(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

It's an interesting thing, when a restaurant loses a chef it was closely associated with. Sometimes the restaurant can drastically change, and the quality can falter, resulting in its clientele abandoning the restaurant and seeking out its former chef.

I can only assume the reins were handed over in a tidy manner at Latah Bistro. The menu has changed a bit, and the food tastes a bit different -- both to be expected -- but there is nothing here to suggest that Latah Bistro is anything lesser than what it used to be. Our recent visit was a good one at least, and Latah Bistro is still very much in our rotation.

We gave the pork confit a shot, and good it was. Very flavorful, perfectly prepared, and seasonally served with mushrooms and apples. It's a simple meal in many ways, but simple meals are the easiest ones to screw up, which did not happen here. Imbibe a Fish Porter with it and you have a perfect fall meal going.

The little ear pasta was perfectly al dente, and the kale and cannellini beans went well with it. Yet the best part of the dish might have been the fennel sausage, which was sparingly, though not penuriously, used, and it added just the right amount of texture and protein to the dish.

Really, it'd be hard for a casual observer to spot many differences at Latah Bistro, and the changes are not for the worse (or necessarily for the better) for those of us who have frequented the place in the past.

And judging by the many people dining there, Latah Bistro is not about to start losing many customers. That's good; Latah Bistro serves as tasty of food as it always did, and should still have a spot in your minds and hearts.

Original September 7th, 2010 review

It might be in a strip mall, but Latah Bistro still comes up with better food than many in town. Most, in fact.

With its generous use of local ingredients in what probably can be classified as continental European style fare, Latah Bistro always deliver food that is good and fresh tasting. Particularly the specials seem to be rotated faster than what we usually see around these parts, and they always reflect what's in season, pretty much down to the day.

During our last visit, the wild mushroom ravioli was perfectly cooked, and came with a nice creamy smoked bacon sauce, which also could be ordered vegetarian style. The summer pasta, too, was excellent, with a medley of fresh local vegetables.

It might be the consistency of the dishes that truly makes Latah Bistro a winner. Sure, you might not always like a flavor combination based on your personal preferences, but the dishes are always well prepared, and if you order the exact same dish twice, it will taste the same. Too many places in town have different definitions of what "medium rare" and "spicy" means on daily basis, so kudos to Latah Bistro for keeping consistency in the front seat.

The changes to the actual main menu don't quite keep up with the pace of the specials and that's too bad. It's great to see some new things on paper for every visit or so, something which is the case at places like Sante. It is understandable, though. Many go into cardiac arrest when their favorites are removed from the menu, so from a business perspective I can see why stand-bys stand by.

I would prefer to see dishes rotated more, but heck, I've been guilty of ordering the pumpkin bread pudding off season too.

The strip mall location isn't necessarily the prettiest place ever, but then again, a quick trip through the port and chocolate sampler, and that is soon forgotten.

Overall we're big fans. Latah Bistro should definitely be in the rotation for anyone who likes great local food.

We can shout, we can scream, but the liquor law passed, and expensive liquor is here to stay. Hey, at least (or "at least" possibly?) we have liquor mega stores now.

We don't really imbibe that much of the hard stuff here at Team SpoCOOL, but as these stores advertise mega beer selections too, we decided to give them a look.

Good Spirits

Honestly, we don't really get this store. At all. And trust me, there is plenty not to get here.

The place looks like a semi-abandoned gas station, with old coolers and shabby interiors. Prices are all over the map. Maybe we just didn't understand their very special price tags, but seeing $40 Campari bottles, Cognacs about twice the price of what most grocery stores mark them at... Nothing really added up.

The beer, meanwhile, was actually fairly priced, but it doesn't take too much to say you have 800 different types of the stuff when the majority of it is the grocery store grade Redhooks of the world.

So... No... There's a lot not to get here. But feel free to check them out at 1804 W Francis yourself.

Total Wine & More

It's hard to say what we expected here, though I was vaguely afraid it'd be another Good Spirits experience.

Total Wine, thankfully, is different. It's about as corporate as it can be -- the old Borders location on Newport Highway is fitting -- but not necessarily in a bad way. The beer selection is huge, likely among the largest I've seen in Spokane. Quality wise it is also very good, and nicely priced too. (You can, or at least could, pick up a bottle of The Dissident for a couple of bucks less than anywhere else in town.)

The liquor prices seem to be more in line with what one would expect, and the selection here too is good.

I don't think (I say, hopefully) Good Spirits or Total Wine will have too much of a negative impact on local beer shops like Bottles, JB's, or whatever. Those places still have a better specialized selection, and beer people seem to be more drawn to smaller spots like that anyway. (Frankly, the only thing I could see Good Spirits challenge is your local Conoco.)

Total Wine seems like a good addition to existing spots, in a giant, corporate, friendly-ish Big Brother kind of way. I'm not sure I'll frequent it personally, but it'd be hard to blame anyone who did.

And love it or hate it, Total Wine is here to stay if the grand opening was anything to go by. Spokane loves its mega stores, and at least Total Wine isn't total dross.

We could claim our three visits to Central Food were rooted in some sort of well-meaning integrity before doing a write up about the spot, but really, nobody (least of all us) will buy that. Frankly, the real reasoning is pretty simple: We like Central Food. A lot. It reminds us of Sage's in Olympia, at least as far as the food goes, and most everything seems to have fallen in place here, even this early on in the game.

Walking in, the interiors are minimal and utilitarian, draped in a nice color palette. Everything from tables to coffee cups are heavy and sturdy. A well thought out interior, which might not sit 100% with those who for whatever reason are into shabby chic and its ilk, but it's the type of space we enjoy.

The menu is seemingly an eclectic mix of various styles of cuisine, yet it all comes together in the ways the dishes are prepared. Meaning the food is good. For the most part excellent.

The Scotch egg is almost a meal in itself -- a lot of sausage meat wraps around the egg -- and plenty flavorful. The mustard sauce was actually a bit too spicy for my liking, but there is little need to dip the egg in it anyway. The flavors of the egg speak perfectly well without it.

The lamb skewers has a nice kick to them, served with a very good tzatziki style sauce.

But of all our dinner items, I'd still say the beef cheeks dish was the one that really hit it home for me. They're served perfectly tender in a sauce that has distinct hints of red wine to it. The depth of the flavors is pretty spectacular, and the roasted pumpkin complements the beef nicely. I thought, and still think, this is a stellar dish.

That's not to say the vegan curry is a bad alternative. The cashews are a nice addition to the cauliflower, and the cilantro adds a good, earthy kick to the palette, as cilantro tends to do.

The terrine on the lunch menu is another favorite -- wonderfully creamy -- and the pate is very good. Sadly our accompanying guest had a less than fabulous brunch pot pit during lunch. I have a sneaking suspicion that someone had forgotten to add season to the filling, as it was overall a bit flavorless. (Apropos: This always happen when we glowingly recommend a place and go there with somebody else; they are always the ones that have a so-so experience.)

In retrospect we should probably have told our server about it, but oh well. We chalk this one down to early teething problems.

Finally, the breakfast, with service starting at 7am, was again of high quality. The Tchoupitoulas -- say that three times fast -- is flavorful, well flanked by an andouille sausage. The baked beans, too, are excellent and not too sweet, and the fruit bowl is a good, semi-sweet option for those who want something a little lighter.

I could go on here... The service is friendly and professional -- maybe a bit slow as far as getting the food out, but it's still early goings -- and the cocktails are excellent. Great view of the river, obviously, and the prices are very reasonable.

Really, we can't think of a reason why you wouldn't want to at least try Central Food for yourself. We've been waiting for a spot like this to open in Spokane for a while; a restaurant that serves truly excellent and creative food at a reasonable price. We had three great visits to Central Food, a few niggles aside. We're excited to see what the future holds for it, but Central Food's beginning is very, very promising.

(Oh, and PS: The playlists are great. Adam and the Ants followed by B.A.D. is the stuff bonus points are made of.)

So here we are, at the end of another best of, with the two most voted in categories: Best Casual Eats and Best Restaurant. We'll post some more in depth analysis of the voting over the next month, but as far as the actual categories go, this is it. So! Let's kick it off with what you decided to be the best casual spot in Spokane:

1	·	Phat Truck
2	·	Method Juice Cafe
3	·	Boots Bakery & Lounge
4	·	Neato Burrito
5	(4)	Manito Tap House
6	(3)	Chkn-n-Mo

So, wow, four new eateries in the top four, though Neato has, of course, been around for a good while and is only new to the list. Phat Truck takes the top spot home after only being open for a few months; we have yet to try them out, but from what we understand their food truly lives up to the phat claim. And apparently many of you really like it, so good on Phat Truck!

Method might provide the antithesis of phat offerings with its juices and healthy food, and it joins in with Boots to round out a top three of only recently opened spots. Apparently we're not alone in thinking the new wave of restaurants in town have upped their game.

Rounding out the list we have Manito which, be it number five or not number five, is obviously ridiculously popular with the masses. And finally Chkn-n-Mo which has been around forever sits well on number six.

Now, best restaurant:

1	-	Sante Restaurant and Charcuterie
2	(5)	Italia Trattoria
3	(2)	Gordy's
4	-	Wild Sage
5	·	Casper Fry
6	-	Mizuna

We know it; you know it; everybody knows Sante is Spokane's best restaurant, or at least they are right now. Is there much more to say about it, really? Sante has comfortably sat on number one for three years running, and this wasn't even close as far as the scoring went.

But good on Italia Trattoria for climbing up to number two; they really do the best Italian food in town, just like Gordy does the best Chinese. Old timers Wild Sage and Mizuna hang on to their placements from last year, with newcomer Casper Fry hitting number five.

And that's it! Other than Sante, the best restaurant race was a close one, which is good for all of us. Dining options keep improving here, and we are extremely curious how these lists will look next year.