(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

Speaking of Deschutes... Their Class of '88 Imperial Smoked Porter -- another in the current Class of '88 series -- has recently hit the shelves. This one was created in collaboration with Great Lakes's brewmaster, and yet again it's a big beer weighing in at 9%. Hey, nothing wrong with that.

Is it any good though? Sort of. It's not quite there, but I assume aging it might bulk up the rather puny body. Yet aging smoked beers can be a gamble, as the smoke often times bulks up right with everything else. A philosophical debate could be had here, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The Imperial Smoked Porter is certainly not a bad looking beer; deep black with a tan head. Sniff, and the smoke kicks you in the face, while the friendly malts come to the rescue, putting a band aid on the wound.

Give it a sip, and I, at least, found myself left with mixed feelings. The flavor is good, with a dominant smoke finding itself flanked by nice hints of chocolate. There are some subtle hints of anise just at the back too. I would assume the latter would make its way forward with aging.

And here we are again: The aging, something I really think is needed here. "But you told us it tastes good!", you might yell, and yes, it does taste good. The body is where it falls flat. An imperial stout needs to be close to being on steroids to really work, otherwise you just have a few pleasant flavors slurping around, mocking your palette.

That might seem minor, but it really isn't. A thin imperial is like an anorexic Olsen twin; it's just somewhat sad.

Ane some aging might just be what is needed here, as long as the smoke doesn't grow up to be too insane. We'll see. For now the Imperial Smoked Porter is worth a shot if nothing else, just don't expect greatness.

Deschutes Brew Pub is -- with all respect to Stone -- what a brew pub should be. With an array of exclusive taps and a menu that's quite good, Deschutes treats you right.

But! How well do the dishes stack up when compared to their Spokane equivalents? That has been a topic of discussion here at the SpoCOOL offices, which lead us to do what we do: We started comparing.

Round one: Mac & cheese

Here we put Deschutes up against Manito, because... Well... It seemed appropriate.

Deschutes mac and cheese is not downright bad, and you really can taste the Obsidian stout used in the sauce. Compare the dish to either of Manito's offerings though? It definitely falls short.

The sauce, while tasty, is too watery, and by the end of the meal you end up with a bowl full of cheese-water. Kind of a waste. The cavatappi is on the softer side of al dente, which doesn't exactly go well with a watery sauce. It's all just a little soggy, and the addition of chicken doesn't contribute much to the palette. 

We've talked about what Manito has to offer in great length -- both dishes at that -- and maintain there is no contest here. Both of Manito's dishes trump Deschutes's mac and cheese. 

Round two: Pretzels

Saranac has one of Spokane's better pretzels, so, hey, why not?

And as far as the actual pretzel goes, it's hard to beat what Deschutes serves up. It's thick, with a crispy outside and a soft, fluffy inside. The bite is just what it should be, reminding us of what we've tried in Geneva, Switzerland.

Not that Saranac is too far behind, but their pretzel is a bit more... ordinary? It has a nice bite to it, but the pretzel is far from being as thick and fluffy as Deschutes's.

Where Saranac does excel, however, is with the sauce. Deschutes yet again errors on the side of soupiness, and dipping the pretzel into the sauce doesn't quite give you the desired stickiness. Saranac has gone the other direction, with a thicker option.

It's kind of up to the individual to decide if Deschutes's spicier mustard is a good thing or not, but for me, personally, they have the upper hand with it.

Both spots have their advantages and disadvantages, but Deschutes takes this one home thanks to an excellent pretzel. Still, Saranac isn't far behind.

Round three: Beer nuts

There is no contest. Nothing beats Dechutes's beer nuts. Just try them. They're stellar.

Overall

Well, I suppose Deschutes takes it home, as they have everything under one roof. In addition you get the adventure of going through all their special beers.

But all in all, good of a reputation as Deschutes's food deservedly has, you can easily find local substitutes, sometimes better, other times close to the league Deschutes plays in.

Do check out Deschutes Brew Pub, though. We make it a destination anytime we visit Portland. It's an excellent spot.

As we mentioned on Twitter yesterday, Total Wine is opening by the Valley Mall. 

Defying the curse of naming your restaurant Taaj in the Spokane area, the Great Taaj is opening on Baldwin. 

Kind of an interesting thing we just noticed, but which may or may not have been around fora while: Super 1 has switched out candy in the check-out aisle with fruit and vegetables. 

Finally, we're aware of the... odd... downtime we've been seeing recently. We'll hopefully have it fixed on Monday. 

We are too lazy to look this up ourselves, but good sources have told us Portland based Pok Pok's wings were voted the "best appetizer in America" by the New York Times. Granted, we're sure they tried them at the New York location, but tom-ay-toe/tom-ah-tow. "Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings" are one of Pok Pok's specialties, and as we still are knee deep in the Great Hot Wing Chase, who are we not to try these wings?

And technically I suppose we can call them wings, but there's a bit more to them than that. They're definitely bigger than an appetizer -- I could only get through half of them -- and they're not particularly hot, even if you go with the "spicy" kind. They're... Well, it's easier just to show a photo.

There's a lot of wing here, from the tip to the... I don't know, thigh or breast or something? Bird anatomy is not my strong suit, but you get my point.

At any rate, the skin is incrediply crisp, and biting into the chicken meets you with a satisfting crunch. Perfectly fried in other words.

As mentioned the wings aren't overly spicy, yet they are very, very flavorful. I can't remember having ever tasted anything all that similar to the sweet garlic fish sauce, and he chicken must have been marinating in it for a good while. The flavor penetrates nicely into the deepest parts of the meat.

I suppose the sauce is the "signature" part of the dish, and I can see why. It's a little unique, and a whole lot of good.

The spiciness mainly comes from the addition of chili flakes, and while not that spicy it still is a good compliment to the sauce.

Again, this isn't wings in the traditional sense, but maybe tradition should catch up with Pok Pok? The dish is both unique and flavorful, and is something anyone should try. Even those who don't like the traditional wing.

Are they best in the country? Who knows, but we think you'll have a good time deciding if they are or not. As far as plain old food goes, this is very very good.