Out for Inlander Restaurant Week 2021: TAVOLÀTA

Inlander Restaurant Week is nearly over, but you've still got a chance to participate tonight or Saturday if you can find somewhere that's not fully booked with reservations.

Go dine out and support your local restaurants, and please remember to tip your servers well and bring a mask to follow current indoor dining guidelines.

TAVOLÀTA ($33)
221 N Wall St, Spokane, 509-606-5600
Menu served Monday-Sunday, 4 pm-Close

I’m always down for a meal that involves bread and pasta (or any kind of carbs honestly), but I was even more excited to visit Tavolàta this Restaurant Week when I saw that the menu included some spruced-up options for my favorite kinds of foods.

Tavolàta makes for a great spot if you want to get a little bit dressed up for a nice dinner out, and my guest and I left feeling quite full and quite content from our meal. I would recommend making a reservation if you want to eat at Tavolàta, because it was pretty packed when I arrived and it’s a newer restaurant as well.

For the first course, I went with the bruschetta, which was a bit fancier than the typical mix of tomatoes, basil and olive oil. Tavolàta’s bruschetta included smoked halibut, aioli, and pickled onions. The halibut was light and not too fishy, which paired well with the aioli, and the pickled onions were the finishing touch that added both a pop of color and flavor.

I selected the tonnarelli for my main course, (only after Googling what exactly tonnarelli is!) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe it was the cracked pepper that brought out the flavors of the melty pecorino romano cheese on top of the pasta, or maybe it was the fact that the pasta and its buttery sauce reminded me of butter noodles, my favorite dish as a kid, but I enjoyed every bite. The portion of pasta was also fairly sizable, so I was more than happy to take home leftovers.
My guest and I both rounded out the three-course meal with the chocolate torte, and we were happy to have our cake and eat it too. The torte wasn’t too rich and the texture was almost reminiscent of a soft cake, but it wasn’t too dry. The candied pistachios and salted caramel on top of the dessert were just the right flavor additions to complement the chocolate - I only wished there was a little more caramel, but I’ve got a sweet tooth. I will definitely be going back to Tavolàta in the future, for the relaxing ambiance, the delicious pasta, and a meal to leave me happily full. (LILLIAN PIEL)