Bloglander

Mark your calendars: One Tree Hard Cider just announced the grand opening of its downtown Spokane cider house next Friday, Sept. 8, at 2 pm.

One Tree has spent the better part of the summer rehabbing its new location at 111 S. Madison St. The rapidly growing cidery — with distribution across Washington, Idaho and Montana — had renovated its Spokane Valley tasting room last year, only to close this summer to make more room for its production needs.

The new downtown location — which will feature some 20 taps of ciders from around the country — puts One Tree in the heart of what's quickly becoming Spokane's brewery (and now cidery) district. Earlier this month, for our Drink Local issue, we mapped out the west end of downtown, showing six brewery destinations within three-quarters of a mile. We've updated that map here:


1. River City Brewing

2. Iron Goat Brewing

3. The Steel Barrel Taproom (technically home to three separate breweries: Little Spokane, Young Buck and, most recently, TT's Old Iron Brewery)

4. Orlison Brewing Taproom

5. Whistle Punk Brewing

6. Steam Plant Brewing (Temporarily closed for renovations; expected to reopen later this fall)

CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly called the new location a tasting room, rather than a full cider house offering other cider and beer products.

Hey, beer dorks!

Yes, that means you. And me. And most of the Inland Northwest, from what I can surmise. While the summer brew festivals are soon to be in the past, there's no reason you can't look ahead to the fall, when you can spend some time at the ol' ballpark for the Inland Northwest Craft Beer Festival in September. And No-Li Brewhouse just announced its second No-Li FrostFest on Saturday, Dec. 9.

This year's FrostFest moves to the Spokane Veterans Arena, which makes sense, given that all proceeds from the event go toward the upkeep of the Fallen Heroes memorial sculpture. The event runs from 2 to 6 pm and features a dozen one-off beers crafted by the No-Li crew. They announced the first two beers this week: a 'Tis The Saison and Tritamorphasis Barley Wine, coming in at 12 percent ABV. Pace yourselves, people!

Tickets for FrostFest are $30 through TicketsWest outlets and include a T-shirt, tasting glass and five 4-ounce pours. There will be tunes, food and a costume contest that could land you a free membership in No-Li's mug club. And you can add a ticket to the evening's Spokane Chiefs game for just $10 if you want to hang around (and haven't had too many of those barley wines). Another bonus: If you buy your tickets before Friday, you'll get a bonus Born & Raised T-shirt at the pub, too.

In a last-minute change before it kicks off Friday afternoon, the second annual Spokane Brewers Festival at the Spokane Arena on Aug. 4 and 5 will not be open to attendees under the age of 21.

The decision comes not from festival organizers, but from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board, which ruled that the event didn't offer enough in the form of activities and attractions for those under the legal drinking age.

Though the board sped up an appeal request from the Arena, the decision stands, and according to Spokane Arena assistant manager Becca Watters, the WSLCB is taking a closer look at all other all-ages beer festivals across the state. (The Washington Beer Commission's annual Inland NW Craft Beer Festival in Spokane, on Sept. 22-23, is all-ages on Saturday, featuring a special kids' area, but remains 21+ only on Friday.)

"We’ve looked at every possible scenario to try and get kids into the festival, but every idea seemed to take the spirit out of what we’re trying to do," Watters told the Inlander via email.

For those affected by the last-minute change, the Spokane Arena is offering ticket refunds; call the box office at 279-7455.

The arena says it'll continue to work with the WSLCB so as to allow minors at future events.

Also, to keep festival guests comfortable during the weekend's temperatures, forecast to be in the mid-90s, the Arena is setting up plenty of misters, fans and water coolers for extra hydration.

The second annual Spokane Brewers Fest features more than 30 breweries from the Inland Northwest and across Washington state, and takes place this Friday, Aug. 4, from 4-8 pm and on Saturday, Aug. 5, from 11 am-8 pm. Tickets are $25 if purchased before Thursday, Aug. 3, and are $30 at the gate. Entry includes a commemorative tasting glass and 13 tokens to redeem for 2-ounce pours. Additional tokens can be purchased on site for $1 each.

When the year-round, indoor Spokane Public Market closed due to lagging traffic and sales back in 2014, the city’s downtown core was left with one fewer option for residents to shop from local produce and food vendors and artisan makers. The building near the corner of Second and Browne has since been razed, but the Spokane Public Market is being reborn this summer, in a new location and with a new weekly format.

Starting next Tuesday, July 11, and through the end of September, the Spokane Public Market will be open weekly on Tuesdays, from 4-7 pm, in the Parkade Plaza at 110 N. Howard, between Main and Riverside.

The market’s rebirth has been spearheaded by a five-year resident of downtown Spokane, Arhen Resleff, who says he wanted to establish a local market for the growing number of downtown dwellers like himself.

“It’s something Spokane needed downtown, and we’re right downtown, so it’s geared toward residents already living downtown, and new residents in the M building and the Ridpath; those are within a block of the Parkade Plaza,” Resleff says.

A lot of people tend to mistake me for a vegetarian, which is understandable because I eat a fair amount of veggie burgers and meat alternatives, like tofu. I'm not a vegetarian, but I do consciously try to limit my intake of meat for many reasons.

This confession, however, doesn't mean I don't enjoy a juicy burger — which are not hard to find in this town — every now and then. But my own and America's collective love of ground beef patties comes with a cost, to our health (everything in moderation, folks) and to the environment. These concerns are paramount in the James Beard Foundation's annual Blended Burger Project, going on now, which challenges chefs across the country to blend ground meat with chopped mushrooms to make a "an incredibly delicious patty that's healthier for your guests and more sustainable for the planet."

The competition started on May 29, and runs through July 31. To qualify for the program, chefs must swap at least 25 percent of their burgers' animal protein with mushrooms.

Of the nearly 350 chefs across the nation who've signed up to participate in this year's Blended Burger Project, three Spokane eateries are on the list: Prohibition Gastropub in North Spokane and Remedy Kitchen and Tavern on the South Hill. Allie's Vegan Pizzeria & Cafe was a late entrant to the competition, and is offering an all-vegan burger with tempeh bacon, cashew cheese and barbecue mayo.

At Prohibition, find Chef John Leonetti's "Voot Burger," which contains a blend of shiitake, oyster and cremini mushrooms with his signature coffee-grounds-infused beef. The Voot comes with greens, feta, diced onion, tomatoes and a fontina cream sauce, and is served atop a pretzel bun.

Adding finely chopped mushrooms to a ground meat blend — whether beef, turkey, lamb, pork or something else — can heighten the rich and savory characteristics, called umami, of both the meat and the mushrooms. Subbing mushrooms for ground meats also reduces sodium, calories and fat without a major sacrifice in flavor, according to information from the national nonprofit Mushroom Council, a partner in the Blended Burger Project.

With Crave NW, chef Adam Hegsted is putting Inland Northwest foodies to the test by bringing together an array of regional and national food talent for a multi-day feast of fine food and libations.

It should come as no surprise that Hegsted would be the ringleader of such a gathering; the chef/owner of The Wandering Table and Yards Bruncheon (among others) is a vocal proponent of the area's food scene. Putting together a massive event that introduces locals to chefs from far-flung locales like Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco while also showcasing the best Northwest talent seems right in his wheelhouse.

Taking place in Spokane Valley at CenterPlace Regional Event Center June 15-18, there are a number of options for both dedicated foodies and casual diners, and the organizers are offering discounted tickets on sale through the Crave NW website. For example, you can get an all-access, all-weekend pass for $250 right now, but it will cost you $315 after June 1. Tickets for Friday's and Saturday's Grand Tasting sessions can be had for $35 now instead of $40.

Originally, the discount was going to expire tonight at midnight, but it's been extended until the event in mid-June. The discount is only available for online purchases, so consider that as you mull over diving into a wine tasting, seafood feast, Father's Day brunch or one of the other Crave NW featured events.

Check out the full list of chefs and special events at Crave NW, and get in on the deal while the getting's good.

Although the months-long season of A/C usage has now arrived, I found myself pleasantly surprised to leave the confines of my cubicle this afternoon to step into the heat of 84 degrees on an early May day. Let the countdown begin: Summer is coming, and with it, all those glorious days spent eating and drinking outdoors.

With pleasant weather in the local forecast heading into next week, it's time to head outside. Here's a roundup of Spokane dining and drinking spots that have already dusted off the patio furniture for the season, paired with their respective Happy Hour specials:

Rock City Grill, 2911 E. 57th | Happy hour, from 2-6 pm, includes $6 martinis, $3.50 wines, $4 micros and well drinks, $3 Bud and Coors on draft, $5 small plates and $11 regular size pizzas.

The Boiler Room, 6501 N. Cedar | Happy hour, from 2-5 pm, includes $5 house wines, $1 off beers on tap, $3 canned beers and $2 off martinis.

Luna, 5620 S. Perry | Happy hour, from 3-6 pm (and one hour before closing), includes $1 off beers and $2 off house cocktails.

Zola, 22 W. Main | Happy hour, from 3-7 pm, includes $4 house wines, $2 Coors and Bud on draft, $3 for the craft beer of the day, and a variety of appetizers for $5-$8.

Lost Boys' Garage, 6325 N. Wall | Happy hour, from 3-6 pm, includes $3 wells and $1 off beer and wine. Thursday is also trivia night, starting at 7 pm, and featuring some other food and drink specials.

Bon Bon, 926 W. Garland | Happy hour, from 4-7 pm, includes $1 off all beer and wine, and select $5 cocktails.

Nectar Wine & Beer, 1331 W. Summit Pkwy. | Happy hour, from 2-5 pm, includes $2 off wine, $1 off draft beer and $2 off appetizers.

In case you missed it last week, everyone on social media was pretty much losing their minds over that "unicorn" Frappuccino from Starbucks.

Apparently you can't even order the pink-and-blue, calorie-exploding (410 calories per 16 ounces, plus 59 grams of sugar) monstrosity anymore; it's described by its creator as follows: "Magical flavors start off sweet and fruity transforming to pleasantly sour. Swirl it to reveal a color-changing spectacle of purple and pink. It's finished with whipped cream-sprinkled pink and blue fairy powders."

OK. Not to be a hater here (I never tried the drink; its sweet-and-sour flavor combo seemed starkly divided between love it or hate it), but what is up with all these rainbow-hued foods? Clearly, I'm behind the curve: This Facebook post from USA Today literally just tried to teach me how to make "unicorn" noodles. And just the other day, a friend shared a photo of her plain bagel that was made less plain by the presence of neon, rainbow-swirled dough.

Patio dining season is here (depending on the day) and farmers market season in the Inland Northwest is just around the corner. To tide us all over until the months of regional bounty hit full swing, here are the latest tidbits on what's happening in, or on its way to, the local dining scene.

New places to check out now:

Craft & Gather
Opening earlier this week, the restaurant focused on local ingredients makes its home at the former Painted Hills Golf Course clubhouse, off of Dishman-Mica Road in Spokane Valley. Opened by two industry vets who've each worked at establishments around the country, Craft & Gather's menu leans toward what (apologies to all the chefs who roll their eyes at this term; sometimes you gotta keep it basic) appears to be upscale pub food, or Northwest comfort fare: entrées include several burgers, a fried chicken sandwich, ribeye with wild mushrooms, salmon with lentils, and an indulgent grilled cheese; sides and starters range from beet salad to seasonal veggies, polenta fries and steamed clams. An accompanying beer list is appropriately Northwest- and Spokane-focused, with offerings from River City, No-Li, Iron Goat, Slate Creek, Daft Badger, Orlison and more. Craft & Gather is now open daily, from 3-10 pm; happy hour is 3-5 pm. (Stay tuned in the coming weeks for our feature on this new spot.)

After asking fans to share their suggestions of where he should drink and dine while stopping in the Lilac City this spring, Alton Brown was spotted at a handful of North Monroe businesses Wednesday ahead of his evening INB show, Eat Your Science.

It turns out a few of Mr. Brown's stops were to places he also visited last time he was here; Coeur Coffeehouse and Ruins (though in 2015 he sampled Chef Tony Brown's sandwiches at the former Stella's Cafe, which has since merged with Ruins).

The known coffee connoisseur was spotted at both Vessel Coffee Roasters and Coeur, ordering a cortado at each. He spent his midday meal sampling a burger, sandwich and cocktail at Ruins. Brown also made a pit stop at North Monroe's Giant Nerd Books, where he shared a cryptic photo on social media asking fans to guess his location. Many wrongly guessed Auntie's Bookstore.

Brown's stop in Spokane was a quick one, and he was in Boise by this morning for the next stop on his national tour.