Leslie Kelly

Three cheers for Cavanaugh's new wine pricing strategy. It has just made enjoying wine with dinner much more affordable. For instance, on the new list, there are 11 selections under $10. And they are not stinkers, either. In fact, there's plenty of local talent featured. In that least-expensive price range, there's chenin blanc from Worden's, Latah Creek and Snoqualmie (all $7.50) along with sauvignon blancs from Caterina ($7.95) and Arbor Crest ($8.95). Affordable chardonnays include Caterina ($9.95), Waterbrook ($10), Columbia Crest ($10.75) and Gordon Brothers ($10.75).

The food at the Cannon St. Grill was a pleasant surprise. Surprising because I hadn't really expected such creative food at an unassuming little neighborhood cafe.

A local chef recently nabbed some high-profile publicity. Karla Graves, chef-owner of Upstairs, Downtown, was mentioned in a national magazine in the same paragraph as the legendary "21" Club in New York City. In the current issue of Cooking Light, Graves received a pat on the back for her innovative recipes in The Arizona Heart Institute Foundation Cookbook, a compilation of low-fat recipes from cooks around the country published in 1993.

I felt like Ann Landers without a glib, "go see a counselor"-type response. A friend asked for advice on buying wine for a large party. She only had $150 and had to please a wide range of tastes.

I had heard glowing reports and seen pictures, but nothing prepared me for the quiet elegance of The Clark House on Hayden Lake. This mansion, completed in 1910, was in a state of decay when current innkeepers Monty Danner and Rod Palmer bought it in 1989. The pair have lovingly restored it and it now doubles as a charming bed and breakfast and one of the region's premier destination dining spots.

1. A bird's-eye view of The Woodmark Hotel on Lake Washington in Kirkland. 2. Sunlit dining area on Houseboat Hideaway's 40-foot barge.

David's Pizza 4 N. Howard The honeymoon is over. A year and a half ago, when David's Pizza first opened, I gushed over Spokane's first New York-style pizza joint.

Sharon Stone smokes 'em. Madonna puffed on one during her infamous David Letterman appearance. And celebrity dinosaur George Burns is never without one. Cigarettes may be all but snuffed out as a fashion accessory, but cigars have suddenly become hip. A magazine dedicated to stogies - Cigar Aficionado - has even gone as far as to print lists of restaurants that are friendly to the smelly smoke. Most of them are on the East Coast.

Ethnic restaurants usually make a big deal about offering "authentic" cuisine. But truth be told, diners would likely be lukewarm to food that isn't Americanized to some extent. This is especially true when it comes to Mexican food. Travel off the tourist track south of the border and you'll discover authentic means simple foods like rice, beans and tortillas.

Wendy's room has a lace-topped canopy bed.

Weinsteinz promises to be a restaurant with a split personality when it opens the middle of next month in the Valley. Inside the front door, patrons will find an English-style pub with 30 beers on tap, including Northwest microbrews and favored imports such as Guinness Stout and Harp's, the key ingredients in a black-and-tan (a legendary beer drink.) There will also be 60 bottled brews available. Tapas, the Spanish name for appetizers, will be served in the pub.

Pinch me. I must be dreaming. Here I am in Seattle sitting next to my hero, Julia Child, chatting about crab. "How does the Dungeness look?" she inquires, after I mention my pilgrimage earlier that morning to the Pike Place Market.

Someone recently told me she was impressed with how much Knipprath Cellars had improved since its debut a couple of years ago. A backhanded compliment, to be sure, but it convinced me it was time to check in with Spokane's newer wineries.

People used to gripe about the slim pickings on Spokane's restaurant scene, but no more. It seems as if a new spot opens at least every month. These new eateries work hard to establish a niche in an increasingly competitive field. Some appeal to the budget-conscious, while others struggle to make their mark with imaginative food.

In November, 1982, Jennifer Warnes and Joe Cocker dominated the radio airwaves with their sappy theme to the movie "Dirty Dancing," Ronald Reagan was still president and Patsy Clark's served its first meal. Since then, corny ballads have given way to grunge and hip-hop while politics has become ... well, let's not spoil a perfectly good column by talking politics. In the meantime, Spokane's premier fine dining spot has remained largely unchanged.

1.(Photo of a variety of mushrooms. Photo by Orange County Register) 2. Grower Ralph Tew holds up a batch of his oyster mushrooms. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

This space is usually reserved for dining out. But a couple of Spokane delivery services are making it much easier to enjoy meals from area restaurants in the comfort of your own home. Restaurant delivery services have been coming on strong the past couple of years. Chalk it up to all those former fast-trackers running out of gas and wanting nothing more than to veg out in front of the TV after work. After a few false starts - delivery companies that went out of business faster than you could eat a Big Mac and large fries - Spokane has two solid sources for delivered meals. To test the reliability of the two, I closed up the kitchen at home for a couple of nights and put them through their paces.

I know how explorers like Lewis and Clark must have felt. There's a thrill that comes with poking around new territory and discovering something special in the middle of nowhere.

So, like other New Year's resolution dieters, you've spent January becoming an expert on cutting calories and calculating fat percentages. But it's paid off since you dropped those 13 ounces. Why not celebrate by eating out? Hang on. Not so fast.

Diners get an idea about what to expect before they ever poke their heads in the door at the Anaconda Grille. The parking lot reeks of garlic. Ah, the sweet smell of success. At least at any Italian restaurant worth its salt.

Everybody's a critic. When it comes to food, that is. And lately, a few readers have been playing restaurant reviewer, generously sharing their recommendations of area eateries worthy of more attention. Here are their mouthwatering tips:

1. The breakfast burrito at the Elk gives a distinctly American twist to a Mexican favirite. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Steve Quinones of II Moon Cafe wakes up diners with calamari steak and eggs.

Dannion Brinkley has been through hell and gone to heaven. Twice. The best-selling author of "Saved by the Light" (Villard Books, 161 pages, $16) was just 25 in 1975 when a bolt of lightning zapped him while he was talking on the telephone. The high voltage charge traveled through the phone line with a force that slammed him into the ceiling. When Brinkley landed on his bed, he bent the frame. His shoes were still smoking when his wife found him and started trying to revive him.

Call it the war of the wings. A couple of competitive pizza purveyors recently introduced their versions of buffalo chicken wings.