think it’s now impossible to argue that the problems with Spokane are the things it lacks. The problem with Spokane, at this point, is that not enough people, including those who live here, know what it has.
So Spokane needs a voice, an evangelist. Not one of those perky, buttoned-down types who is so helpful with a travel brochure and has memorized the dates of Hoopfest, Bloomsday, and the Lilac Parade. Spokane needs an honest, sincere spokesman who can come forward and say ‘yes, I chose to live here every day, and the everyday living in Spokane is pretty awesome. There’s more here than you think. There are amazing people doing amazing things. There’s beauty, natural and man-made seemingly around every corner. You just have to get out there and discover it.’ Or, better yet, ask Mr Spokane and he’ll tell you.
And why crown a non-native as Mr Spokane? Mr Spokane is an evangelist. And the history of evangelism has taught us that the most powerful and passionate evangelists are the converts to a cause not those who were comfortably born in the fold. The word evangelism, originating from the greek ‘euangelion’, roughly translated to ‘I bring a message’ was rarely used before the Christian era. Although there is much debate over who was the first evangelist (maybe Mark, maybe Peter) there’s no doubt that they were a convert. And, the nascent church grew from almost nothing due to the strength and persuasion of its’ evangelical converts. Spokane, likewise, will grow from it’s converts. Those who speak up and say ‘Yes, I chose to come here from Portland, or LA, or the Bay Area, or Austin. And it’s awesome. I’m staying. And, you should come here too.’
I use the term evangelist deliberately and wasn’t fully aware of how perfect a term it was for our new Mr Spokane until preparing for this event. You see, if converting to Christianity includes promises of services or material benefits then it was not achieved through evangelism but through proselytism. The Catholic Church, in an attempt to clarify the difference between evangelism and proselytism published a text called "Doctrinal Note on some Aspects of Evangelization" which states "The incorporation of new members is not the expansion of a power group, but rather entrance into the network of friendship.” Jeremy, in his wonderfully soft-spoken voice, friendly and open demeanor, is the perfect evangelist for Spokane. He naturally invites friendship and not in any real or perceived attempt to increase his base of coffee driven power.
So now, Jeremy Williamson, please step forward to accept your robes of office as the new Mr Spokane.
My highly (highly!) scientific findings during Project Taco Truck -- and give yourself a decadel medal if you remember that project -- was that no local Mexican restaurant could stand up to what a truck could produce. Those findings were made a good while ago now, and the Mexican restaurant scene steadily got a lot better. Then, for some reason, it got a bit worse again.
So here we are, picking up the mission once again without limiting us to taco trucks. Food trucks in general will be vetted and hopefully loved.
Our first stop, Patty's Tacos up by B.A. Clark Park on Division, was as good of place as any to start, and luckily also of good quality. The tacos in all their simplicity were of the style of what we've seen in Mexico; a synonym for "tasty".
Give the chorizo here a try. There is no need for salsa if you do, what with the deep, smokey, semi-spicy flavor the sausage is packed with. Smacked on homemade tortillas with onion and cilantro, the taco might look simple, simply because it is simple. And that's a good thing.
The tortillas probably deserve some extra attention as they're particularly flavorful. That's not often the case around these parts, but Patty's has them down. (Although, keep in mind the bread is not homemade, if you're looking for a torta.)
The sope follows suit, and is again of good quality. The thick tortilla packs some flavor, and goes well with the queso fresco. The pork, though, wasn't quite up to notch during our visit. A little bland, a little too chewy... Serviceable, I suppose, but far from mind-blowing.
Finally, the quesadilla. Often times you get served up the typical American quesadilla at most Mexican spots around town -- you know the one; two flour tortillas slapped around cheddar -- but this one was closer to the more traditional huitlacoche style. Not fried, but still folded, and with a filling more akin to what you find in the tacos. The queso fresco gave it a nice fresh flavor too, with the only downfall being the chicken which, again, was a bit bland.
Some minor downs then, none of which really get in the way of the ups.
This is good eats. Yesterday we called Dawn of the Donuts's theme a bit pedestrian; Patty's Tacos is on the opposite side. Decidedly public transit. Check them out, and hopefully you'll have as good of an experience as we did.
Dawn of the Dead was a huge hit in Italy, where it went by the name Zombi. The name wasn't the only thing that was changed; the movie was completely re-edited into a very different version by Italian auteur Dario Argento.
Seeing the success of the movie, an Italian studio decided to cash in on it by releasing Zombi 2, a movie that had nothing to do with the Romero classic. The script had in fact been written prior to the release of Zombi. (For what it's worth, Zombi 2 was beautifully shot by Lucio Fulci, and it is entertaining in its own right.)
My point? Zombies have had a fairly consistent popularity over the last thirty-five years or so, and many have cashed in on it. Why not open a zombie themed donut shop? It's a step beyond what Voodoo in Portland did, and good on Dawn of the Donut for taking it.
As far as how well the gimmick actually works... I mean, most of the donuts are named after Walking Dead characters, with the obligatory Romero and Campbell thrown in for good measure. This, to me, seems like a missed opportunity. Just a nod to the aforementioned Zombi would have been nice. Put in a mention of Fulci's surrealistic masterpieces (some might strike out the "master" part) The Beyond and City of the Living Dead and I would have been OK.
What I'm saying is that the zombie theme seems a bit too pedestrian to me. To most it probably wouldn't, though. And really, in the end, it all comes down to the actual donuts.
The maple bar, called the Coffin, wasn't too bad at all. I mean, it was a maple bar. It wasn't stale. The glazing wasn't too sweet. Yes, that's a baseline maple bar, I suppose, but hey, many have failed at making those. They definitely hold their own against any other alternative in town.
The Romero -- a chocolate- and M&Ms topped donut -- did not fare as well. We might have been into this if we were ten, but as we are not, it came off as being way, way, way too sweet. Hours later I was still feeling I could have gone into a diabetic coma. Quarter of an inch of cheap chocolate and a bag of M&Ms... They probably could have cut down on that.
Sad, really, as the actual donut, when carefully removed from its toppings, is actually quite good.
Gimmicks aside, the fact is that Dawn of the Donut is simply a donut shop. It's by no means a bad donut shop, but it's also nothing more. A donut shop with a zombie -- or apparently Walking Dead -- theme.
Would I be able to taste the difference between anything we got here versus anything we can pick up at Rosauers? I suppose the donuts are somewhat fresher at Dawn of the Donut, but the differences are negligible.
And none of that really matters. Not really. There are lines around the block; the donuts aren't bad; people seem to love the theme. That's great. Maybe it will turn into the tourist destination the owners are hoping for it to become. I wouldn't be surprised if that happened.
Will we be back anytime soon? Should we against all odds be heading up Division with a sudden craving for donuts, then sure. I just doubt that'll happen anytime soon.
