Casper Fry an inviting addition
A first look at the new Casper Fry last week revealed a promising new eatery for the South Perry neighborhood.
We pushed through the unmarked door in the South Perry neighborhood between The Shop and the Title 9 store into a vast – but inviting – room. A large mural with the restaurant name and logo is emblazoned on the brick wall inside.
The dark recycled barn wood on the high ceilings seemed to draw in light from the tall front windows. Industrial materials are repurposed to create communal tables in the center of the restaurant.
Deb Green, her son Ben Poffenroth and daughter Megan VanStone, opened Casper Fry, which is named for Green’s great-grandfather. Chef Joshua Martin, who worked at the family’s other restaurant, Madeleine’s, has moved to the kitchen at Casper Fry.
First impression: A modern approach to Southern fare in a beautiful space.
Bummer: The house smoked sausage was sold out the day we visited.
Don’t miss: The smoky pulled pork sandwich ($10.50) and the housemade macaroni and cheese ($4.75).
Details: Casper Fry, 928 S. Perry St., 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. everyday except Tuesday. (509) 535-0536
Moxie is closed
A sign on the door of Moxie last week said the downtown Spokane restaurant has closed because of chef/owner Ian Wingate’s health issues. Friends later confirmed the chef recently had a heart attack and is recovering.
Wingate pioneered his signature Asian-Euro-Northwest contemporary cuisine at a restaurant by the same name in Liberty Lake and later moved to the kitchen at the Davenport Hotel when it was reopened after renovations. Moxie opened in Spokane in June 2004.
No official word on the future for Moxie, 816 W. Sprague Ave., or Wingate’s partnership with Sergio De Leon at the nearby Agave Latin Bistro.
Stem & Stein next Friday
The Spokane AIDS Network will host the eighth annual Stem & Stein next Friday.
The fundraiser will benefit the organization, which works to minimize the impact of AIDS and HIV infection in the Inland Northwest while raising awareness of the disease.
Stem & Stein features music by 6 Foot Swing and an array of Northwest wines, beers and spirits. There will be food, along with silent and live auctions.
Tickets to Stem & Stein are $45 per person and can be purchased online at www.spokaneaids.org or by calling (509) 455-8993. It will be held June 22 at the Masonic Temple, 1108 W. Riverside Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Participating wineries include: Caterina, Lone Canary, Whitestone Winery, Overbluff Cellars, Arbor Crest Wine Cellars, Liberty Lake Wine Cellars, Knipprath Cellars, Townshend Cellar, Vintage Hill, Cougar Crest Winery and Grande Ronde. Other businesses featured include: No-Li Brewery, Golden Hills Brewery, 12 String Brewery, Dry Fly Distillery, Petunias Marketplace and Pixie Dust Chocolates.
Vegetarian classes added
The Kitchen Engine has added vegetarian cooking classes to the monthly roster.
Instructor Jamie Aquino has been a vegetarian and vegan for 22 years. She learned to cook from both her grandmother and mother and taught her first cooking class when she was just 15 years old.
Aquino’s first class in a series of three will be held next Wednesday at the Kitchen Engine. She’ll focus on recipes for local produce in a simple vegetarian dinner menu. She’ll pick the recipes depending on what is fresh at local farmers markets next week. The second and third parts of the class will be held in July and August, but the classes can also stand on their own.
The class begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be a one-and-a-half-hour presentation-style cooking demonstration. The fee is $39.
Find more information, or sign up for the class online at www.thekitchen engine.com. The Kitchen Engine is located in the Flour Mill at 621 W. Mallon St., Suite 416. Reach the store at (509) 328-3335.