(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

We're left a bit confused after our visit to the Viking. Some of that confusion comes down to the spot not even have had its grand opening yet, and good and bad impressions could, of course, change with time. Consider this early first impressions, yet confused impressions might be a better way to put it. It's hard to say what will improve, what was a fluke, and what was what.

Let's try to clarify.

First, the Viking is no longer the beer destination its previous incarnation was. This might change with time, but the tap selection is currently average at best. A few No-Lis, a couple of decent enough standards, and quite a few macros. The bottles consist mostly of the Budweisers of the world.

The bar was understaffed during our visit, but the girl working it did an admirable job -- always friendly and well organized. I'd notch the lack of staff down to a temporary thing.

What's not so easy to forgive, however, was allowing people sitting next to an open porch door while smoking. Having smoke blow in is annoying, and, of course, illegal, yet the Viking openly let it continue, something we more than anything find odd.

As for the food, the menu is pretty standard bar fare, but the quality here is higher than many, possibly even most, of its ilk. The Philly cheesesteak sandwich, for example, was up there with some of the better ones we've had in town, and went really quite well with a side of sweet potato fries. Not bad at all.

The hot wings had that typical Frank's style base to them, which isn't a crime, just a bit predictable. They were by all means good wings, with a bit of a bite to them -- none of that overly soggy stuff -- and while they weren't too hot, they had a subtle kick to them.

Really, the food, as far as bar fare goes, impressed. I will forgive their blatant misuse of "Norse" with many of their menu item names even.

So, is the confusion kind of making sense? There are teething issues at play here, but there are also certain issues that seem to be in the DNA. The people openly smoking, blowing smoke inside... That's bad. The beer, well, it could change, but I doubt Jones or Manito or Hop Shop or Pints have much to fear right now. Yet the food is very good, as long as you're in the mood for bar food.

We'll keep an Argus eye on Viking; it could be a good spot with some adjustments, adjustments they have more than enough time to make.

We quite enjoy Main Market's cheese section: The inventory is updated fairly regularly; the mix between local and global is well balanced; and, most importantly, there's little room for crap there.

P'tit Basque, manufactured by the French dairy Lactalis, is a good, cheap cheese made with sheep's milk. It has its origins in the French Pyrenees, and if you're one for sheep milk cheese -- like Manchego -- you'll enjoy this, without really being challenged by it. It's a semi-firm cheese, relatively mild in flavor, though not flavorless by any means. Think subtle hints of nuttiness, with an ever so light, fruity, caramel-y sweetness to it.

The latter actually makes this well paired with Dulce de Pera Casero, manufactured by Mitica. This is a pear paste, also available in the cheese section, from the Valencia region of Spain. It's not overly sweet, which really makes the logic here pretty simple: A not too sweet cheese + a not too sweet paste = a perfectly balanced mini cheese plate.

Make tonight a P'tit Basque night!

It's that time of year again, when we celebrate... Well, pretty much whatever we feel like celebrating. It's not like we're Bavarians or anything, and Oktoberfest really is just a good excuse to attend our local beer fest, imaginatively titled Spokane Oktoberfest.

And to answer the question we so often hear: Oktoberfest was originally celebrated in October, but was moved back to September about two hundred years ago. The traditional Oktoberfest now runs from mid-September to early October. So, no, they didn't get the name wrong.

Spokane Oktoberfest is a two day affair, from September 21st through the 22nd. It's put on by Washington Beer Commission and thus only features Washington breweries. Frankly, there aren't too many exciting ones this year, but with 24 for the most part competent breweries -- full list available on the official site -- serving more than 50 beers, we're fairly certain you'll find something worthwhile, particularly when the $16.50 ticket buys you five 5 oz tastes.

And if we had to pick five breweries, we'd probably go with:

• Elysian Brewing: They've been hitting it out of the park this year -- or whatever baseball metaphor is appropriate -- and hopefully they'll bring some new stuff for Oktoberfest.
• Iron Goat Brewing: One of the more interesting new local breweries, they're definitely one to keep an eye on.
• Laht Neppur Brewing: We're not familiar with this brewery, although they apparently make wine too. The name is awesome enough to give them a try though.
• New Belgium Brewing: It's a bit of an unknown how this can be considered a Washington brewery, but anyway... New Belgium really has had a good year. It's time to reacquaint yourself with their ales.
  
• Paradise Creek Brewery: This Pullman brewery had some interesting stuff last time we visited them. We'd gladly sacrifice a token to see how they're doing these days.
  

Additional tastes will run you $1.50, or $5 for four. Tickets can be purchased online right now.

Friday is, of course, First Friday, and if you're looking for something cool and a bit different, you probably can't go wrong with The Hoods project. Hosted by Bon Bon, the art show will consist of artwork featuring Spokane's neighborhood themes. That's pretty cool, right? There'll be all kinds of contemporary graphic designs, photography, illustrations, etc. from five local artists. In other words, go check this out tomorrow, or any other day this month -- the show will be running through September. Their website has some more information.

EJ's Garden Bistro has had a soft opening of sorts. Stop by an see if you can get in; they're at 1928 W Pacific in Browne's Addition.

Apparently we'll be getting a winery specializing in ciders. Cider Architects is set to open on 1719 S Adams.