"nYne"... Bar and Bistro

To contact us Click HERE

It's a short menu.... 



and a busy night spot.  









The food is good, the crowd- eclectic, and friendly.   Tonight we dined at "nYne." 232 W  Sprague.

When he was telling me about the place he found on-line, Geo described it as being... possibly, a "Ladies Sports Bar."  I was suspicious! 

 "But there would be dancing!"

"Dancing?"  in a "Ladies sports bar?"  Really?

Funny, though I am a lady,and I enjoy dancing with Geo, I am not into bars or even a big fan of sports!


At first, walking by, it was rather crowded... and it was not even a bunch of ladies, (BTW) there were lots of assorted people talking, laughing, eating, drinking, and it was so lively I began to suspect it was a hang out where everyone knew each other already. I immediately figured I was too old  for that scene and would pass, but Geo thought different.  The man taking money at the door he was talking to, was personable enough.  He said something about the bands being really good, that they were playing, Alternative "Folk/Rock." 


I appreciate Folk music, and so I forgot my apprehension for feeling older (than most) and  in we went. Geo had, after all,  planned to go and check out this spot....found it as a place to go downtown to hear some live music, eat some dinner.... maybe dance and experience our favorite city that we call home.   And, for the record, there were all ages of people in this place.

Bands playing were Holly McGarry, Cathedral Pearls and Terrible Buttons.  (Never heard of them before.  You?)

The food on the menu... it was mostly burgers. was resonably priced, which could be one reason why he chose this spot to try.  But there were some other items.  I say, reasonably priced;  but there was however,  a 5.00 cover charge to enter the place....(for the bands.)

We got a table, but then it started to get crowded  There was not table service either, it was actually less a restaurant and definately a bar.   We ordered our food ... and iced tea with the bartender at the bar.  The food was delivered to our table.


We ordered what turned out to be a beautiful (and very tasty) flatbread and hummus platter,










some sliders,












...and two kinds of wraps.  There was a Veggie and a Tuscan Chicken Club.  Our Veggie came tasting fresh and salad-y and the Club, had to be one of our favorite wrap sandwiches we have eaten yet.  We even liked out multi-grain chips.  It is quite possible that we were just super hungry after having walked four miles downtown before eating here, (that was Geo's plan as well,) but even if that's the case, I can say it that we thought the food was fresh tasting and quite good!

One could shoot some pool here at nYne...











mingle with friends,

or listen to the bands that eventually took the stage.
So what about those bands?  How were they?

Interesting. Creative.

Holly was cute, friendly to talk to, and her music was kinda blue-grassy... country/folk and "airy."   We decided that though it was not loud enough for us to hear the lyrics we liked it.  It seemed to have little variety in style, but we liked her voice and it was nice background music to listen to as we took- in "the scene" and while we ate.

We only heard a little of the Cathedral Pearls playing.  I thought it creative...  "a bit Sirenic" (as in the greek mythos kind of "sirens" who called to those sailors on the sea.) It was also  a bit loud, (of course,)  kinda folksy, and some of it was quite dance-able, as proved by the now lively crowd  assembled on the indoor alley-like basketball half-court that alternately serves as a dance floor.

Cathedral Pearls at  nYne

When we left, people were dancing and having a good time while the Pearls played.  I tried to get a good photo of the band.

The last band, "Terrible Buttons," was the main band that was to play.   We missed it completely.  (Fro Yo was calling.)  

My guess is that they were, ..... "terrible!"
(Get it?)
Actually, I was listening to them a little on the web.... as I was typing this today.  Ever hear of "Horror Folk?"  That is one way that they describe themselves.  


Horror?  does the music lament horror or invoke it?  You have to wonder.

Weird.


Pardon my commentary here, but some of us, me... for example, have actually had enough horror this weekend.  I am still in recovery.  I am fine actually, because I believe God is good, and that HE saves people from that horrible darkness, death and despair, through Jesus Christ, but still I am recovering from the most recent news on TV to hit my heart.  You see, I am saddened grieved in my heart that people in this world are hurting.  I, and probably you too were affected to hear the horror that some people are in right now in Aurora Colorado., where a gunman, during a midnight showing of a movie senselessly killed injured and maimed a bunch of people without provocation or remorse.    


Sad story.
Fodder for a folk song?  Maybe.  Hopefully one that doesn't glorify the horror or encourage one to live in the darkness that would perpetrate such a deed of darkness.

I say, let there be light!



 So, as for the "horror folk" music, I am not certain exactly what it is, nor what is it supposed to be, and I probably wouldn't like it and was glad I missed it...  But we did like our food at....  nYne.

Anthony's

To contact us Click HERE

Anthony's... at Spokane Falls.

One lovely summer day, while walking the bridge in Riverfront Park with some friends, we spotted it...Anthony's.  One friend said, "Oh, wouldn't it be lovely to sit under those umbrellas outdoors and watch the rapids on the river?" Well, all present agreed and the next thing we knew, we had an outing planned for lunch at Anthony's.  

Anthony's is located at 510 N. Lincoln, in downtown Spokane.  Their specialty is seafood.    I just learned that Anthony's is a chain of restaurants and while each is said to be unique, there are 22 of them.

I have often heard people talk fondly about this place and was kinda excited that finally I would get to go and see it for myself.

It was a great lunch, although even before making group reservations I had reservations... for the reviews I had read on the internet about this place were not exceptionally flattering.  I did feel better when I asked one man in the parking area how his lunch was.  He answered saying,  "Great!  I had the fish."

I laughed.

The place was busy and parking was a hassle.  I thought that they had valet parking, but they only have valet parking for dinner, although their webpage that I looked at did not tell me this.  It simply said, 
"""Anthony’s at Spokane Falls offers complimentary valet parking while dining at the restaurant."   
So, we had to spend a lot of time looking for a parking spot.  If your there for lunch and you do not park in their lot... the only parking around is parking you have to pay for.  It's a downtown thing, you know.

We had a large group and they had sat us indoors.  This was actually fine for us because we did go outsides and it was a rather hot day and it was cooler indoors.  But so much for sitting under one of those little green umbrellas overlooking the Spokane river for lunch.   We did go outside afterwards and enjoy the spectacular view.

Now for lunch....  did I mention, "It was great!"?

This is a soup bowl and salad... clam chowder.

 Fish Taco and Chips.. with salsa.
 Shrimp Alfredo....

 Chicken Caesar
Here is a beautiful salad.


 and did i mention, "It was great!"?

We also had some desserts.  Anthony's other specialty is peaches.  Pictured below is ice cream and cobbler.... both featuring fresh peaches.


And, if you are looking for that view...S P E C T A C U L A R !

Ben's Yogurt and Deli

To contact us Click HERE
Today, it was all about the deli.... I mean there I was hungry for lunch and there was Ben's, just waiting for hungry ol me.  So this time, instead of driving past, I went in.

 They have a great selection.  One customer who was eating saw that it was my first time here and told me he goes there often... loves the food, and that is really fresh.  He was right.  It is good.
I had a veggie wrap....with cheese and avocado.. and all the veggie fix-ins... "To Go."

Ben's is great.  It's clean, friendly fast and fun.... (I happen to think of frozen yo cream yogurt with toppings as "fun.")


I had driven past many a time in my travels around town and I had heard rumor too that this was a great little spot.  I just had to try it for lunch, and as advertised, it was very good!  But the best to me, is the frozen yogurt.... just ask Geo   Yo Cream frozen yogurt is become a once a week adventure for us.


Yo Cream is 25 calories per ounce, made with real fruit ingredients, uses no rBST and contains live cultures.... so it is good food!

Ben only has six flavors (as compared to some yogurt shops that have maybe twelve or ten, but he has toppings galore! The fresh fruit stand even offered blackberries that day, yum!  And I noted too that he has good sanitation practices.  He has signs requesting for parents to assist younger children and he keeps a hand sanitizing station right next to the self serve machines.  I liked that part a lot.


I found Ben's to be a friendly neighborhood mom-and-pop type of food stop with the added plus of offering self-serve frozen yogurt.

Paul Bunyan (Coeur d'Alene,Is)

To contact us Click HERE

The sign for this place is as big as....well, need I say, Paul Bunyan.  On second thought, it is actually bigger than the legend says he was.  All I know is that this is one big sign!  You cannot miss Paul Bunyan's Pak Out when driving along Northwest Blvd in Coeur d' Alene.

Paul Bunyan, as you folklore buffs may know, was a very large lumberjack who traveled with his Blue Ox named Babe.  There are some photos of lumberjacks around the restaurant inside.  Evidently, the owners in the past have had connection to the logging industry, and those loggers work so hard, they probably needed a great little sandwich shop to eat at. back in the 1950's when this place got it's start.


 It's a small spot, looks and feels like it's been here a while, but I was truly surprised at how busy the place was.  I watched with amazement as car after car drove up to the "Pak Out" window and the little place filled up inside too.






 It's your typical burgers and fries kinda place....
We had burgers.  Geo had the Paul Bunyan Burger... on the right.... and I had the "Deluxe."
We also had onion rings and a huckleberry shake.



The burgers were.... burgers, but the shake was amazings as were the onion rings.










In typical local NW fashion, they had all the necessary dipping sauces  to offer too.




















So this is Paul Bunyan's. Coeur d'Alene.  However, I saw there is another Paul Bunyan burget place on my way to Sandpoint.  That Paul. He gets around.

Davenport Chef's in The Spotlight!

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Throughout the last month, The Davenport Hotel chefs have been particpating in events and making media appearances. This blog is dedicated to the Chef's and a huge thank you to all of them who help make the Davenport so special through the wonderful food that they create. A special thanks to Chef Bryan Franz who particpated in the National Tour Association's Reno Dinner Convention and received rave reviews as well as making appearances on KHQ and KREM!

Here are some photos and video from these events. Thank you Chefs!