Buzz Bin

Wine and Cheese Update


As if keeping up with the people who consume them wasn't tricky enough, now the very substances of wine and cheese have started changing. Here at the Bin, we were delighted to discover that downtown Spokane's closest answer to a Parisian bistro, Quinn's, has now expanded its menu to serve lunch. But we really got excited when we learned that soon (perhaps even as you read this), the restaurant will offer breakfasts, with familiar standards joined on the menu by the even more tantalizing-sounding apple jack pancakes and ham with redeye gravy.


Another dramatic change for our palates is the relocation of Vino!, the wine shop that until recently was found at Carnegie Square. Proprietor John Allen and company are currently whisking their well-chosen stock of libations to 222 S. Washington Street. With the new location right across the street from Arby's, and just around the corner from the Mayfair Caf & eacute;, we had a few concerns about the types of wine tastings that the shop might now offer. As it turns out, however, Sept. 3 will see the store reopen with its customarily impeccable stock intact, and a free tasting of Napa wines on Sept. 6. Allen will also be selecting a series of Spanish wines to compliment a tapas tasting to be held at Mizuna on Sept. 18. We only wonder, what sort of housewarming gift do you bring to a wine shop?





Industrial Strength


You may have noticed the striking, quasi-Soviet posters around town -- with their black, gold and purple color scheme, the eerie smokestacks of Steam Plant Square and the words "Metal to Magic" emblazoned across the top. But what is it? Ukrainian traveling circus? Industrial pop from Berlin? Scrap metal getting the Christie's treatment?


That last item is closest to the mark. Metal to Magic, the Davenport District Arts Board's (DDAB) biggest event of the year, is a terrific example of how community building and the arts can benefit one another. More than 60 local and regional artists picked up scrap metal from the Steam Plant last winter. Since then, they've been fashioning these historical, one-of-a-kind materials into bona fide art pieces, which will be shown Sept. 16-20, culminating in the auction on Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Steam Plant.


The best part about the auction is that proceeds will help benefit both the artists and the efforts of the DDAB to establish a permanent arts district in Spokane. Viewing the art prior to the auction is free; the auction itself is $50 worth of elegant entertainments, including hors d'oeuvres, live music and refreshments. Tickets are available at the Lorinda Knight Gallery, Peters and Sons and Stacks at Steam Plant Square.