Tubs Cafe Takes The Next Step With New Kitchen, Full Menu

A Coeur d’Alene coffee hangout has blossomed into a full-fledged restaurant, complete with a sparkling stainless steel kitchen, a new chef and a tempting menu.

Tubs Cafe, a cozy spot at the east end of town, reopened just this week after a kitchen expansion that now allows them to stretch beyond the sandwiches and pizzas they had been serving.

Owners Tom and Kelly Sullivan worked with chef Kash Keel, a graduate of the California Culinary Academy, to come up with an eclectic selection of food that’s Northwest with an Asian accent.

The lineup starts with savory appetizers such as mushrooms stuffed with spinach, garlicky cream cheese and pinenuts or delicate chicken potstickers served with a spicy peanut sauce. There’s also fresh Washington oysters on the half shell and a smoked salmon plate with the traditional accompaniments (cream cheese, capers, chopped red onions).

A daily soup is featured along with a traditional French onion. Among the meal-size greens, there’s a Chinese chicken salad and a classic Cobb with shredded chicken, bacon, chopped eggs and gorgonzola cheese.

In the entree department, check out the nicely cooked salmon served with a pretty pile of papaya salsa. The fish was seasoned and pan-seared, but it was still moist in the middle, not overcooked.

Other selections include a chicken marinated in citrus juice and tequila, sea scallops wrapped in pancetta and a tenderloin finished with a bourbonspiked mushroom sauce.

Prices at Tubs Cafe range from $6.25 for a selection of hot sandwiches to $17 for the tenderloin. Breakfast will run you anywhere from $2.50 for toast and a couple of eggs to $8.50 for bagels and lox. Caff-fiends take note: They serve Craven’s from Spokane.

Unfortunately, reservations are taken only for large parties and there are just a handful of tables, so it wouldn’t hurt to call ahead. The phone at Tubs Cafe is (208) 765-9344. You’ll find the place at 313 Lake Drive, not far off I-90 at the Sherman exit.

Delicious lessons

Students from WSU’s Hotel and Restaurant Administration program will chop, saute and stir for two days to get ready for a wine tasting next week at the Ridge Pointe Community Clubhouse in Pullman. The crew will be working with folks from The Spaghetti Factory to put together an Italian buffet for the event.

The 14th annual Winefest will feature two dozen Washington wineries, including Hedges Cellar. That noted producer will debut its latest release of Three Vineyards, a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

That robust red should match well with the spaghetti with meatballs and cheeses offered on the buffet.

Tickets for the Nov. 7 tasting are $20 and must be purchased in advance. The event includes two sessions - from 5 until 7 p.m. and then from 8 until 10 p.m. To order tickets, call (509) 335-0130 or (509) 334-0311 in the evenings.

Proceeds from the tasting will go toward a scholarship sponsored by the Sigma Iota club, which organizes the event.

The Seed sprouts again

The Lotus Seed is back, but just for take-out.

Spokane’s first Vietnamese restaurant closed about a year ago, but the Lotus Seed’s original owners have returned to the same space (on Hamilton, near Gonzaga) with an abbreviated menu.

There are a few tables, and the dining room might eventually expand, but for now it’s orders to-go.

I’ve been back to the Lotus Seed just once, and some things seem to travel better than others. The uncooked spring rolls - noodles, crunchy carrots, lettuce and shrimp wrapped in nearly see-through rice paper - fared well, as did the eggrolls.

However, some of the sauce from the stir-fried curried chicken ended up at the bottom of the bag.

Among the other offerings are fried rice, soft noodle chow mein and bun - a dish featuring vermicelli noodles topped with everything from grilled pork to shrimp or eggrolls. A spicy dressing is poured over the top.

Prices are in the $5 range.

To order (Monday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.), call 483-8136.

Hello deli

Something new and different has opened up on Spokane’s fast food road (Third Avenue, that is).

The Brooklyn Deli features the usual suspects in the sandwich department: roast beef, pastrami, ham, salami and turkey. (What? No corned beef?) A whole sandwich costs $3.25. There’s also a selection of specialty sands for $3.75, including a veggie and a turkey-avocado.

A couple of soups are offered daily, along with a few salads.

The Brooklyn Deli opens at 6:30 Monday through Friday and offers fresh-baked goodies such as cinnamon rolls and cherry or cheese danish.

I haven’t eaten there yet, but it sure smelled good when I stopped by to pick up a menu.

It’s located at 307 S. Washington, across from Arby’s. To place a takeout order, phone 835-4177. Brooklyn also offers delivery with a minimum order of $10.

My glass is half full

Just a gentle plea to over-eager servers everywhere: I appreciate your efforts to keep my wine glass topped off, but how about leaving a little breathing room?

Red wine especially benefits from having some space in the glass for the fragrant aromas to expand. (If you don’t stick your nose in your glass and inhale, you’re missing one of the pleasures of drinking wine.)

OK, maybe I sound like a complete snob - I will refrain from swirling my glass and gargling my wine - but if you’re paying the big bucks for a bottle, it deserves a chance to breath.

Different rules apply when I’m buying it by-the-glass, of course. Then, fill ‘er up, by all means.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Map: Tubs Cafe, 313 CdA Lake Drive

MEMO: Leslie Kelly can be contacted via E-mail at lesliek@spokesman.com or regular mail to Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

This sidebar appeared with the story: PUMPKIN PANCAKES This being Halloween, I want to pay tribute to the ultimate autumn flapjack. The pumpkin pancakes at The International House of Pancakes aren’t exactly suited for carving jack-o’-lantern patterns. But their pumpkiness is apparent, nevertheless. Made with real pumpkin puree, these seasonal specials are flavorful and a little spicy. Not as rich as a slice of pumpkin pie, but not as fattening, either. Look for them on the menu at IHOP at least until December.