Beignets has only been open for a weekend, so consider this our "first impression". Luckily that impressions is positive enough that we think you should give it a try, even this early on.
The owner has described Beignets as both "European" and as a spot where you can escape Spokane for a while. The former is something we tend to find a bit vague as far as a restaurant descriptions go -- Europe is a big continent -- but credit where credit is due. Here it seems appropriate, with a decor and menu that would probably fall under what commonly is described as "continental" in many European countries. Think of that as a wide, catch-all phrase for a French base with a mix of of other European facets.
In that sense "European" might just be an appropriate description.
As for the "escapism" part, we'd say that's prettyma spot on too. The vibe is definitely a bit different from not only most Spokane spots, but also from what we're used to in the greater Northwest. The interiors are largely black and white, with pops of red, and videos from various European cities are projected onto a wall. It all looks great.
Of course the food is the most important aspect of a restaurant, but as many of us dine out for a larger experience, stuff like this matters.
Plus, the food was good during our visit. The cevapcici crepe was just a little bit different from what we had expected to see here: Think a crepe stuffed with tightly packed ground meat, almost meatball like, seasoned, and topped with an egg. In a sense this dish is eponymous with the "European" description. It's a mix of the French crepe and the Eastern European cevapcici, and the mix worked well for us.
The more standard blueberry mascarpone crepe was very good too. Not too sweet, thanks to the mascarpone creme, and with a nice citric finish to it. Definitely a good breakfast dish for those wanting something fresh to kick off the day.
There are other menu items that aren't crepes here too, but calling Beignets a creperie is appropriate. (Though grab a handful of actual beignets too -- they make for a good starter.)
Really, there wasn't a whole lot to complain about here. The coffee -- beans provided by neighboring Thomas Hammer -- seemed a bit sour, and our waitress, while very friendly, was overly chatty. We can live with that, particularly if they can get the coffee figured out.
Overall this was a positive experience for us. Good food in a nice setting... We have no hesitations recommending anyone to give Beignets a try. Now we only hope they can keep the consistency up.
