Fresh and Tasty

by Ann M. Colford and Susan Hamilton & r & Home Sweet Home PEOPLE & r & So you think Spokane is just a big small town? Apparently, the editors of Metropolitan Home think we qualify as metropolitan -- or at least some of our residents do. The December/January issue of the magazine featured a luscious spread on the Christmas feast of Marcia and William Bond, owners of Luna and the new Caf & eacute; Marron in Browne's Addition.


Each year, the Bonds decorate their South Hill home and gather with friends and family to celebrate the holidays. The article, called "A Taste of Joy," featured fabulous photos of the treats put together by the Bonds and Luna chef Shilo Pierce for the party. They even shared several recipes like Warm Pancetta-Wrapped Pears with Gorgonzola and Sage Honey and Cranberry Bread with Cr & egrave;me Brulee Topping. Yum. Even better, the article highlights the Bonds' enthusiasm for working with fresh ingredients from local farms and orchards: lentils and barley from the Palouse, pears from Green Bluff and wine from Walla Walla and the Columbia Valley.


Now the rest of the world -- at least the subgroup that reads Metropolitan Home -- can learn more about the agricultural bounty of Eastern Washington. And that's something to be joyful about. -- Ann M. Colford





Historic Setting LUNCH & r & Next to having a great location, a restaurant has to have ambience. It sets a certain tone and makes customers feel like they've escaped to somewhere special. A new lunch spot on Spokane's lower South Hill has atmosphere in spades.


Delaney's Restaurant at Hannah's Garden Inn occupies a historic home designed by Kirtland Cutter and Karl Malmgren. The inn is reminiscent of something out of a Jane Austen novel. Its English country gardens surround a Victorian brick home accented with myriad white windows and doors.


The interior is all Victorian splendor. The home's original parlor and formal dining rooms have been converted to Delaney's dining areas. Cozy tables focus around the fireplace in one room, while the other room is adjacent to the new bar area. Even the waiting room, in an upstairs sitting room with a balcony, is historic.


But why take on a restaurant when you've already got a bed and breakfast inn and event facility to take care of?


"It was the next logical move for us," says owner Shawn Nichols, who's worked in the hospitality industry since he was 15. "My wife and I wanted to open this fabulous facility to the public."


Fabulous can also describe Delaney's food. Chef Bill Edwards, a graduate of the California Culinary Academy and veteran of restaurants in San Francisco and the Inland Northwest, has designed a menu that is sure to please.


"It's a balance between food from Europe and an American country inn," Edwards explains. "It's flavorful food that's presented well."


Salads include a hearty chicken with mixed baby lettuces, roasted chicken breast, gorgonzola, candied pecans and cranberry vinaigrette. Of Delaney's five sandwich offerings, the European beef features slow-roasted beef, saut & eacute;ed forest mushrooms, grilled red onions and horseradish spread on ciabatta bread. The open-faced Madrid sandwich blends crab salad, melted Muenster and Roma tomato-caper relish on grilled focaccia bread.


Entrees include braised beef Bourguignon simmered with fresh mushrooms, leeks and onions in a red-wine demiglaze. Delaney's salmon crepes are topped with lemon-caper cream sauce. All entrees are served with side salad or fresh house-made soups.


"We're in the business of making people happy," Nichols says.


With a menu and facility like Delaney's, they're sure to do just that. -- Susan Hamilton





Delaney's at Hannah's Garden, 820 W. Seventh Ave., is open Mon-Fri 11 am-4 pm. Call 747-6235.