(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

The streets of downtown Spokane. Gangs crowding the streets; orgies in alleyways; beggars walking into restaurants, eating from customers's plates. Or at least something like that, at least if Beignets was to be believed when they closed down a few months back.

We quite enjoyed the restaurant during our visit -- we didn't even have to share tables with any street kids -- but found the reasoning for closing a wee bit... Hyperbolic? Out of touch with reality? Even a little bit silly? This particularly when wall-to-wall neighboring Madeleine's tweeted, and I quote: "have not had a problem w/street kids once in 5 yrs". This stands in sharp contrast to one of the owners claiming "Nobody is going to walk in the middle of 100 some kids that are all smelly, and they definitely look homeless. They beg. They were coming by to my tables asking for food and drink, and that is just not right.".

Imagine our surprise, then, when the liquor license stalker told us Beignets Event House would be opening shop at exactly the same address as the former Beignets.

Now, let's chew on that for a bit. This is, of course, just a license application. Maybe they just used the old address for the application with the intention of moving somewhere else. Maybe the ownership will be transferred. Maybe something completely different will happen.

We don't know, we're just operating from an assumption that the application to the Washington State Liquor Control Board is indeed to be taken on face value. And then we wonder... What has changed?

The name has, for one thing. Beignets Event House. Are they completely changing formats? Will there, perhaps, be sporting events at Beignets? Or mere concerts? Tupperware parties? We don't know, but the mind boggles at the possibilities, and we can't help but notice the application being for beer and wine only.

But really, we just find the situation a little odd. Beignets went out with a bang, blaming the city, blaming the police, blaming the bus plaza... All in a very public manner. What has changed over the last two months?

And again, we're just speculating after seeing the liquor license application. Should somebody else take the space over, then good for them -- it's an awesome locale. And should Beignets re-open, then we wish them the best of luck. We really did like the spot, and were bummed to see it go.

Either way... What a strange situation.

"Somewhere" is opening on 5620 S Regal St on the South Hill. We don't know if the Robert Apple, the man behind this minimalistically named spot, is the city council member or not, but gotta say... That's a pretty awesome name.

Zagz Liquor Store -- which apparently is what the old Mission/Division liquor store now calls itself -- is moving to 1101 N Division, where it surely will live up to Spokane's obsession with the letter "z".

Digatron, which is all about, and I quote, "performance data acquisition systems", is applying for a restaurant and lounge permit. 

Visit Spokane and The Inlander has announced Spokane Restaurant Week. OK, that's not much of an odd name, and the concept is pretty self-explanatory, but feel free to check it out.

We like the Murcia region of Spain; we like Main Market; we like cheese. And we really like Main Market for carrying good cheese from Murcia. Take the Caña de Oveja.

This is a creamy, soft ripened cheese, made from sheep's milk. It comes in the shape of a log, with a slightly off-white rind that has that tasty look to it. You know what I'm talking about -- you really can't beat a good rind. Further toward the clear and white center, not entirely dissimilar to Drunken Goat in appearance, the cheese starts to crumble, yet the texture stays surprisingly creamy.

The Caña de Oveja does not give a crazy flavor kick; it's a rather mild cheese, yet with a very nice freshness to it. While we never tried this, I would think the cheese would lend itself rather well to be baked, and served with tomato jam and toasted bread. This is a fairly common way to serve local cheeses in the Murcia region.

Pour yourself a fruitier beer -- Odell's Friek, or any other good lambic, would compliment the cheese nicely -- and enjoy yourself some Caña de Oveja. It's an excellent cheese, and Main Market continues to impress with the products they're adding to their cheese section.

Every year we write about The Abyss and every year we gush about it. This year is no different, but instead of repeating said gushing, let's just look at where you can get it and what you should do with it.

First, run down to Hill's for their vertical tasting. Here they have pours -- 8 oz I assume -- of the '10-'12 Abyssi for $10. The '10 came out as the favorite -- probably no surprise -- during our Panel Tasting, though the '12 was a close second.

Having done this vertical tasting before -- and based on a subsequent vertical bottle tasting -- the lesson seems to be that an Abyss reaches it peak after about two to three years. The latest edition will always be good, while the year old ones hit kind of a valley before they climb to their peak.

Feel free to consult this important looking figure for my take on the lifespan of the Abyss...

Anyway! Vertical tasting at Hill's -- very awesome. Grab a Scotch egg while you're at it, and go crazy.

In fact, if you want to go really, really crazy, we have heard Waddell's is providing the '12 not only by the pint, but by the growler too. Might be worth checking out, if only for making these truffles.

And finally, the bottles are starting to pop up in stores. We know for a fact both Huckleberry's and Yoke's have had them, and while supply will run low for a few weeks, you should easily be able to find the '12 in larger quantities within a few weeks.

Really, do stock up on the bottles. This year's edition is very good. A bit more hoppy than the last few years, and thus just a little bit different, but different in a good way. Drink one now, then age the rest. 2014 will be a glorious year.