Beach Cafe serves Anthony’s quality in casual space

This recommendation – which was more of a demand – came from the bosses.

“You just have to review Anthony’s Beach Cafe,” they said in unison.

So, we did, stopping at the new eatery at Regal and the Palouse Highway on the South Hill during our break from not Christmas shopping.

As usual, our wives were right, which is what we – already fans of Anthony’s – expected. The atmosphere at this spinoff was decidedly less formal than the downtown location. And our meals were everything we expected.

During our wide-ranging dinner discussion about what direction we were going to go, we came to one conclusion: Everyone should get out of their comfort zone and explore.

We rarely make it to the South Hill with food on our mind. It’s the same when we go to the North Side or venture into Idaho. We have business to tend to, and it’s only later we realize we should have tied in our fun job.

It’s also difficult because there are so many good-for-any-occasion places to eat, and when we discover one, we want to go back. So when we break bread on the South Hill it seems like we are eating pizza at Bennidito’s or South Perry Pizza or pairing a beer with a meal at Manito Tap House or meeting our favorite Gonzaga grad when she comes back to visit and has to go to Gordy’s.

But the point is, when heading across town or state lines, think about making it an event, an occasion, an excuse to eat. There are so many places to discover.

So back to the task at hand.

What’s not to like at Anthony’s?

We pegged it as a high-end lunch house or casual dinner spot, which we would call more of a neighborhood spot rather than a cross-town destination. The restaurant’s own description online is similar.

We sat at the counter, which was fun because of the open kitchen. We enjoyed watching the cooks scurry and the flat breads bake.

We had a great server who was enthusiastic about the whole menu but wasn’t afraid to answer our “do you recommend this, or this?” questions. That’s how we ended up with a salmon taco with chowder ($12) and macaroni and cheese with shrimp ($11) – and plans to return to test our runner-up choices.

She was right on both accounts.

Our wives gave a thumbs-up to daily blue plate special ($14) and the mahi mahi fish tacos ($11) from their visit.

Another nice touch: Our server brought a small carafe of wine when we each ordered a glass of the house Chardonnay. She pointed out it was the same price as two glasses and allowed us a couple splashes more, which we couldn’t turn down.

We never felt we were in a chain because the Beach Cafe is so different than the more formal downtown location. Still, we took comfort in knowing the bar is set high for quality of food and service. We were most definitely in a strip mall as we looked around, although the restaurant was clean and airy without being sterile.

It’s obvious we expect to go back, but instead of trusting our memory when the time is right, we may have to make a special trip – or trips, because pizza and beer is sounding pretty good. All destinations sound better than shopping.