Recently Reviewed

The Inlander Staff & r & & r & REFLECTIONS KAFFEE HAUS & r & & r & Though Reflections occupies part of an almost-new building, it has some of the feel of an old deli, with its big glass display cases showing off sandwiches and sweets from Just American Desserts and the Sweetwater Bakery. My favorite sandwich is the Italian hero panini ($6.45) with ham, salami, pork, Gruy & egrave;re cheese, fire-roasted red peppers, red onion, tomato, baby arugula and a chipotle sauce. We're also fond of the pesto chicken panini ($6.45), which has many of the same non-meat ingredients as the Italian, with thinly sliced chicken breast in place of the other meats. Reflections also has a breakfast menu, offering pancakes, scrambled eggs, breakfast burritos, bagels and panini. 618 W. Riverside Ave., Skywalk Level, 456-2323 (DN)





WINDOWS AT THE RED LION HOTEL


This room-with-a-view restaurant is too good for just out-of-towners. We started with bacon-wrapped prawns ($9), three good-sized crustaceans wrapped in smoky bacon with baby bok choy and a yummy, sweet-hot cilantro garlic sauce. The flavors of this dish went well together -- the sweet, smoky prawns offset by the crunchy bok choy and tangy cilantro. The forest mushroom soup ($6) was almost blindingly rich, but the meaty sliced mushrooms were really allowed to shine in the creamy base, no doubt aided by the healthy drizzle of white truffle oil on top. With the bread course came a delightful surprise -- a generous portion of a lovely olive tapenade. The spicy prawn saut & eacute; ($19), tiger shrimp tossed with Napa cabbage and snap peas in a black bean sauce, lacked pizzazz, but my grilled smoked duck ($19) with a ginger-molasses glaze was more successful: Apple-smoked duck was grilled with a sweet sticky sauce, leaving the skin crisp and flavorful, the inside smoky and rich. The menu is reasonably priced, with options from Asian to Italian to Northwest in style. The interior is creative and pleasantly designed. And the view is unbeatable. 303 W. North River Dr., 326-8000 (LM)





HANGAR 57


The Hangar frontlines its 57 martinis over keg nights, but it's definitely a sports bar. The menu's focus is the stone-roasted pizza -- make your own or pick from the menu, with options like Margherita and Hawaiian or more adventurous ones, like El Taco, the Philly Cheese Steak and Zucchini and Prosciutto. The grinder -- that's a sub sandwich -- with sausage and sweet cherry peppers was exceptional, with sweet, yet vinegary cherry peppers paired with sweet Italian sausage and truly flavorful provolone in a soft, artisan roll. Hangar 57 has a pretty decent selection of rotating handles, sometimes including Old Chubb, Elysian IPA and Boundary Bay's amber. Martinis and beer pong? Zucchini and prosciutto grinders? Frat boys and highbrows? Somehow Hangar 57 pulls it off. 2911 E. 57th Ave., 448-5707 (JS)





AMBROSIA


Inside the attractive dining room, with its warm, richly painted walls and shiny dark wood tables, you'll find a pleasant start with the simple hummus appetizer ($7) -- clear, clean flavors of lemon, garlic and cumin and a drizzle of olive oil accented the sensuous chickpea puree, served up with warm triangles of grilled flatbread. Our French onion soup ($6) was rich and tasty, with the croutons and cheese on top and lots of onions in the broth. The appealingly earthy gnudi ($15), a cousin of gnocci, is made with ricotta cheese and topped with crisped prosciutto, fresh sage and mushrooms. 9112 E. Montgomery Ave., 928-3222 (LM)