(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

So here's an interesting development: Spokane will be getting a zombie themed donut shop. Some might claim zombies have been overused, others might claim we have too many donut shops, and both groups might just agree that both are true. However! A zombie themed donut shop, that's at the very least a little bit different. They might exist in other cities for all we know, but a quick search seems only to bring up Voodoo Doughnut, some sort of video game, and one closed down shop in Albuquerque.

Either way: Dawn of the Donut, as it is called, is aiming for an August opening at N 3402 Division. (The old Papa Murphy's, by the looks of it.) This seems like a pretty creative endeavor to us, and might just be enough to make us try a donut again. Give Dawn of the Donut a follow on Twitter.

Not nearly as exciting, but a South Hill Pita Pit is opening. Hey, their wraps aren't bad. The address is 2916 S Regal.

Finally, the #SpoBREW Classic filled up quickly, but we'll start the beer art signup later this week. There will be some changes to the format, but it will be centered around label art. Hey, feel free to start your arteesting right now if you so wish.

It's going down: The #SpoBREW Classic will take place at the Porch, Saturday, September 21st, at 4:30 pm. You're dead to us if you don't put that on the calendar right now, as much awesomeness will happen.

Before we get to that, though: The signup is now open for homebrewers wishing to compete. There are only two one no spots (out of sixteen) left at the time of writing, so get your team signed up for the wait list if you want to participate. Do note the many a rule has changed, so read the whole page carefully before making your commitment.

Speaking of the rules: some of these will also affect anyone wishing to sample the homebrew this year. We have two categories, malty beers and hoppy beers, each with eight teams competing. Instead of featuring one beer at the time -- the way we used to do it -- each team will have individual tables where they present their beers, and where you will be able to do your tasting.

There will also be an "open table" where brewers can bring whatever oddities they want. You know, for extra fun.

We kind of dropped the ball on last year's art contest -- sorry! -- but there will be a proper one this year. We promise! More info will be available soon.

Veraci will, again, be on location, peddling their pizza. Awesome (and probably also not so awesome) homebrew and your favorite pizza, it's a glorious combination.

Vic will be MCing the contest, which, with passion in his voice, he also did during 1/4 of the last #SpoBREW.

And that's really a (very) general overview of what will go down, September 21st, 4:30 pm. More will, of course, be revealed as we get closer to the contest. For now, sign up if you want to compete, and get ready for the third-and-a-half #SpoBREW!

We're busy putting the finishing touches on both the #SpoBREW Classic plans and open signups here at Team SpoCOOL Towers -- they will hit the world like a typhoon this Friday -- so what better excuse than to put out a couple of short takes that may or may not interest you:

Remember that idiotic renaming of the Spokane Arena to... god help us... Bon Jovi Arena? I mean, what the hell? Did anyone think that was a good idea?

The "event" was a good reminder of Spokane's odd inferiority complex, and who better to take that on than Mr Spokane? His latest blog post is called "Five Reasons Spokane needs to get over its inferiority complex", and you should probably read it, as it's good. (With that said: "Livin' on a Prayer" is one hell of an anthem. We stand behind it without shame.)

Liquor License Stalker is back working again after the Liquor Control Board fixed its database.

Finally, you should give some love to the businesses on the north side of the Monroe Street Bridge (soon to be renamed Loverboy Bridge). Central Food has put up some good directions, which for all intents and purposes will get you to places like Coeur Coffee and Stella's too. This is as good of time as any to hit any of them up.

A “Dining with Kids” review by Sarah Hauge

Though it’s primarily the parent’s responsibility to make sure their kid has a pleasant restaurant experience (I’m a big proponent of bringing snacks or coloring books or whatever it takes to not be a bother for other diners) restaurants that realize and appreciate that some of their patrons will be children deserve recognition. And so, over the next few months, I’ll be writing a series of reviews on where you should (or should not) eat out with kids.

First up: The Saranac

People without children have been surprised when I’ve mentioned that this is a great spot to eat with kids. I get it—it’s a pub, it’s kind of loud, and the service, which is good but often harried, is not exactly outstanding.

What IS outstanding is their children’s menu, which includes scaled-down and simplified versions of the adult options as well as more traditional kid food. All of it is house-made from real ingredients (no overpriced frozen mini pizzas or boxed mac and cheese!).

What sets the Saranac apart for kids is both the quality and the price. Everything costs a reasonable $4 or $5 and is portioned for ONE child, maybe two (none of those depressing, enormous platters of soon-wasted chicken fingers and French fries so common on other kids menus). Plus, it’s all decently balanced, not packed with junk, and still kid-friendly. They’ve got vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options.

My daughter loves the noodle bowl ($5): yakisoba noodles in ginger sauce topped with scallions and your choice of chicken or tofu. My niece and nephew, not exactly adventurous eaters, have been happy with the cheese flatbread ($4), which I tried and liked. The PB&J ($4) and the grilled cheese ($5) are served with your choice of white or wheat bread and side options of house-made potato chips or apple slices. There is also a quesadilla ($4; comes with sour cream and house-made salsa), mac ‘n’ cheese ($5), and a rice bowl ($5). I wouldn’t mind seeing a few more fruits and veggies on the menu, but overall there’s not much to complain about—I tend to steal as many bites of whatever my daughter is having as I can get away with.

To sum up: at the Saranac, you can order a reasonably nutritious house-made meal your child will actually like, and you won’t have to spend a zillion dollars to do so. Success.

We also have an “adult” review of Saranac.