Restaurants Cook Up Help For Catholic Charities, Food Bank

The coming weeks offer a couple of choice opportunities to chow down for charity.

This Mom’s Day, a bunch of Spokane-area restaurants will donate a portion of their profits to a program for single mothers called CAPA (Childbirth and Parenting Alone).

CAPA is sponsored by Catholic Charities. It is designed to help single moms be better parents and self-sufficient members of the community. Last year, more than 650 young women received help from this program.

Participating restaurants are (in alphabetical order, no less): the Anaconda Grille, Arby’s Roast Beef Restaurants, Arizona Steak House, Birkebeiner Brewing Co., Calgary Steak House, Cannon Street Grill, the Chalet, China Inn, Dewey’s East, Hill’s Someplace Else, Europa Pizzeria and Bakery, Gatto’s Pizza, Great Harvest Bread Co., Great Scott Pub and Grill, Hobart’s, Luigi’s (both locations), Metro Cafe, both Mustard Seeds, O’Doherty’s Irish Grille, Old Country Buffet, Perkins, Ripples on the River, Rock City, Something Else Deli, Sportsman Cafe, Swackhammer’s, Taco Time, Windows of the Season and Zip’s Drive-In.

Restaurants that aren’t open on Sunday - such as the Anaconda, the Metro Cafe, Hill’s Someplace Else and Birkebeiner - will charitably dip into their tills the following week.

The Spokane Food Bank’s second annual “Taking a Bite Out of Hunger” will feature nibbles from more than a dozen eateries and several Spokane dessert purveyors. The event is from 6 until 9 p.m. May 22 on the concourse of the Spokane Arena.

Dining spots offering up food samples include Clinkerdagger, Luna, Tony Roma’s, The Onion, Europa, Salty’s at The Falls, C.I. Shenanigan’s, The Mustard Seed, Casa Rosa, Chapter 11, Catered for You, Patsy Clark’s Mansion, Jimmy D’s (from Coeur d’Alene), Cavanaugh’s, Linnie’s Thai Cuisine, David’s Gourmet Pizza, Espresso Delizioso.

Other participants in this tasting event include Just American Desserts, Icing Pastry Shoppe, the Glover Mansion, Cobblestone Bakery, Perkins, 4 Seasons Coffee, Thomas Hammer Coffee Roasting Company and Starbuck’s.

To wash it all down, there will be assorted liquids from Birkebeiner, Hales Ales, Budweiser, Fetzer Wineries, Hogue Cellars, Chateau Ste. Michelle and others.

There will also be an auction, where guests can bid on such enticing goodies as cruises and a bed and breakfast weekend in San Francisco.

Tickets are $35 each or $60 for a couple. Call 534-6678 to reserve or to purchase tickets.

Veggies go upscale

Spokane’s first upscale vegetarian restaurant opened a couple of weeks ago.

Before you carnivores scoff, you should know that Mizuna’s creative menu offers much more than tofu and sprouts-type grub.

Among the lunch fare are a roasted veggie sandwich with an artichoke pesto aioli; a burger made with beans, grains and nuts; and a reuben sandwich made with a chewy soy product called tempeh.

Salads include a chilled Thai noodle with spicy peanut dressing; spring greens mixed with apples, frozen grapes and caramelized walnuts; and a mixture of grilled eggplant, zucchini, red onions and sweet red peppers marinated in balsamic vinegar and served on a bed of greens.

Dinner entrees are a bit more elaborate, ranging from savory polenta cakes topped with sun-dried tomato and spinach pesto; roasted veggies and caramelized garlic; to handmade tamales stuffed with goat cheese.

Prices for dinners start at $9.50 and top out at $11.95. Lunches are from $4.50 to $5.95.

Mizuna has a beer and wine list in addition to its fresh juice bar. Live music is featured on Friday and Saturday evenings. The restaurant, located at 214 N. Howard, is open for lunch Monday through Friday and for dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Call 747-2004 for reservations or take-out orders.

The name’s pretty slick

There’s a new entry on the burgeoning burrito scene.

The folks from Birkebeiner Brewing Co. have opened a taqueria on the South Hill called SlickRock.

The menu is straightforward - burritos and tacos made with various meats that have been marinated, then grilled, along with grilled red peppers, black or pinto beans and an assortment of freshly made salsas.

I tried the vegetarian fajita burrito and I think they forgot my salsa because it was on the bland side. But my companion let me try a bit of her chicken burrito and it was darned tasty.

SlickRock is located at 2926 S. Grand Blvd. and is open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. until 9 p.m.

If you don’t like crowds, take a late lunch because it was jam-packed when I was in over the noon hour.

New Bistro does lunch

Leonardo’s Bistro gives lunch a European spin with antipasto plates; sandwiches made with meat cooked on a rotisserie; rotating specials such as shrimp sauteed in a white wine sauce; and black bean soup.

European black bean soup?

OK, so that savory staple gives away owner Leo Felice’s past life as the proprietor of the short-lived Caribbean Plaza.

Aside from the daily offering of black bean soup, however, the native of Venezuela is taking a different approach at this more visible location. Breakfast and lunch menus emphasize flavorful foods that can be prepared quickly and are reasonably priced.

Breakfast dishes, including French toast and omelettes top out at $3. Lunches are about $5.

Leonardo’s Bistro is located in the spot once occupied by Yogurt Delight on the corner of First and Howard in downtown Spokane. It’s open for breakfast and lunch Mondays through Fridays and from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturdays. And, yes, they will still offer the frozen, nonfat yogurt.

Quick bites

Niko’s has opened a kabob express in Crescent Court. The “fast food” featured will include charbroiled beef and lamb gyros. The shrimp and vegetable kabobs come with a soft, handmade pita, side of tzatziki (a yogurt-cucumber dressing) and a salad. Also offered are a garlic Caesar, a pasta salad, hummus and Niko’s famous Greek salad.

When the cold weather returns (did it ever leave?), expect soups and savory hot dishes such as the spinach pie called spanakopita.

Solicitor’s Corner has opened with a beer-friendly menu including burgers, sandwiches and specialities such as fish and chips, grilled salmon and entree-size salads. This pub, at the corner of Division and Francis, makes its own brews as well as offering other Northwest micros on tap. An appetizer menu is available for late-night noshing.

, DataTimes