Luna
5620 S. Perry St.
Spokane, WA
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“Chef Hutchins is using the most local and seasonal products he can get his hands on,” says Luna’s catering and special events coordinator Jill Sheffler. “We’re using a lot from our garden right now.”
On June 10, Brian Hutchins took the reins as executive chef following Anna Vogel’s departure to start Italia Trattoria in Browne’s. Hutchins previously served as Luna’s executive chef from 1998 to 2002. Since his return, he’s made some changes to Luna’s lunch and dinner menus.
“The concept we’ve chosen now (for lunch) is a healthier, quicker, more deli-style menu where people can pick-up and go or stay and visit,” says Sheffler. While there’s a convenient parking spot in front for take-out customers, Luna’s garden patio and plush, high-backed booths are reason to linger.
Luna’s previous lunch menu contained more hot items that took longer to prepare and didn’t take full advantage of the artisan breads prepared in the on-site Bouzies Bakery.
The new menu showcases a range of seasonal salads ($10-$14) and specialty sandwiches ($9-$12).
The Bouzies pita with chickpeas, garden vegetables and herbed cheese is an inventive and pleasing sandwich — just make sure to get the dressing on the side if you order it to go, to ensure the pita doesn’t get soggy.
Hot-lunch plates include a pasta and quiche of the day, Kobe Hanger steak and frites, and halibut and chips. After great demand, the applewood oven pizzas ($15) have returned to the lunch menu, one of which includes delectable-sounding grilled chicken with butternut squash, as well as pancetta and goat-cheese.
Luna’s dinner menu is undergoing some changes as well. The seasonal influence can be seen primarily in the salad selection, which includes a grilled nectarine salad and a watermelon salad with tomatoes, fennel and arugula. Shared plates, pizzas, pasta, seafood and meat entrees round out the dinner menu.
On your way out, you can pick up a loaf of Bouzies bread or a bag of Fleur de Sel cookies and bring a little taste of Luna home with you. (Kirsten Harrington)
Luna, 5620 S. Perry St., serves lunch from 11am-3pm Mon-Fri, dinner daily from 5pm to close. A brunch menu is available on weekends. Call 448-2383.
Good Food, Good Causes
Sprague’s wonderful nonprofit community kitchen, One World Café, is holding its Second Annual ONE NIGHT ONE WORLD CELEBRATION on the rooftop of the Saranac Building downtown (it has a garden!). These are the reasons you should purchase a ticket: Three courses of fresh, fabulous organic cuisine, including (1) crispy crostinis accented with a seasonal tomato relish, savory olive tapenade, fresh hummus and melon skewers sauced with a raspberry coulis, (2) rosemary chicken and summer squash brochettes with a roasted pepper coulis, citrus-scented rice, and grilled summer vegetables seasoned with garlic and balsamic vinegar and (3) assorted sweets and pastries.
Still not persuaded? There’ll also be a silent auction with great schwag, like a weekend spa retreat to Agua Nicaragua, a Row Adventures Rafting Trip, a membership to Fresh Abundance and gift certificates to Indaba Coffee (to name a few). Enjoy musical entertainment by Tommy Borges and Sound Travel while you sip from a glass of local beer or wine and meet new friends. Since opening in 2008, One World Spokane has provided over 5,000 complimentary meals. Your money is well-spent here.
If you can’t make it to One Night One World, here’s another: Futurewise is a statewide public interest group that works to support healthy communities and cities; protect farmland, forests and shorelines; and ensure local governments manage growth responsibly.
“We’re trying to promote local food and economically stimulate smaller family farms that really help us preserve quality of life,” says Kitty Klitzke, program director for Eastern Washington. “Some of the larger, traditional commercial/commodity farms aren’t necessarily owned by family farmers, so they have less vested interest in protecting the land.”
Now that you know where your dollars are going, consider purchasing a ticket to Spokane FEAST WITH FRIENDS, an open-style reception with live music by the Angela Marie Project and (unlimited!) visits to different tables featuring progressive culinary tastings. Libation stations will showcase a selection of beverages from local wineries/breweries/distilleries like Barrister, Northern Lights, Whitestone, Dry Fly, Kestrel and more. Food stations will have specially prepared dishes created by One World Café, Sante Restaurant & Charcuterie and Beacon Hill Events Catering. (Blair Tellers)
Second Annual One Night World Celebration, 25 W. Main Ave. • Friday, Sept. 10; 5-9 pm • Tickets: $45 • Call: 270-1608 • Visit: oneworldspokane.org. Spokane Feast with Friends at Beacon Hill Events, 4848 E. Wellesley • Wednesday, Sept. 15; 6-9 pm • Tickets: $50-$1,000 • Call: 838-1965 • Visit: futurewise.org/action/FeastSpokane
