Huckleberries Online

High Noon: Creme Brulee w/Facelift?

Posted by DFO

May 14, 2009 12:02 p.m. • 4 comments

On Wednesday, I drove to Post Falls and ate some really great hospital food. I’m not joking. The grub at Northwest Specialty Hospital, 1593 E. Polston Ave., is in a galaxy far, far away from the stereotypical slop that has made hospital food such a running gag. On Tuesday, for example, the lunch menu offered tenderloin medallions and lobster ravioli. The best part of all is that Northwest Specialty meals run $5 or less. Of course, there’s a catch. Isn’t there always? You can’t just walk in off the street and chow down. You have to be connected to the hospital À la staff, a patient or a patient’s family member or friends. Then you can dig into fabulous fare like Chilean sea bass, polenta with eggplant caponata, wonton-wrapped shrimp … The idea is to make your stay in the hospital more bearable/Doug Clark, SR. More here.

Question: Which area hospital serves the best food?

Four comments on this post so far. Add yours!

bondgirl on May 14 at 12:14 p.m.
Northern Advanced Hospital in Post Falls next door to Wal-Mart is also a great place to eat- their chef is formally of Walt Disney World and any one can come in to eat breakfast - lunch and dinner- cost is not bad and they have a different menu each day- along with a salad bar- the only catch is that you must check in at the front desk and let them know you are there to eat - the staff is great and the building is clean and beautiful…all must try it one day!
joebu on May 14 at 1:52 p.m.
weird — I ate lunch at the NW Specialty place about two years ago and really was surprised at the poor quality of the meal especially since everything else was so first-rate. It was a tired, re-heated, picked-over buffet, heavy on the sterno. It was probably just a bit after 1 p.m., and I got the sense they wanted to get rid of whatever lunch remnants they had, and not refresh even though there were others eating. (I must not have been alone in my opinion if things have improved so dramatically since then, according to Doug.)
My favorite local medical-oriented dining spot is KMC, hands-down — I’ve eaten there as a patient, as a family member of a patient, and just for fun (it’s good, it’s healthy, and it’s cheap).They cook warm stuff to order, always have a wide selection, different daily specials, and you can get a complete meal or a snack almost any time of the day, plus decent free coffee ‘round the clock.
spokelooneh on May 14 at 2:16 p.m.
Well it’s not a hospital, per se, but it’s located smack dab in the middle of Spokane’s “pill-hill” and within walking distance of both major hospitals, and I expect it beats the heck out any hospital fare:

“Behind the beautiful, shiny new kiosk housed just inside the newly constructed Catholic Charities building is the NEW LEAF BAKERY CAFÉ, the public face of an employment and job-skill enhancement program for homeless and low-income women, operated by Transitions.

The women receive individualized training in food services — both front and back of house — while producing reasonably priced pastries and salads (organic and sustainable, when feasible).
…
The café menu is a work in progress with several rotating choices including fresh fruit salad, pasta salads and one of my favorites, fresh pea salad ($3.50/$4.50). Made with smoky bacon, sliced celery, bits of red onion and lots of fresh peas in a mayo-based dressing, this is reminiscent of the best summer potluck fare.

A fine choice with any of the salads is a fist-sized roll ($1.75) made from challah bread. Rich with eggs, it has a light, airy texture that’s slightly sweet and yeasty. “It makes a beautiful sandwich,” says Chef-instructor Vira Melendez-Redman.
…”

http://inlander-freshandtasty.blogspot.com/2009/04/turn-it-over.html

Eating good, and doing good. Win-win. :)
Frum Helen Back on May 14 at 3:10 p.m.
I’ve been at Kootenai once and the Specialty Hospital once. Neither time did they give me anything to eat.

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.