Feast Alfresco Pigout In The Park Dishes Up Thousands Of Punds Of Good Eats

Everyone in favor of changing the name of the Labor Day weekend eat fest to something more appetizing like “Repast at Riverfront” or “Supping in Spokane,” raise your snout.

OK, OK. After looking at the numbers, the sheer tonnage of chow consumed during this annual restaurant fair, we concede there’s a good reason they call the five-day event PigOut in the Park.

Last year, The Mustard Seed dished up more than 5,000 pounds of stir-fried noodles. Country Cousin Barbecue served more than 1,200 pounds of beef ribs. Mike’s Co-o-ol Stuff sliced a ton of fresh strawberries for its delectable shortcake. Finnerty’s Red Lion Barbecue went through more than 3,400 ears of corn, 3,500 pounds of ribs and, as owner Brian Finnerty said, “I’m not going to try and guess how many napkins.”

This year, food fans will have even more to choose from a record 40 vendors, including 10 new booths.

Among those first-timers are Rodolfo’s, Riverview Thai, the Marrakesh, Arby’s and Luna, the stylish South Hill eatery.

“This is such a great Spokane event,” said Marcia Bond, owner of Luna, which will be serving a spicy pasta dish with grilled chicken and crunchy spinach slaw. “We’re hoping to make some new friends.”

Also new this year will be a reconfiguration of the vendors and the stage, so there’s more room for tables and better quality sound. Essentially, the stage and the food have swapped spots, with the entertainment area bumping up against the southwest edge of the park.

Would-be diners can stroll through the expanded grounds and scope out the vast offerings - all under $5. The menu is best described as world food. Along with plenty of Mexican and Oriental fare, there’s cuisine from the Mediterranean, Thailand and even the Caribbean. You can satisfy a craving for sushi and nachos or falafel and phad Thai in the same sitting.

There’s no shortage of mainstream American eats, either. At least three restaurants offer barbecued ribs and a couple of businesses serve up savory Philadelphia steak sandwiches.

Diners in possession of a sweet tooth should be in hog heaven with goodies such as the hand-dipped ice cream bar from Boehm’s and the diet-busting dessert sampler from The Onion.

However, a few vendors are making an effort to take the oink out of PigOut.

Luigi’s has eighty-sixed its usual Italian sausages in favor of a veggie-laden pasta bar. “We don’t want people to feel bogged down, like they need to take a two-hour nap afterward,” said John Guarisco, one of the owners of Luigi’s.

Cannon Street Grill is offering a fresh fruit plate, and Didier’s Yogurt is doing a healthy version of a banana split with non-fat frozen yogurt on top of a fruit salad in a banana boat.

Still, most participants take the event’s name to heart, never mind the calories. Especially since each dish costs less than $5.

Without spending the entire weekend “pigging out,” it would be impossible to sample everything, so we’ve put together some suggested menus. Go with friends and share.

Carbo-loading: Luigi’s pasta bar; the shrimp scampi fettucine from the Sizzler; Japanese fried noodles from the Mustard Seed; fettucine primavera from Rodolfo’s, and Shooting Stars pasta from Luna.

Middle Eastern medley: Greek Caesar from Niko’s; hummus from Azar’s; couscous royale from the Marrakesh, and falafel from Mediterranean Delight.

Field of greens: Jamaican chicken salad from Surf City Squeeze; blackened salmon Caesar from Salty’s; teriyaki chicken salad from Cannon Street Grill, and taco salad from Chapala.

Meat lovers: The Red Lion’s barbecued chicken; baby back riblets (individual pieces) from Country Cousin; the cheesesteak from Lil Bit of Philly, and the barbecued turkey leg from Mattie’s.

Sugar rush: Strawberry shortcake from Co-o-ol Stuff; Snicker’s pie from Rock City; hand-dipped ice cream bar from Boehm’s; cinnamon rolls from Cinnabon, and the Huckleberry Flurry from Didier’s Yogurt & More.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Staff illustration by Molly Quinn Map: Pig out in the Park

MEMO: Two sidebars appeared with the story: 1. TIME TO GO! PigOut in the Park runs from 11a.m.-10p.m. today; 10a.m.-10p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11a.m.-10p.m. Sunday, and 11a.m.-6p.m.

2. PIGOUT PARTICIPANTS The following is a complete listing of restaurant offerings for PigOut in the Park: Aracelia’s - Chicken tacos, shredded beef burritos and nachos topped with homemade beans, seasoned ground beef, tomatoes, olives, onions and jalapenos. Arby’s - Regular or giant roast beef sandwiches, beef and cheddar sandwich and cookies. Azar’s Cafe - Chicken or beef gyros, hummus and baklava. Azteca - Arroz con pollo (chicken and rice), chicken or steak burritos, nachos. Blimpie - Ham and swiss, the Blimpie club sandwich and turkey sub sandwich. Boehm’s Chocolates and Flowers - Hand-dipped chocolate ice cream bar, caramel apples and frozen bananas. Cannon Street Grill - teriyaki chicken salad, black bean chili in a bread bowl and fruit plate. Caribbean Plaza - Barbecued beef sandwich, yellow rice with spicy black beans and Caribbean guasaca (salsa). Combination platter comes with rice and beans and barbecued beef. Chapala - Soft chicken taco, chicken and rice burrito and chicken taco salad. Cinnabon - Giant cinnamon rolls (Cinnabons). Co-o-ol Stuff - Strawberry shortcake, ice cream novelties. Country Cousin Barbecue - Texas-style, wood-pit smoked baby back riblets, beef ribs and barbecued beef sandwiches along with “elephant ears” pastry. Didier’s Yogurt & More - Huckleberry flurries (huckleberry preserves swirled into non-fat vanilla yogurt), polar sandwich and a fresh fruit salad topped with yogurt. Domino’s Pizza - Pizza, breadsticks and buffalo wings. Edo Japan - California roll sushi, spring roll, teriyaki chicken, beef and shrimp combination. Finnerty’s Red Lion - Barbecued ribs, barbecued chicken and corn on the cob. KooKoo Eatery - Philly finger steak with fries, burger with fries and shrimp. Lil Bit of Philly - Philly steak sandwich, chicken philly sandwich, chicken wings. Luigi’s - Pasta bar with fresh and sauteed veggies and marinara sauce. Luna - Shooting Star pasta, Lunar Blackout dessert (lemon pound cake with vanilla ice cream topped with a compote of peaches, huckleberries and strawberries and whipped cream). Lylo’s Oriental Cafe - Chicken teriyaki, beef kebabs and eggrolls. Marrakesh - Couscous royale with chicken and vegetables, and beef or chicken brochette. Mattie’s - Strawberry or huckleberry tarts and barbecued turkey legs. Mediterranean Delight - Chicken gyros, falafel sandwich and a phyllo dough pastry filled with nuts called a “bird’s nest.” The Mustard Seed - Japanese fried noodles with pork and veggies. Niko’s - Grilled beef gyros, garlic Caesar salad and an assortment of pastries. The Onion - “Sammich in a bag” (peanut butter sandwich, carrot stick and Oreo cookie), mozzerella sticks and dessert sampler plate with peanut butter pie, death by chocolate and strawberry shortcake. The Outlaw - Chimicanga, taco salad and soft taco. Red Hot Grill - Burrito ranchero, tostada grande with fresh pico de gayo salsa. Riverview Thai - Red curry with chicken and pineapple, chicken sate with peanut sauce and cucumber radish, phad Thai noodles and black rice pudding. Rock City Cucina Italiano - Giant meatball sandwich, spaghetti with meatball and Snickers pie. Rodolfo’s - Hand-tossed pasta, antipasto salad, fettucine primavera with chicken. Salty’s - Blackened salmon Caesar salad. Sidewok - Pot stickers, stir-fried noodles and Toyko teriyaki chicken. Sizzler - Shrimp scampi fettucine, steak sandwiches, stuffed baked potatoes and watermelon. Surf City Squeeze - Jamaican chicken salad, strawberry-banana smoothies made with non-fat frozen yogurt and nine flavors of Dreyer’s ice cream. Taco Taco - Handmade chicken tamales served with spanish rice, chile verde and carne asada (grilled steak). Tony Roma’s - Barbecued baby back ribs and cole slaw. Yogurt Delight - Frozen yogurt, Hawaiian shaved ice and ice cream bars. York’s Coney Islands - Coney Island dogs, giant German sausage and zombolis, which is a grilled sausage with green peppers and onions served on a roll.