spokane: the sequel - more wine and cheese!

Stained glass ceiling in the Davenport Hotel's Peacock Room

This is a continuation of my previous post: Wine Weekend in Spokane.

My second day in Spokane began gray and a little rainy.  I had to wake up somewhat earlier than normal for my Saturday, as we had a 10 AM appointment to play Mahjong with Marti, a family friend of Lina’s.  Marti recently taught Lina and her mother, Nancie to play and they thought I might enjoy it too. I have a strong competitive streak and I love to learn new games.  So I was eager (if sleepy) as we left the house to meet Marti and play.

I let the coffee kick in as we made the journey to Marti’s home in Spokane’s South Hill neighborhood.  South Hill is a lovely area and it was clear to me from the size of the trees and character of the houses that this was one of Spokane’s older neighborhoods. It was easy to imagine those big trees in their full summer foliage, lining the wide streets and creating a cool, green oasis in the hot Eastern Washington summer. 

The visit to Marti’s house made me thankful yet again for having local hosts.  Sometimes travelers (including myself) get into a “sightseeing” mindset and neglect the benefits that can be gained from spending quality time with friends in a new place, whether the friends are old and treasured or brand new.  I consider Marti and her husband Dennis new friends, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to visit with them in their home.  Their house is the kind that you never want to leave.  The inside is tasteful and filled with nice furnishings, but the feel is warm and welcoming rather than stuffy.  Marti’s father was an artist and art collector, and his pieces are in every room.  Marti’s open kitchen and living area has large windows overlooking the deck and a backyard that was just showing the first signs of spring during our visit.  Her house is exactly how I would like mine to look someday.

I had a great time learning Mahjong from Marti, but unfortunately my competitive nature was not rewarded with any wins that day.  Thankfully, everyone was very patient with me and it was fun to learn the game.  I think I’ll have to buy myself a set of tiles so I’ll be ready for a rematch!  I was consoled in my losing state by a delicious lunch of Marti’s homemade soup and salad.

After our lovely lunch and games at Marti and Dennis’, Lina and I returned to her house for a couple hours’ rest before our big Saturday night out.  I was very excited to go “out on the town,” for two reasons: firstly, because Spokane has a lot more going on at night than Moses Lake, and secondly because Lina had been telling me about her favorite hot spots for some time, and I had yet to see any of them!  Our itinerary consisted of a few places where we could get wine and cheese, without bothering to think of whether we would get any sort of vitamins or fiber.  Hey, it was Saturday night, I was on vacation and diets be damned!

Our first stop was the Downriver Grill to sample the Gorgonzola fries or, as I now call them, heaven in a bowl.  I have to say, the outside of Downriver Grill is deceptive.  It is situated along one of the main roads heading downtown, set back from the street and surrounded by a parking lot that holds probably twenty cars.  Honestly it looks like any other neighborhood place.  However, when you walk in, it becomes immediately apparent that the owners put most of their focus and attention into creating atmosphere inside.  The interior of the restaurant is lovely – it has a mid-size dining room and a small  bar that features local wine and beer in addition to the standard spirits.  The whole place had a casual feel, and the dark wood, warm colors and dim lighting made it seem classy but not snooty. 

Clearly, Downriver Grill’s charm and elegance are not lost on Spokane foodies.  Though we left early to beat the dinner rush, even at 5:30 the wait for a table in the restaurant was 35 minutes.  We were lucky enough to grab a seat at a table in the bar just as another group was leaving.  Fate was surely smiling upon us!  Knowing our food selection already, we took a brief glance at the wine list (I ordered Townshend Chardonnay, Lina ordered Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling) and ordered the Gorgonzola fries.

Let me tell you, those fries were everything Lina made them out to be!  Warm, fresh, waffle-cut fries smothered in the richest gorgonzola cream sauce.  It is not good for the hips, but oh it is so tasty on the lips!  My bright chardonnay cut the richness quite nicely and I was in cheese and wine heaven!

After getting fortified with potato and cheesy goodness, we made our way to downtown Spokane for…more wine and cheese!  Lina had better be careful, if she keeps hosting me for weekends like this I may just stay in Spokane forever!  We first went to Arbor Crest’s downtown tasting room in the River Park Square shopping mall.  You may remember from my last posting that we tried unsuccessfully to taste the wine at Arbor Crest’s main tasting room the day before. Luckily for us, the mall tasting room, unlike the one at the winery, stays open until 10 PM on weekends! 

For a mall location, the Arbor Crest tasting room has certainly made the most of the space.  Although the tasting room bumps up against the mall food court, the designers did a good job giving the space an intimate feel.  Half-walls with planter boxes, as well as (I suspect) a faux ceiling separate the space from the cavernous mall, and comfortable chairs, a gas fireplace and wrought-iron tables give the small space the feel of a coffee shop.  The tasting bar is set in the back, which also helps the atmosphere for wine tasters, as it creates distance between the tasting space and the hubbub of shoppers and moviegoers.

Lina and I lucked out again with our timing, reaching Arbor Crest at a time between movie rushes, according to our host.  Only one other party was tasting, and they were just finishing up as we arrived.  We shared a tasting of five wines, a sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, syrah, malbec and the Dionysus blend.  My favorite was the Dionysus.  I had tasted that before, and it is a delicious Bordeaux-style blend full of fruit and a scent that will knock your socks off.  I have no trouble understanding why the winery named it after the Greek good of wine and merriment.  Unfortunately, the Dionysus is beyond the range of my current budget ($48) , but I do have a bottle sitting in my wine collection (a wedding present, courtesy of Lina) for which I am now just awaiting an appropriate occasion.

After we had got our fill of wine from Downriver and Arbor Crest, our final stop and highlight of the evening was a trip the historic Davenport Hotel and its lovely restaurant and cocktail bar, The Peacock Room.  This portion of the evening was a real treat for me because I absolutely love old fancy hotels.  The Four Seasons Olympic in Seattle has always been a favorite of mine, and now the Davenport is right up there too.   Built in 1918, the hotel has a spacious lobby, dominated by a beautiful marble fountain surrounded by flowers.  The large space is roughly divided in half, on one side a lounge with over-sized, comfortable leather chairs (we had to try them out of course!) and a café, separated from the main lobby by lacy potted palms.  The entire hotel has that Gilded Age look of glamor to it, from the marble floors to the many columns, all decorated in gold leaf.

 An open gallery on the second floor overlooks the main lobby area, and also houses the hotel’s ballrooms and event spaces.  We arrived on a night when a local private school was hosting a gala.  It was a lot of fun to see so many people in evening ware sauntering around the swanky hotel as we explored the upper gallery.   In my jeans I certainly stuck out like a sore thumb, but it was fun to imagine I belonged there.

Once we finished our exploring, we found our way to the Peacock Room back on the first floor.  Another dazzling space, it would be easy to imagine Frank Sinatra enjoying a cocktail in this dim, intimate bar.  The walls are papered with art-deco peacock motifs on a dark background, and the entrance has a gorgeous backlit stained glass ceiling, also depicting a peacock. 

Lina and I lucked out yet again with our timing at the Peacock room, arriving at a time when the place was practically empty.  Over the hour or so we were there, it rapidly filled. I was glad we staked out the place that we did: a two-seater bar-height table with a good view out the window for Saturday night  people watching.

Although we had been drinking wine all weekend, Lina assured me that the Peacock Room was known really for its Cougar Gold cheese dip and its signature cocktails.  So, to do as the Romans, I chose a cocktail that the waitress suggested: the Ruby Red Grapefruit Drop.  Lina stuck with her favorite: the Key Lime Pie martini.   After having both, I see why that’s her favorite.  I liked my drink, but Lina’s really was a dessert in a glass.

And what’s the perfect complement to dessert in a glass? More cheese!  So, we ordered the Cougar Gold dip with extra bread (so no bit of dip would go to waste, of course).  For the benefit of any readers who are not from Washington State or who have never had the pleasure of tasting Cougar Gold cheese let me back up and give you a little background.  Cougar Gold is a sharp, naturally-made white cheddar that is sold to benefit Washington State University, hence the name Cougar Gold, for the WSU Cougars.  A 30 ounce package comes as a large wheel inside an aluminum can.  Apparently the can is a packaging innovation developed by WSU creamery in the 1930’s and still remains a tradition.  The WSU creamery actually has a very interesting history that you can read about on their website.

I have to admit that, even though I am a lifelong University of Washington Huskies fan, the WSU cheese is absolutely delicious.   The dip at the Peacock Room combines the cheese with shallots and herbs, and I’m guessing a little vermouth to cut the richness.  With the warm bread it was unbelievably good.  To top everything off, in the spirit of Mae West, we ordered a Chocolatini.  Because after all, “too much of a good thing is wonderful!”

Well that wraps up the highlights from my trip to Spokane.  Next be on the lookout for some more musings on Washington wine as we prepare for the spring barrel-tasting events!

spokane wine weekend

After a wonderful trip to Spokane last weekend, I’m not even really sure where to start.  I suppose, as with most things, it is best to start at the beginning.  This trip to Spokane was initiated by my friend Lina, who has lived in Spokane for at least the past 20 years, and whom I have known since we were wee babes.  Upon hearing about my Eastern Washington blogging project, she invited me to see the sights in her lovely hometown.  Of course, I have been to Spokane many times before to visit Lina, but only recently have we discovered we have a common interest in food and wine.  So, this trip ended up being somewhat of a wine and culinary tour.  Sound delicious? Read on!

Spokane is definitely the easiest-to-get-to spot EWW has explored thus far.  On Friday morning, I rolled out of bed, got in the car, and started to cruise down I-90 East.   The March weather along the way proved that this month certainly does come in like a lion, blowing my little economy car all over the road.  Luckily, I made it in one piece, and by that time I was really ready for a drink.  Luckily, we had a whole afternoon of Spokane wineries ahead!   After I put down my bag and had a quick pizza lunch, we were off!

On our way downtown, we picked up our third wine-tasting companion, fellow blogger Georgette Graham, whose blog, Coffee, Cats and Keyboards, I highly recommend you check out.  Accompanied by my oldest and newest friends, I was off to try some spectacular Spokane wines!  Our first stop was Caterina winery, which features its own wines as well as those from Lone Canary Winery.

Housed in the historic Broadview Dairy Building, Caterina shares the space with the still-operating dairy and a milk production museum!  Unfortunately, we were on a schedule so could not visit the museum, but will try to circle back on a return trip.  By the way, be sure to use the above hyperlink to look up Caterina online.  Caterinawinery.com just gets you here, which is not super useful unless you know Japanese.

 Immediately upon walking in, I fell in love with Caterina’s space on the building’s first floor. The tasting room/gift shop was spacious but had a warm and cozy feel, with the unfinished floor boards and exposed brick walls.  Multicolored paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, giving the atmosphere a touch of whimsy.  This sunny Friday afternoon, the three of us were lucky enough to be the only patrons at the time we walked in.  A friendly gentleman was working behind the bar, and offered us a most generous tasting.  At no charge, we were offered a selection of 14 wines!  We made it through all five white varieties before we realized that we would have to pace ourselves if we wanted to remain standing for our other tastings that day.

For whites, we tried a pinot gris, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, Riesling and gewürztraminer.  The standouts for me were the chardonnay and (rather surprisingly) the gewürztraminer.  A good chardonnay can be like heaven for me, especially if it is just full of butter flavor.  This chardonnay wasn’t quite a divine experience for me, as it was a little lighter than I generally prefer, but it did carry a distinct strain of butter flavor, which tickled my taste buds.  Plus, at a price of $10 it was very wallet-friendly. 

The real surprise was the gewurtz, though.  A sweet wine, in my (admittedly limited) experience, gewürztraminer generally has a lot of tropical fruit, citrus or lychee flavors.  This version, though sweet, had more herbal and piney flavors than I had tasted from this grape before.  Being a fan of gin, this aspect of the wine certainly intrigued me.  The price on this wine was also attractive: $12 for the bottle. 

The reds at Caterina were fine, though I did not enjoy them as much as the whites.  I tried the sangiovese, 2007 Merlot, syrah and barbera.  They all had about the same character to me: nice flavor at the beginning, but became bone-dry almost immediately.  I felt like I couldn’t enjoy what seemed like it would have been very nice flavor.  It made me glad that I had tasted all the whites and skipped several of the red wines.  Overall, though, we had a very nice time and a friendly host, and both Georgette and I went home with a bottle of the gewürztraminer.

Although the reds at Catarina left me dry, my thirst was quenched at our next stop: Barrister Winery.  I had been anticipating this portion of the afternoon since my last trip to Spokane.  At that time, I tried Barrister’s Rough Justice non-vintage red blend and it was love at first sip.  I’m sure you can imagine my excitement at the opportunity to try even more of their scrumptious reds.  Because Lina knew I was so eagerly awaiting this visit, she had even arranged a private winery tour for the three of us.

We almost didn’t make it to our tour, though, as we nearly missed finding the winery altogether.  Part of the charm of Barrister is that is tucked away in an alley near the railroad tracks, giving it a secret, magical feel.  Unfortunately, what makes the location charming also makes it a challenge to find.  We ended up in the wrong narrow alley and were starting to feel hopelessly lost.  At one point I began wondering whether the winery might be located in some Diagon Alley-type alternate reality, which would have been awesome if we were able to find it.  Luckily for us, Barrister exists very much in the real world.  After a panicky phone call with the tasting room manager, we discovered it was just one street over.

The reason for Barrister’s tucked-away location is that, at one point in time, the building was used to transfer railroad cars directly from the tracks and unload their goods.  Much as with Caterina, the owners have let the charm of the building shine through in the décor.  The rough-hewn floor boards are original, as are the bare brick walls, adorned floor-to-ceiling with the work of local artists.  The tasting bar where we started our tour sits in a sunny corner near the entrance.  Liz, our tasting room hostess, gave us samples of four of their wines: the aforementioned Rough Justice blend, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

Liz and Tyler, our awesome hosts at Barrister Winery

 I suppose at this point I should back up and also explain to you why the winery is named “Barrister.”  According to our tour guide (and winemaker) Tyler Walters, Barrister is so named because it was started by Michael White and Greg Lipsker, two attorneys who mistakenly came upon a wine-making supply shop while looking for a good bottle of wine to drink.  They impulsively bought a wine kit, and started making wine as a hobby.  Apparently, the first couple of batches of the DIY wine were duds, but the owners definitely got the bug and the “hobby” turned into a winery that produces 3,100 cases of wine annually.

I am certainly thankful that Mr.’s White and Lipsker decided to pour their savings into creating Barrister winery.  The wines are superb.   Of course, the Rough Justice blend was delicious: well balanced, full of fruit and velvety smooth.  What really won my affection during the tasting, however, was Barrister’s signature wine:  the Cabernet Franc.  Cabernet Franc is becoming a much more popular grape here in Washington State.  Traditionally, it is used as a blending grape, something to round out the flavors of a cabernet sauvignon or add to a Bordeaux-style blend. However, Washington wine growers have started to notice over the past several years that Cabernet Franc grows exceptionally well in this region, making for wines that stand out very well on their own.  After our visit to Barrister, I have to agree.  The Cabernet Franc was lovely: flavorful but not overwhelming, as smooth as Rough Justice and would go wonderfully with a nice flank steak or a tin of dark chocolate.  I am getting hungry and thirsty just writing about it!

After we took our time enjoying the scrumptious wines, Tyler officially began our tour.  Our first stop was the event space opposite the tasting bar.  It was beautiful.  The shabby-chic look of the 100-year-old warehouse space is so interesting that they did not need to do much other than set up 7 or 8 tables with plain black cloths and simple votive candles. 

 

The next stop on the tour was the wine production area to get a mini-lesson in how Barrister wines are made.  I was surprised at how small the space was, my only reference points being Novelty Hill/Januik and Chateau Ste Michelle in Woodinville, which are both quite large operations.  Tyler explained to us that the wine production at Barrister is still very hands-on.  Volunteers clean off the grapes by hand, picking out leaves, sticks, spiders and anything else that shouldn’t go in wine.  The grapes then go through a hopper to be separated from their stems to prepare to be juiced.  Once the grapes are juiced, they are placed into vats with the yeast necessary for fermentation.   Tyler told us that he personally “punches down” the grape skins atop the juice by hand to prevent them from drying out before the wine is ready to be put in barrels to age.  I was totally impressed by the amount of love that clearly goes into each bottle, along with all the blood, sweat and tears.  If I don’t have a full time job by the fall, I might go over there again to volunteer.

After the production area, we were taken by elevator (the ORIGINAL elevator that helped transport railroad cars, by the way) to the barrel room, a natural underground wine cellar.  You can get a glimpse of it below.  Apparently this space can also be rented for intimate dinners and other small events.

After visiting the cellar, we were treated to a look at the yet-unfinished upstairs space at the winery.   For now, it’s not used for much other than storage, but it has potential to be another event space, if you ask me!  I would love to have a party there (after they fix the holes in the floor boards, that is!).  

Marta, Lina and Georgette in the elevator at Barrister

At that point, our tour was over.  I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Barrister.  The wines were incredible, our hosts were extremely friendly, and the space was beautiful.  I will definitely be going back!

After our delightful time at Barrister, we decided that we’d try to squeeze in a quick trip to Arbor Crest across town.  Lina has been wanting to take me to Arbor Crest for a long time, as it is as much a Spokane landmark as a wine destination.  Sitting atop a hill east of the city, Arbor Crest looks over the Spokane River and has lovely views of the surrounding hillsides.  It is a popular wedding venue in town, and also hosts a series of events throughout the summer. 

We sped across town in hopes of reaching our destination before closing time.  Unfortunately, we missed the last tasting by about five minutes.  At least we got an opportunity to admire the view in the golden, late-afternoon light.

Upon our return to Lina’s place, we were greeted with a delicious pre-St. Patrick’s Day dinner of homemade corned beef, cabbage and potatoes with Amish butter.  I love having a local host when traveling.  No restaurant can quite replicate the warmth and great company of a good ol’ family dinner!  What a wonderful way to end a great day! 

Be sure to check out EWW next week to hear even more about my eating and drinking adventures in Spokane!

night out in othello = a big waste of time

Welcome to Eastern Washington Weekend’s first edition of Where not to go in Eastern Washington!  Today’s not-so-hot spot: Othello.  The culprit: our friend Alex, for whom an adventurous spirit is often an asset, but in this case had him eating crow on the long drive home from a failed attempt at a fun night out in Othello.

Here’s what happened: Friday before last, Steve and I were enjoying some drinks at our favorite local wine bar, Imbibe.  Actually, as far as we know, it’s the only wine bar in town.  We were joined by Alex, his roommate Tony, and our new friend Fabio, a German guy who was lucky enough to score a two-month international internship with BMW, and unlucky enough to have Moses Lake as his sole reference for American culture.  I do not mean to speak ill of my new home (I will reserve that sentiment for my description of Othello), but if it were me, I would not want my entire United States experience to be winter in a rural town.   Thankfully, Fabio plans to do a little touring after his stint at BMW, so he will be able to tell his friends back home about the culture, arts and cuisine of both the city and the country.  I can be reasonably sure that our trip to Othello will not make the highlight reel.

So anyway, there we were, enjoying our drinks at Imbibe, and Alex started making the case to take the party to the neighboring town of Othello.  Let me clarify here that “neighboring town” does not mean a jaunt down the road.  Othello is a good ½ hour car ride from Moses Lake, much the same as the other “neighboring” towns, like Ephrata and Quincy.  Alas, against our better judgment, Alex convinced us, and we decided to make the trek to Othello and see what the nightlife was all about.  Fabio was kind enough to agree to be our designated driver (talk about ambassadorship!) and off we went down the dark, empty highway toward the bright lights of Othello.

As we entered the town, it became immediately apparent that Othello is not the night hotspot that Alex had implied in his description.  Along the main street, all the windows were darkened, leading to our growing feeling of disappointment.  We brightened up a bit when we saw some flashing colored lights in the window of a nearby hotel, next to a large windowless building with DANCE CLUB painted on the wall in big block letters.  Fabio pulled over the car, and we entered what we thought was the door into a hoppin’ nightspot.  As it turns out, the door we entered actually led to a Chinese restaurant that was about to close.  The proprietor informed us that the door to the dance club was actually around back.  Having come this far, we dutifully walked around back to an unmarked door, and stepped inside.  Upon entering, it was obvious that the term “Dance Club” was applied rather loosely to this establishment.  The brightly-lit space contained no dancing people at all, only a group of four men playing pool in the corner.  The 70-year old woman with a chain-smoker’s voice acted as bouncer, and demanded a $5 cover charge for entry.  When we realized that she was not joking, we decided to try our luck elsewhere.  Bouncer-Granny was no help, warning us that Othello “rolls up the sidewalks after 9 PM.” 

Facing a long drive back to Moses Lake, we were not quite ready to give up on Alex’s dream.  So, we piled back into the car and drove around what there was of the town, looking for signs of life.  We did not have to drive far before coming to another windowless building marked “PUB” by a lighted sign out front.  Considering that this place actually had cars parked out front, we were already in better shape than we had been ten minutes before. 

Elated that our trek to Othello was not in vain, we happily walked in and found a table. We received several stares from the patrons as we entered; clearly it was not typical for a group of Moses Lake kids to wander in on a Friday night.  However, no one really seemed to mind that we were there, so we just made ourselves comfortable.  Unfortunately for Alex and Tony, who had hoped that a trip out of town might lead to meeting some interesting girls, the patrons were 95% male.  And, as one might expect for a working-class, small-town, all-male-customer-base-bar, the owners had obviously not invested a lot in ambiance.  Again, the space was brightly lit and the floor looked like it may not have been mopped for quite a while.  However, I do harbor an affinity for divey spots, and the furniture was not fancy but certainly functional and the tables were clean.  Plus, I enjoyed the upbeat Spanish-language music on the juke box, and the Coors Light and pulltabs were cheap and plentiful. Things were looking up.

However, my evening started another nasty downhill turn when I decided to use the ladies’ room.  Thankfully, there was not a line, as my bladder had barely the capacity to last the long search for our Othello night spot.  The problem came when I attempted to leave.  The single-use bathroom was actually not much more than a closet with a ½ bath inside.  I had locked the door to the tiny space on the way in, and when I attempted to unlock it, the knob wouldn’t turn.  I turned the lock every which way, and nothing seemed to help.  I continued to try the knob in vain, getting increasingly panicked. 

Eventually, someone started knocking at the door because I was taking so long.  I tried to knock back and yell through the door, but apparently the music outside was too loud for anyone to hear what I was saying.  I closed my eyes and made myself breathe until I finally calmed down enough to regain some presence of mind.  I called Steve, who was wondering what had become of me.  He immediately came to my rescue, and explained my situation to the two miffed girls still waiting outside.  Having no key, one of the girls stuck her artificial fingernail into the lock and turned, releasing me from my porcelain prison.  I vowed that I would not attempt to relieve myself again until we returned safely to Moses Lake.

Once I returned to the table and explained to everyone why I was missing for so long, we tucked in to our pitchers of Coors Light and platters of fried food and tried to make the best of our –er – interesting evening out.  Lucky for us, good company can make up for almost any less-than-perfect situation, and I think all of us ended up having a good time, though I think all of us would say that we don’t plan to return to Othello any time soon.