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GOOD FRIDAY
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from Inlander
By Eliza Billingham
If you're lucky enough to be looking for a lunch spot in Spokane Valley, you're in for an especially mean meal. Don't look for billboards or online ads — neither of these trending spots have spent a cent on advertising. The new kids on the block have already gotten in with the cool crowd thanks to word of mouth and unsolicited social media attention. If Spokane Valley is one big cafeteria, these are the queen bees everyone is buzzing about.
Sorella
By Eliza Billingham
My friend texted me a few weeks ago: "I've been wanting to try that new restaurant in Kendall Yards with the pictures. What's it called again?" I knew what she was talking about immediately. She was thinking of the gorgeous, golden gallery wall in Sorella, Lauren Blumenthal's new Italian restaurant on the east end of Summit Parkway's shopping and dining strip. Because even if you've never been inside, you know how beautiful Sorella is just from glancing through the windows. It's memorable to passersby and Inlander readers alike, who voted Sorella the best restaurant that opened in the past year.
It was June 1988. Walt Disney Pictures and Steven Spielberg were releasing Who Framed Roger Rabbit? The UEFA Euro football tournament was being hosted in West Germany. James Hansen, a NASA scientist, warned Congress about this new idea called human-caused climate change. The average cost of a hamburger was under $1. And people were flocking to drive-thrus. When Port Angeles, Washington-based entrepreneurs Peter and Sheila Stewart analyzed the burger industry, they took note of the drive-thru craze. So they opened the first Frugals, a small fast-food joint with a double drive-thru. The design would cut down on overhead costs and keep food prices down, even though they focused on high-quality ingredients and never-frozen beef. The concept was a winner, and Frugals expanded to Tacoma in 1990, Auburn in 2000, and Kalispell, Montana, in 2001, with other locations popping up in Montana over the years until Spokane's own Frugals opened in March 2022. Jessa Morris started as a supervisor when the joint first opened two years ago in the old Wolffy's Hamburgers location on North Hamilton.
An elderly couple are headed toward the door at White House Grill when they spot its chef hanging out at the bar. "Wonderful," the man says. "Delicious as usual. We'll be back." Four regulars are sitting with the chef. One sips a dirty martini, as he does before every Wednesday afternoon bowling session. He's been coming to White House Grill for the past 20 years. The two at the end have him beat by close to a decade — they've been regulars for almost 30 years, ever since the Mediterranean restaurant opened in 1996. Yes, they come back for the Chilean sea bass and the blackened salmon. Or the calamari, which comes piled high on the plate. Or the sarmisak, a savory, extravagant dip that epitomizes the restaurant's exaggerated love for garlic. But really, they come back for the chef, Raci Erdem.
"Umi, oh my, I'm a fool for you, baby!" Ok, that might not be exactly what Lulu sings. But it's the song this city's been singing this past year while digging into Las Vegas rolls, Kobe beef rolls, and, of course, the Spokane roll at this uber popular Kendall Yards sushi spot. Chefs Tong Liu and Haru Wang have captured the hearts of seafood lovers across the Northwest with their killer knife skills and unstoppable creativity — East Coasters are tempted by the baked lobster roll, and raw fish skeptics can join in the fun with the First Love roll with banana tempura and coconut cream. This is the stuff of simp-y love songs for sure. [1309 W. Summit Pkwy,]
The Mango Tree
By Eliza Billingham
In the earliest Hindu scriptures, the mango tree and its fruit are considered sacred. Six thousand years later, the Mango Tree restaurant is continuing the tradition of delicious food and intimate, secluded dining experiences across Spokane and Coeur d'Alene. Their curries, biryanis and samosas have earned crowds of dedicated followers. Butter chicken poutine, naanchos, Indian kitchen fries and the chicken malai sandwich have changed the way many think about ordinary life. If you're looking for something delicious, unique, luxurious and celebratory, do as the masses do and savor the spice and sweetness of the Mango Tree. [1726 W. Kathleen Ave., Coeur d'Alene]
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from The Spokesman-Review
Newspaper in Spokane, Washington
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