2022 Inlander Dining Out: Visit Spokane edition 10/06/2022

Dining Out

Beyond the BeyondDish the BeyondDish the Dish

Exploring one-of-a-kind local dining experiences

Gander & Ryegrass

Th

night is young.

Experience the Difference

Fill up on these culinary events that take dining out to transcendent heights

f eating were only about the food, a huge component of the culinary industry would not exist. Besides the food, dining out is very much about the experience, the countless special touches that elevate a good meal to great one.

How, you might ask? Luke Barrey, a consummate server and bartender who has worked or dined at all the venues the Inlander is featuring in this year’s Dining Out issue, has the answer: people.

The cuisine, he says, is top priority, “but also the service, the ambiance, the way we present ourselves as servers or bartenders, and just creating that special occasion and making every customer feel like they are the most important customer to us.”

Also important? The people with whom we choose to share a meal. When pandemic shutdowns and other factors over the past few years meant we couldn’t dine out (or didn’t want to), that situation heightened the importance of human interaction.

While we’re not totally out of the woods yet — people still have health concerns, the culinary industry faces continued challenges, and rising food costs impact everyone — the four chefs we interviewed for this year’s Dining Out take the act of eating out to new levels. The experiences they’ve created transcend the ordinary and remind us that our shared meals nour ish more than just our bodies.

Dining

Let Go and Savor

Gander & Ryegrass’ evolving chef’s choice menu invites diners to sit back and enjoy the culinary ride

BY CHEY SCOTT

When it comes to most things in life, we don’t want others to decide for us.

But if we’re talking about the “Chef’s Marathon” dinner at Gander & Ryegrass, diners should gladly cede all freedom of choice to chef Peter Froese and his culinary team.

During one of my own visits, for example, I was utterly delighted by the quaintness of a tiny, lidded cas serole dish served as part of a flight of appetizers. Inside, a few spoonfuls of pea and duck cassoulet. The presenta tion was so charming it nearly overwhelmed my apprecia tion of the carefully crafted dish within.

Offered since Froese opened the downtown Spokane fine-dining restaurant in late 2019, Gander & Ryegrass’ multi-course meal consists of between 10 and 15 total dishes of varying portion sizes on any given night. None of these dishes are listed on the menu. Instead, diners enter into an agreement with the kitchen to continuously send food to their table throughout the two-hour-or-so meal.

“I think that’s a little bit of the challenge that we’ve slowly been overcoming, the sense of ‘What? How are you just gonna feed me and I don’t know what it is?’” Froese says while taking a break to chat with me between lunch and dinner service on a recent Friday afternoon.

the chef may be intimidating. But even selective eaters can rest assured that the culinary journey they’re about to embark on at Gander & Ryegrass will be full of surprises, delights and even familiar sensations.

Take it from me. Since initially trying the marathon in early 2020 for my birthday, it’s now tradition for my partner, Will, and I to treat each other for the occasion.

Gander & Ryegrass

404 W. Main Ave.,

Executive Chef Peter Froese

He anticipates it’ll be a busy night, as it usually is on weekends. An hour before dinner begins at 5 pm, there are eight cooks in the kitchen prepping for the night: cutting veggies, making sauces, prepping their stations.

“I think we got a lot more pushback early on,” Froese continues. “There are a lot more people settling into the marathons, and they are like, ‘Yep. Cool. I don’t even want to think about it.’”

If you’ve never experienced a chef’s choice meal before, the thought of leaving all decision-making up to

Froese’s dining marathon has caught on with other diners, too, and he estimates between 60 and 70 percent of all diners on weekends come to Gander & Ryegrass solely for the experience.

He hopes even more diners come to embrace the concept so that his team can direct most of their focus there, resulting in more creative freedom to change the menu on a whim while also giving diners a reason to return more often.

Gander & Ryegrass’ Chef’s Marathon menu is cur rently priced at $107 per person, with the option to add wine pairings for $65 more, or $104 more

Mixed green salad with carrot, raddish, carrot puree and red wine vinaigrette.

ERICK DOXEY PHOTOS

GO AND SAVOR,”

with the expert guidance of its sommelier team. For din ers seeking a lighter option, both in quantity and price, the restaurant also offers a three-course meal — with a few bites in between — for $75 per person, and with optional wine pairings for $50 more.

Diners are given their choice of the Chef’s Marathon or three-course dinner menu (the latter has two or three options per course) as they’re seated for dinner. At this point, the server also explains any optional upgrades or nightly specials.

Reservations for the marathon are not required, but

Froese encourages them, especially for those with dietary requests that may depart from what he’s planned. Ad ditionally, all guests in the group must participate in the marathon.

“If we know you’re a vegan coming in, even with an hour’s notice, that totally changes everything,” Froese says. “I love eating things with butter and meat and cheese and all that, but we also really love vegetables, and we spend a fair amount of time locating good vegetables.”

To kick off the marathon, the kitchen sends out four to six amuse bouche “bites” to warm up the palate. Some

are very small, like a wine cork-sized slice of fingerling potato topped with salmon roe and a creamy sauce, garnished with a tiny pea shoot. Or a smear of duck liver pate between two tiny circular cutouts of soft, crustless white bread, topped with sweet jam, Froese’s elevation of the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

“One of my mentors said, ‘Food should be delicious, it should be beautiful, and it should be fun,’” he says.

A few larger portions begin appearing next, each per fectly timed with the intent that diners can slowly savor and enjoy, and even reflect about it — each bite, ingredi

Blumenkaese cheese with fig jam, berries, granola and honeycomb.

crudo and beets with black lentil salad.

ent, texture and flavor — among themselves before the next plate comes out. Each dish is complex yet nuanced, and I often feel compelled to take handwritten notes — and definitely photos, which Froese says are always welcome — to record what the server tells me I’m eating lest I forget.

For these early courses, Froese likes to start with a few vegetable-forward dishes, which arrive before the middle of the meal: a bowl of house-made pasta to be shared by the table, like his unctuous pork-shoulder ra gout in ribbon-like tagliatelle noodles. House-baked bread and infused butter accompanies the pasta.

Before the “main” entree, usually a turf-based protein like steak, duck, pork or chicken, is a chilled cup of tart and icy housemade sorbet to refresh the palate.

What’s served for each iteration of the marathon

“For me, it’s a very different type of experience and transaction from the usual dining experience, where you order your food and they bring you that,” Will says. “You’re trusting an expert, and they’re choosing for you.

Food should be delicious, it should be beautiful, and it should be fun.

varies by season and availability, as Froese and his team seek to highlight what’s regionally freshest. This summer, for example, oil-poached tuna with heirloom tomatoes was a menu standout, crafted by one of the restaurant’s sous chefs, Wyatt Campbell.

“We have a lot of conversations about how dishes get built,” Froese says. “I love that. And I want people to be able to cook their food within our [restaurant’s] param eters. I think that’s really important. You get the best of people when they’re shooting after what they’re excited about.”

As I sit down to write this piece, I decide to ask Will what he enjoys most about Gander & Rye grass’ Chef’s Marathon, now that we’ve both enjoyed it together several times. Beyond the memories of the incredible food we’ve eaten — dishes like that tiny cas soulet, which I still recall often — past meals slowed down time to simply connect, without the distractions of digital devices, life’s responsibilities, or anything else.

You’re experiencing their take on things in a more fully realized way than getting their interpretation of the dish you picked out.”

Though I’m a writer, I’m not sure I could have said it better.

While the Inland Northwest is home to many ventures serving multi-course fine dining, in many cases also with a full menu predetermined before diners arrive, Gander & Ryegrass is one of a handful offering this expe rience year-round, every night.

“We did this restaurant the way it is because I felt like there was a gap in the market that we could corner,” Fro ese says. “My objective doing what we’re doing right now is to cook the way that I want to cook. I love the idea of coursed meals, but growing up, we didn’t do course meals,” he continues.

“All food came out at the same time, but we would sit there for three or four hours, and that’s really a lot of the inspiration. I love that. Where you can tell all your stories, and then tell the stories you forgot about.” n

Duck liver mousse with lingonberry jam on brioche bread.

Dining

Word on the Street

Culinary Dope creator Joe Morris combines hip-hop and high-end cuisine in a dynamic new series of pop-up events

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

There is no marijuana on the menu of a Culinary Dope event, because although consumption is le gal in Washington, cooking with it in a commer cial restaurant setting is not. Chef Joe Morris, the event’s creator, however, doesn’t have anything against cannabis.

“Dope can be anything,” says Morris with a shrug, adding that anything can be addictive, including good food or music.

Morris is an imposing figure, mostly muscle at age 40, a plastic pick side-angled off the back of his head. He talks with his hands like a New Yorker (though he’s actu ally from the southeast) and is at turns funny, garrulous, and even a bit guarded, like the streetwise kid he used to be before he became a streetwise father of four.

Culinary Dope is hip hop-meets-haute-cuisine with amazing food, but also the vibe Morris creates through music and at buzzy locations like Inland Pacific Kitchen or Wanderlust Delicato, both in downtown Spokane. Inspired in part by pop-up dining events like The Wan dering Table, before chef-entrepreneur Adam Hegsted turned the experience into a brick-and-mortar location, the occasions Morris orchestrates are higher-energy and

multi-sensory, more like a party.

“Like an organized party,” he says, adding, “I want you to relax. I want you to meet people and get out of your comfort zone.”

Although he talks about dishes he’s made for past iterations of the series, like his version of salad caprese with tomato gelée, what Morris is most interested in is the way Culinary Dope impacts people.

“When you’re working every day to build something, you don’t know how far you’ve come,” Morris says. “It kind of hurt to see everything closing down.”

una, like many places, was able to pivot, but others weren’t faring so well, Morris says. So he created the first of three types of Culinary Dope events in June 2021 to get things “poppin’” in the culinary industry.

L

Culinary Dope

Chef Joe Morris

CulinaryDope.com

“I like seeing people eat,” he admits, knowing that he can provide an experience they might not get elsewhere. “[Diners are] gonna get a vibe and experience that I feel like they wanted but didn’t know they did.”

Morris created Culinary Dope to expand his identity beyond Luna restaurant, where he’s been executive chef since 2019, turning out delightful dishes like tuna tartare and oxtail sliders. His other motivation, however, was re sponding to the pandemic shutdown that decimated local businesses and isolated people from one another.

Culinary Dope’s “food champs” events are friendly chef-to-chef competitions, with guests determining the winner using whatever criteria they see fit.

“Everyone wants to be a judge,” Morris says. “Every body watches Iron Chef.”

For $150, attendees get three dishes from each chef, like the crab legs with morel mushrooms and a pea puree Morris created for the inaugural 2021 competition pitting him against former Inland Pacific Kitchen chef Austin Conklin. Drinks flowed, the place pulsed with hip-hop beats on high volume, and the event was a hit.

Even though Morris lost, he learned a valuable thing: Patrons want to engage with not only one another, but

Morris’ seared seabass in a rich broth may soon be on the menu at Luna. DAK HARPER PHOTO

also the chefs.

“It was who I was,” says Morris of that first event, which solidified in his mind that his vision of a culinary street brand could work.

In a later rematch with Conklin, Morris took back the big blingy trophy necklace. He successfully defended his title a second time during a summer 2022 throwdown against chef Peter Froese of Gander & Ryegrass.

Morris also hosts a “Dope” brunch ($150). The first was held at Durkin’s Liquor Bar, highlighting what Durkin’s does best, including craft cocktails.

The third event Morris does under the Culinary Dope umbrella is a restaurant takeover. In August 2022, Morris collaborated with Wanderlust Delicato to offer a five-course, wine-paired meal ($200) served on the downtown restau rant’s rooftop terrace.

Morris liked one of the featured dishes so much — seared seabass with a rich, concentrated broth called fumet, braised fennel and marinated cherry tomatoes — he’s adding it to Luna’s menu.

“Like the left hand feeding the right,” Morris says, “all connected.”

Sometimes Morris does an event that’s neither brunch, nor takeover, nor competition.

Channeling his own Southern background, the menu for Shantell Jackson’s and Tracy Poindexter-Canton’s 2021 Ter rain gallery show, “Her Words to Life: A Celebration of Black Women’s Voices,” included fried green tomato salad and chicken and dumplings ($150).

Every Culinary Dope event is different, says Morris, but they all have a theme. And his ulterior motive, if you can call it that, is to create and strengthen community through food.

“Unifying people,” he says, “whether you’re Black, White, hip, young, old, food lovers … whatever.”

Look for the next Culinary Dope event later this fall. It might be brunch or a food champs event, says Morris, or it might be something else he’s cooked up. That’s just how he rolls. n

Chef Joe Morris cooks at his most recent Culinary Dope dinner series. DAK HARPER PHOTO

Dining Out

One Big, Happy Family

Candle in the Woods immerses guests in a welcoming, gourmet taste of the Inland Northwest

BY SAMANTHA WOHLFEIL

From the moment you step in the door at Candle in the Woods, you’re made to feel right at home as someone hands you a drink — in my case, sommelier Noelle Loparco holds out a glass of sangria — and tells you to go mingle with the other guests “out back.”

The restaurant originally started in a bed-and-breakfast owned by chef David Adlard and his wife, Lisa, near Athol, Idaho. So when they renovated and opened a more formal version of the restaurant in town in 2019, they wanted to keep that spirit alive.

As guests explore the venue, it’s hard not to feel like you’re at a relative’s place. A game room upstairs has a pool table and small hangout space, while the dining room on the ground floor centers

on a long table, with perhaps a few more wine racks along the walls than most would be lucky enough to have at home. “Out back” feels like a suburban backyard, with fenced privacy, sun shades, cornhole boards and cozy seating around gas fireplaces.

With only about 20 guests served each day, you’ll soon find that Adlard wants everyone to get comfortable with one another from the start. Throughout the evening, these are the people you’ll share drinks, amazing bites of food, and conversation with, so the happy hour before the meal offers the chance to say hello. There’s little room to hide in a corner as you’re encouraged to embrace the family-style meal of a lifetime, which will include breaks for games, socializing and maybe even sing-along songs around the fire.

Adlard’s crass humor throughout the evening seals the vibe of hanging out at your foodie uncle’s house. But unlike the potluck or barbecue you might normally get at family gatherings, the gourmet chef’s table meal of 15 (or more) courses is a chance to splurge for an extra special occasion. Current pricing is $169 per person, with reservations booked through at least March 2023.

“We have people booking hotel reservations in Coeur d’Alene after they get reservations with us,” Adlard says.

On a recent Thursday night, the crowd of 21 is almost entirely newcomers, but a few are back for a repeat visit. Adlard explains that any returning guests are affectionately called “cousins,” a term that harks back to when the once home-based restaurant was only able to serve friends and family.

“You wouldn’t believe how many cousins we had come to visit us,” Adlard tells guests with a laugh.

As the sangria glasses start to empty, servers bring the first small bite to diners outside, a small potato with a creamy filling topped with caviar.

Then the dinner bell rings, signaling everyone to head inside and find their name card at their chair. Most of the guests sit at the long

Chef David Adlard (right) welcomes all to Candle in the Woods. ARI NORDHAGEN PHOTOS

table in the middle of the room, but there are also a few small tables for couples. The focus throughout the night is drawn to the head of the long table, where chef Adlard and his staff explain each of the courses. Thoughtful pairings of white and red wines come with each bite, and guests can note any bottles they may want to buy on their way out.

Candle in the Woods

5751 E. Hwy. 54, Athol, Idaho Executive Chef David Adlard

Staff come around to stir up edible glitter in the champagne flutes waiting in front of each guest, and everyone joins in a toast before diving into the next course, which is encouraged to be devoured as finger food. A delectable combina tion of asparagus, savory goat cheese, crispy prosciutto and sweet berry sauce is paired with one of the restaurant’s most popular recurring dishes: a thin rectangular s’more with the surprise filling of thinly sliced steak.

As the evening goes on, Adlard tells stories about how he went from decades of serving in the military and teach ing gymnastics to jumping on this crazy idea to open a restaurant despite having no formal culinary training.

“We have some things that are on our menu every time,” Ad lard tells me as he explains how the menus differ each day. “But they’re categories, so it changes every time.”

While you can probably expect a ravioli, for example, the fill ing and sauce may be wildly different from the day before.

As he shares stories, servers bring out tuna tartare on frozen salt blocks, and a Monte Cristo sandwich that guests are encour aged to drench in ancho maple syrup. Everyone gets to reveal one dish together as they simultaneously lift a glass dome to release clouds of fragrant smoke (taking video of the experience is also encouraged) and find scallops in a phyllo dough cup.

Throughout the meal, more whimsical food tricks are in store, as Adlard calls for help making tableside ice cream through the magic of liquid nitrogen and guests get to pick a bite from a “smoking” serving dish.

The chef teases people not to try to “save room” through the night, as each course, whether licked from your fingers, slurped from the bowl, or enjoyed with cutlery, is meant to be fully enjoyed and not overwhelm anyone by the end of the three- to four-hour stay.

In keeping with the approachable, family-style mood, at the end of the night Adlard likes to wrap up by passing a wine bottle that serves as a talking stick as each guest says a little bit about their favorite course. Melt-in-your mouth sous vide steak in garlic butter is a popular vote-getter on this visit, but so is the special created by one of Adlard’s culinary team, Casey Brandel, who grew heirloom tomatoes in his own garden over the summer and transformed them into a complex sauce for a salmon course.

Renowned critics have rated the restaurant among their top experiences, and Adlard says one told him why: At some of the most expensive Michelin-starred restaurants, where a single diner may pay $1,000, it’s just, well, food. But at Candle in the Woods, it’s fun.

Dining

Keeping It Classy

Wanderlust Delicato’s elevated cooking classes provide ample flavor and memory-making

BY MADISON PEARSON

Amber Park’s passion for travel drove her to open Wanderlust Delicato, a wine and cheese shop in the heart of downtown Spokane that highlights international cuisine with its expansive selec tion of charcuterie offerings.

Combining her love of jetsetting with her desire to create community, Park also developed a diverse series of cooking classes that are held at the shop, which she opened in 2019.

“The community that we’ve built at Wanderlust is something I’m very proud of,” Park says. “There’s something special about bonding over food and shar ing that experience with others. It’s so much more rewarding than just going to a restaurant and ordering off of a menu.”

Park grew up outside Okanogan in north central Washington, living near farms and going to barter fairs. Once she moved away from small-town life and into Spokane, the travel bug took over and she found herself heading around the world to different countries while experiencing new foods.

“I noticed a hole in the market for international

cuisine in Spokane,” Park says. “I really wanted to bring the delicacies that I found on my travels back home and share them with the community.”

Whether the COVID pandemic put a wrench in your plans to explore what’s across the pond, or international travel is a bit too costly at the moment, Wanderlust Delicato’s cooking classes offer the chance to try new foods, meet new people and make memo ries at a fraction of the cost — no passport required.

The classes vary in theme from week to week. One day you might be kicking it Hawaiian-style with a class dedicated to making Spam musubi. The next day might bring you to Italy, where you can learn how to make a proper fettuccine alfredo.

Outside of Wanderlust’s front entrance is bus tling Main Avenue, but once the door closes, it’s like guests have traveled thousands of miles to a quaint European town.

Park’s love for travel is evident the moment you step over the threshold. The shop’s eclectic, mis matched furniture is placed throughout the room, and

tabletops where customers sip wine are covered with maps. The homey and welcoming vibe of the interior is reminiscent of a grandmother’s kitchen: antique knick-knacks and inviting smells all around.

Wanderlust Delicato

421 W. Main Ave., Spokane

Owner & Cheesemonger Amber Park

WanderlustDelicato.com

When guests enter for a cooking class, they’re offered a glass of wine and a table to wait at while ingredients are prepared and organized in the back. Class sizes vary, but usually, the group ranges from about eight to 12 people. Sharing a kitchen with a dozen people may sound like chaos, but Wanderlust’s kitchen accommodates that amount comfortably and provides ample room for chopping, stirring and sautéing.

All classes are led by one of Wanderlust’s many instructors.

“Some of our instructors have owned their own restaurants,” Park says. “Others have published recipes

Christine Tran demonstrates how to make crepes during a cooking class at Wanderlust Delicato. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

in books and worked in professional kitchens. Some are just hobby ists. But for most of them, this is their ‘fun job’ on the side. Their creative outlet.”

During the class I attend, Ashley Bechtel transports us to the Caribbean.

The menu for the evening includes jerk chicken, red rice and beans, a cabbage-based slaw, and fried plantains. Every detail is laid out for guests on an itemized recipe sheet, which you can take home at the end of the night.

Instead of putting your head down and making one meal for yourself, classes are a group effort. Together, you and your class mates create a part of the finished meal.

Roles are quickly doled out, and the cooking commences.

Bechtel floats around to each station, checking on guests and ensuring that everything is going smoothly. Aromas of mango, peppers and allspice waft from full pans sitting on the two stovetops supervised by myself and my mother, whom I bring along for this cooking adventure. On the other side of the counter, a married couple prepares the fixings for the main entree.

No one is standing still. Everyone is hands-on, preparing their part of the meal. My hands smell like garlic and onion, but I’m not complaining about it. Every once in a while, someone lifts the lid off of a pot and exclaims to the room, “Everyone, come smell this!” So we gather around and pat the person who cooked the chicken on the back because the mango glaze came out just right.

Quickly, a camaraderie forms between everyone in the class. Groups chat back and forth about what brings them to Wanderlust.

FIRESIDE

“We’re celebrating our wedding anniversary,” one couple says. Another duo is visiting from Pennsylvania. Others just thought it would be fun to get out of the house.

Soon enough, the meal is ready to be plated. The group deaprons and heads out into Wanderlust’s main dining room, where we sit and continue chatting. Everyone is talking like old friends. Glasses make a pure “ting” as we cheer in celebration of this wonderful group effort.

Plates are set down in front of everyone, and the food is gone in an instant. The unassuming beans and rice were the stars of the show, and the chicken was juicy, blackened and spicy thanks to the homemade jerk seasoning. A chorus of “mmm” and “yum” passes over the table from the mouths of newfound friends.

Once everyone is full and to-go boxes are packed with our leftover creations, hugs and waves goodbye are exchanged. We thank our instructor and part ways, though I wouldn’t mind see ing these people again.

Making your own fancy and delicious meal is an accomplish ment in and of itself, but when that feeling coincides with new friendships and teamwork, it makes the food taste that much better.

Dining Out

Speaking from Experience

Expand your dining horizons with special tasting menus, classes, dinner shows and more

BY CARRIE SCOZZARO

Remember that time you were dining out and surprised by your server singing “Happy Birth day” and carrying a cake? Special moments like that are built into today’s culinary industry.

When it comes to creating an elevated culinary ex perience, for example, few places excel like the COEUR D’ALENE RESORT. In addition to Beverly’s for special occasions — or just because — and lakeside dining at Dockside, which has reinstated its popular Sunday brunch, the Resort regularly curates culinary events like its recent Whiskey Barrel Weekend (pictured above).

The two-day event featured whiskey tastings ($85), a cocktail-making class ($50), a whiskey-themed dinner ($150) and, of course, overnight stay and golf packages. Visit cdaresort.com for more info on the Resort’s next food and drink focused event, like regularly scheduled beer- and wine-pairing dinners at Beverly’s and other venues.

In addition to the four venues featured in this year’s Dining Out issue, we collected a range of other eventful culinary experiences for our readers to enjoy at various price points and levels of immersion.

Tasting Events

Thirsty for more events? PURGATORY CRAFT BEER & WHISKEY BAR (thepurgatory.com) has a bourbonpaired dinner ($120) coming up on Oct. 12. A week or so later, Spokane-based DRY FLY DISTILLING (dryfly distilling.com) is presenting a spirit-forward, four-course dinner, on Oct. 20 ($100).

Many of our region’s fine dining spots regularly host special wine pairing dinners. In Spokane, check out

(clinkerdagger.com) and TAVO

LÀTA (ethanstowellrestaurants.com) for such events. In North Idaho, special dinners are occasionally hosted by VINE & OLIVE (vineandolivecda.com), COLLECTIVE KITCHEN PUBLIC HOUSE (facebook.com/collective kitchenpublichouse), SATAY BISTRO (sataybistro.com) and DISH AT DOVER BAY (dishatdoverbay.com).

Beer drinkers should also keep tabs on their favorite breweries, including locals like LUMBERBEARD BREW ING (lumberbeardbrewing.com), YAYA BREWING (yayabrewing.com), and WHISTLE PUNK BREWING CO. (whistlepunkbrewing.com), which have collaborated with local chefs and restaurants to showcase their crafts.

tive chef Tanya Broesder guides them through an as sortment of interesting and exotic dishes. Costumes are optional at this spooky culinary event.

Located in Moscow, LODGEPOLE (lodgepoleres taurant.com) also offers seasonally-inspired, five-course meals ($90), with optional wine pairings.

The Japanese equivalent to chef’s choice is omakase, whereby the chef chooses which nigiri, sashimi and other sushi to serve you. Ask about this option at your favorite Japanese restaurant, like TAKARA JAPANESE CUISINE & SUSHI in Coeur d’Alene and WAVE SU SHI ISLAND GRILL in Spokane, among many others.

Chef’s Choice

With great risk comes great reward, as the saying goes. Adventurous diners at MASSELOW’S STEAKHOUSE (northernquest.com) can be rewarded with a one-of-akind culinary experience on Oct. 31 when the restaurant presents “See No Evil” ($75), literally a blind tasting event. Diners will be asked to don a blindfold as execu

A Touch Of Class

It’s never too late to learn something new. For mastering mixology, RAISING THE BAR founder Renee Cebula (raisingthebarnw.com) regularly teams up with local ven ues like HOGWASH WHISKEY DEN (drinkhogwash. com) to create cocktail-themed events. On Oct.16, Cebula will be at EMMA RUE’S (emmarues.com) for a hands-on exploration of absinthe ($85).

Head to the source for a cocktail class ($50) featuring UP NORTH DISTILLERY’S assortment of spirits, held the third Wednesday of every month at the North Idaho distillery’s Bee’s Knees Whiskey Bar (upnorthdistillery. com).

For cooking classes, check the calendars at CULI NARY STONE (culinarystone.com) in Coeur d’Alene and THE KITCHEN ENGINE (thekitchenengine.com) in Spokane.

Dinner & A Show

Also known as “dinner theater,” this is a throwback to a time when people sat around tables to watch per formances, versus in stadium or theater-style seating. Modern versions manifest locally in such events as raqs sharqi performances, better known as bellydancing, which you can find alongside Mediterranean food at LEBANON RESTAURANT & CAFÉ (facebook.com/lebanon509). Al though there is no cost for the events, which are typically held once a month, reservations are required.

If you plan to attend Crime Scene Entertainment’s murder mystery events, be prepared to play the part. Tickets to both “Cranberries, Turkey and Murder!” on Nov. 12 and “T’was the Night Before Murder” on Dec. 10 ($57 each) at COEUR D’ALENE FRESH WINE BAR (freshwinebar.com) include a beverage of choice and tasty charcuterie.

Food-paired entertainment isn’t just for dinner. Start your Sundays with Nova Caine and company for a rous ing good time at GLOBE BAR & KITCHEN (globespo kane.com) for its popular drag brunch. Get there early (doors open at 10 am) to get a seat and order off the special brunch menu, including “topless” mimosas. n

Masselow’s Steakhouse. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

Hogwash Whiskey Den. YOUNG KWAK PHOTO

DIWALI

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MEL MCCUDDIN: GALLERY SHOW

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