You're as likely to get a hug as a handshake from restaurant owner-turned-chef Michael Wiley.
His restaurants include Wiley's Downtown Bistro, Prohibition Gastropub and, as of December 2022, Scratch Spokane and its sister spot, Rain Lounge. All are longtime Spokane establishments with their own vibe, but a common thread is Wiley's emphasis on service and community, and his unique way of balancing pragmatism and passion.
"I never planned on cooking," says Wiley, whose 25-year career has been mostly in front-of-house operations, like at the Spokane Club where he worked his way up in the '90s from busser to lead server to wine steward.
Yet when the first chef Wiley hired to run the kitchen at his namesake downtown bistro didn't work out, Wiley asked himself, "How can I protect the integrity of the business?" And he stepped in to cook.
He also designed the logo for Wiley's, partly out of financial necessity, but also because he was deeply invested in creating the restaurant's new brand since buying it in 2017. To distinguish it from its former life as the oddly named Herbal Essence restaurant (Was it a florist? A cannabis shop? A salon?), Wiley renamed it and created a logo with a fork flanked by triangular chef's knives, forming the letter "W" and the silhouette of a wine glass.
During the COVID pandemic, as he and much of the culinary industry struggled to stay afloat, Wiley revised the logo, enclosing it in a winged heart and adding the tagline "Hearts Wide Open." Both the logo and phrase exemplify Wiley's hard-won approach to life, about which he continues to be candid, including problems with alcohol he's since conquered.
"I have to choose love over fear," says Wiley, whose mother was immersed enough in metaphysics that as a young adult, Wiley was on a first name basis with people like Deepak Chopra, the famous alternative-medicine advocate.
"Maybe it's all that spiritual upbringing I had," he adds.
Wiley recently purchased Scratch and Rain guided by this balanced approach to head and heart. First he looked at the history of the venues and what needs they fill in the community, he says.
"In this case, we have seven hotels within three blocks. We have the Fox Theater across the street, we have the Bing and the Knitting Factory a block and a half away."
It's that population, in part, whom Wiley hopes to attract to Scratch and Rain, which for now will retain their names and interior look and feel as he makes minor adjustments, seeks customer feedback and builds the business.
"So you go, 'OK, now how can I channel creating something that's going to meet [customers'] expectation that I also feel really proud of? And that my team feels really proud of?'" Wiley asks.
His answer: a food menu that honors the restaurant's history, provides a little something for everyone, but doesn't try to offer so much that it's impractical.
"I hate big menus," says Wiley, adding that "it's too hard to keep your products fresh and it's going to give people decision fatigue."
He's also offering the same menu at both Scratch and Rain for now, focusing on must-haves.
"I might play with some similar ingredients," says Wiley, who notes that Scratch has always had a duck entrée on the menu so it's possible he'll offer a variation of the duck confit he serves at Wiley's Downtown Bistro.
"When I first said if I ever opened a restaurant, I would like to have duck confit on the menu — because it's always been one of my favorite things to eat — but only if it works for the clientele," he says. "If they like it, I'd be a very, very happy person because I'll get to provide them something I'm really into and proud of, and that'd be a good feeling much like burgers at Prohibition."
Many items at Scratch and Rain are gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan, like the hummus platter ($17) and tomato basil soup ($8). Try the roasted beet salad ($9), chicken marsala ($28), or top sirloin ($43) with garlic mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and sauteed vegetables.
Several dishes are a nod to the restaurant's founder, the late Connie Naccarato, who created Scratch in 2007, like the manila clams ($20) in white wine and butter and fried calamari ($19).
"There have been pappardelle noodles on the menu since [Connie] opened the restaurant," says Wiley, whose prawn pappardelle ($30) is rich and creamy with a hint of tanginess from capers and sundried tomatoes.
Ditto for the drink menu, where bar manager Gabe Means is working on a raindrop cocktail to honor Mari Bork, who worked at the restaurant for 12 years before buying it with husband Brad in 2019, but since passed the torch to Wiley.
As both locations evolve, future menus will pay tribute to the restaurant's past, says Wiley, but also "help bridge the gap for the people that are looking for a similar experience to what they had before."
"And it gives me inspiration to be creative in something that I may not have come up with on my own," he adds. "And that challenges me to become a better chef, a better owner, a better person." ♦
Scratch Spokane and Rain Lounge • 1007 W. First Ave. • Scratch open Tue-Sat from 5-9 pm; Rain open Tue-Sat from 4-11 pm • facebook.com/scratchspokane • 509-456-5656
