Same Name, New Location
Cafe 5-Ten is back. And — hey, I’m just gonna say it — it’s better than ever.
The new venue is the magically transformed space formerly known as Cafe Roma. The classy dining room — envisioned by uber-talented designer John Rovtar — has a spare, yet elegant feel. Not a knickknack or a dusty plant in sight, just cool neutral colors and clean lines. Gauzy fabrics hanging from the ceiling cleverly carve up the room, lending a romantic touch.
And in the expanded kitchen, chef/owner Michael Waliser has beefed up his imaginative menu. Dinner choices now cover two pages with mostly new items.
The main plates are arranged by categories: pasta, beef, chicken and seafood. Dishes that seemed to be whispering “order me” included barbecued beef short ribs with potato cakes, grilled lamb sausage patties paired with Cuban black beans, and Asian-style rice noodles with prawns.
Then, there was that $13 burger.
Of course, on the menu it comes off much more glam: fresh ground top sirloin, grilled and stuffed with goat cheese with a two-olive relish on a toasted bun. Served with couldn’t-stop-eating-them shoestring “frites,” I can honestly say it was the best $13 burger I’ve ever eaten.
I also had bites of a spectacular risotto topped with enormous prawns and the tasty, but slightly overcooked, roast rack of lamb (which came with the cutest baby carrots).
Prices for dinner entrees range from $10 for the four-cheese ravioli to $25 for a grilled New York.
At lunch, the lineup is a mix of salads, soups, sandwiches and pastas, with the tab ranging between $7 and $9. Put me down for an order of angel hair with roasted beets and gorgonzola.
The new Cafe 5-Ten can be found at 2727 S. Mount Vernon. (No, there wasn’t any discussion about changing the name to Cafe 2727.) Call 533-0064 for reservations. And you do need them. The place is already hopping.
The buzz on Sawtooth
The long-anticipated Sawtooth Grill makes its debut Thursday, with lunches starting Friday.
This grill uses quality ingredients for its “legendary” burgers. The beef is fresh, not frozen. Tillamook cheddar is melted on the cheeseburgers. Vine-ripened tomatoes, marinated Bermuda onions and Vlasic zesty dills are better-than-your-average garnishes.
Naturally, there’s all sorts of variations of the All-American meal on the menu — from a chili burger (that comes with extra napkins) to the burger Oscar, which is topped with crab, asparagus and bearnaise sauce. A peppercorn steak burger is topped with demiglace.
There’s more than burgers, too.
Like a $5.50 hot dog, served Chicago-style with tomatoes, relish, cucumbers, celery salt and jalapenos.
Specialty sandwiches include a Reuben, a grilled salmon and a smoked turkey club.
“Cabin Favorites” include fish and chips, a steak sandwich and fish tacos.
Prices range from $6.25 for a basic burger and fries to $13 for salmon with house slaw.
Desserts and drinks are listed on the flip side of the menu, with hard ice-cream shakes served in silver pitchers being the real attention grabber. Or, order the special Centennial Fudge Cake and the restaurant will donate a buck to the Centennial Trail fund.
The Sawtooth Grill will be open daily for lunch and dinner. It’s located in River Park Square, just across from Chevy’s.
A sweet note
After writing about great milkshakes recently, a reader called with a hot tip: Get on over to Doyle’s.
Now, believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve been to the place a half a dozen times only to find it closed. The message on the answering machine even cautions, “Call before you come to make sure I’m here.”
Well, I finally got lucky a couple of weeks ago and found Doyle’s open. Now, I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to get into this soda fountain extraordinaire.
The place in the West Central neighborhood has such a rich history, it’s like a museum. There’s even a nifty selection of antique toys on display and oldies on the stereo.
And the truly flavorful ice cream is just plain dreamy.
On one trip, I tried a chocolate soda with chocolate thunder ice cream. The fizz for this lighter-than-a-shake drink comes from a vintage gooseneck spigot. (Water comes in and gets charged with CO2 to give it some fizz.)
If you’ve never tried an ice cream soda, it’s like a cross between a shake and a float, but not as sweet or heavy — an Italian soda with a scoop of ice cream.
I love Doyle’s ever-changing selection of flavors. On my next visit, I swooned over a strawberry soda with razzle dazzle (blackberry ice cream with raspberry swirls).
And, as of last week anyway, the huckleberry season has officially arrived. It’s on at Doyle’s.
Get over there and cool off with a dish. It’s located at 2229 W. Boone and is open Wednesday through Sunday, but call first to make sure. The phone number’s 328-2233.
Other soda fountain suggestions from readers include Ferdinand’s in Pullman and Little Bear Ice Cream in Thompson Falls, Mont.
Small bites
* There’s a new spot for midday meals in downtown Spokane called What’s for Lunch.
It’s in the former David’s Pizza and offers a selection of soups, salads, wraps and sandwiches, with choices changing daily.
Free delivery is offered downtown. What’s for Lunch is open weekdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Call 838-5100 to find out what’s for lunch.
* Luna is continuing its global romp during its Sunday suppers. This week, it’s Malaysia, and the three-course meal starts with a chicken satay appetizer followed by spiced coconut and whitefish in banana leaves. Dessert is rice pudding with palm sugar and cardamom.
That supper is $18 for grown-ups and $7 for kids. (By the way, the regular menu is offered as well.)
For reservations, call 448-2383.
* Last week’s Live After 5 in downtown Spokane really rawked. Especially the set by that hottie Curtis Salgado.
However, a note to the organizers: Please get some food down there. Some street vendors, even someone selling pop and bottled water would be most welcome. There’s great restaurants all around, but you don’t want to go inside when the music’s outside.
Having something quick and portable to eat would make it a richer experience.
I ended up grabbing a turkey club wrap from the Nordstrom espresso stand. That did the trick.
* The mega-hyped, not-worth-the-$20-admission Experience Music Project in Seattle has got its own eatery, The Turntable. Dishes cover the usual pasta-chicken-seafood territory. But the most popular item on the menu is on the dessert list.
It’s the Little Richard Bouffant Sundae, ice cream with chocolate-caramel topping and a shock of spun sugar on top. Actually, with that white cotton-candy top, it looks more Don King than the fella who screams “Tutti Fruit.”
This sidebar appeared with the story:
Name that feast
Seattle has the “Bite of.” Tacoma hosts its “Taste Of.”
But in Spokane, we “Pig Out.”
Of course, we’re all for enjoying good grub with abandon. Still, doesn’t our annual Labor Day weekend restaurant fair deserve a more dignified name?
Well, we’re putting it to you. Come up with a better name and we’ll pony up a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant of your choice. Then, we’ll forward the best entries to the event organizers.
Or, if you’re happy to belly up to the trough at “Pig Out in the Park,” let us know that, too.
Send your suggestions to Leslie Kelly, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210. Or, e-mail them to lesliek@spokesman.com. The entry deadline is Aug. 21.