Chinook Chinook at the Coeur d'Alene Casino incorporates locally foraged mushrooms, bitterroot, camas root and shore-netted sockeye. The diverse dinner menu offers an array of surf-and-turf entrées, from the lobster tail dinner and sautéed catfish to filet mignon and veal marsala. In the summer, order the huckleberry ice cream, showcasing North Idaho berries, that's made right at your table and flash-frozen using liquid nitrogen. Coeur d'Alene Casino, 37914 S. Highway 95, Worley • Idaho • 800-523-2464
Churchill's Steakhouse Churchill's is the perfect place to take family, a date or just enjoy an incredible steak. This Chicago-inspired dining experience combines in-house carves of USDA Prime beef with seamless service, making it easy to keep Churchill's at the top of your list for any celebratory dinner. We also love sneaking away to their downstairs bar for a drink in one of the tucked-away booths. 165 S. Post St., Spokane • Wash. • 474-9888
Grille from Ipanema Although Grille from Ipanema has a buffet-like format, the atmosphere is high-end, emphasizing good service in an upscale environment. Roomy seating areas are designed to encourage a long, leisurely meal, whether indoors or outside on the patio, where you won't get a view of the Rio de Janeiro beachfront at this Brazilian-style steakhouse, but you will get an eyeful of still-impressive Lake Coeur d'Alene. 601 Front Ave., Coeur d'Alene • Idaho • 208-676-1122
Hydra Steakhouse Hydra has been a Sandpoint gathering place since 1975. It continues to produce reliably priced and tastily cooked steaks, including its well-known, baseball-cut top sirloin. If beef isn't your game, that's fine. The Hydra also has a full seafood menu, in addition to pasta, sandwiches and other options. 115 Lake St., Sandpoint • Idaho • 208-263-7123
Masselow's Steakhouse Masselow's, named after a Kalispel Tribe chief who led his people more than a century ago, rebranded last year with a focus on prime steaks and a more accessible feel. That might come as a surprise to some who know Masselow's as one of the region's most high-end, respected restaurants, earning a four-diamond rating from the AAA. While the white linens are gone, about half of the former Masselow's menu remains, and there are still seafood and other options to be found. Northern Quest Casino, 100 N. Hayford Rd., Airway Heights • Wash. • 481-6020
Spencer's for Steaks and Chops Tucked off the street behind the Doubletree Hotel and the Spokane Convention Center, Spencer's has served up prime views of Riverfront Park and the Spokane River for more than 15 years, along with its menu that runs the gamut when it comes to steakhouse food. Spencer's meat entrées — rib-eyes, filets, pork chops and more — are all prepared in the restaurant's 1,600-degree infrared broiler, ensuring that the prime-cut meats stay juicy and tender. Doubletree Hotel, 322 N. Spokane Falls Ct., Spokane • Wash. • 744-2372
Stacks at Steam Plant Stacks' food is classic Northwest fine dining, using local ingredients whenever possible. Dishes such as the in-house smoked chipotle pork chop stuffed with Gorgonzola and onion offer a twist on tradition, reflecting Chef Barry Matthews' maternal grandmother's Hispanic heritage. Big sellers are steaks — buffalo rib-eye, barrel-cut New York — and steelhead, which they brine and smoke in-house. 159 S. Lincoln St., Spokane • Wash. • 777-3900
Wolf Lodge Inn Steakhouse The Wolf Lodge Inn Steakhouse may be out of the way, but you'd be hard-pressed to find an Inland Northwesterner who doesn't think it's worth the drive. Go for the simple, classic steaks; return again and again for the friendly service and quirky Wild West atmosphere. Start your meal with creative appetizers like the beer-batter-dipped fried mushrooms ($8). Don't fill up too much, though; the steaks are so big it's not unusual to share. The classic 32-ounce Rancher ($46), half center-cut top sirloin and half rib-eye, is legendary. 11741 E. Frontage Rd., Coeur d'Alene • Idaho • 208-664-6665
