Don’t forget appetite
How many ways can you say, “Oink?” It’s the time of year again when we find out. Pig Out in the Park, the five-day food and music festival that rings in Labor Day, begins at 10 a.m. tomorrow in Riverfront Park.
Organizer Bill Burke is serving up a menu from 45 different food booths, representing 18 cuisines and washing it down in one of three beverage gardens. By his count, that’s at least 250 ways to stuff yourself silly.
The options include Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, German, Italian, Korean, Indian, Native American, American, Bavarian, Spanish, French, Jordanian, Russian, Caribbean, Hawaiian, Thai and other Middle Eastern foods, Burke says. No entrée is more than $7.
The celebration runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Of course, the crowds will be thicker than the Bavarian Deli’s goulash. So, here’s my advice: Plan your attack.
Inside today’s IN Food section there’s an alphabetical list of the vendors and the dishes they’re serving to get you started. On game day, you’ll find programs, along with maps of the booths so you can figure out where the guy next to you picked up the deep fried Oreos and garlic fries.
If the music is more exciting to you than the menu, watch the 7 section Friday for the full entertainment schedule.
Junebugs Cafe
Toddler parents are trapped when it comes to eating out.
The choices are limited to the usual chicken-fingers-and-fries fare at a family friendly restaurant or risking a meltdown someplace nicer. By the end of the month, there will be a third option.
Ben and Mary Ann Delaney are opening a new neighborhood bistro on South Perry Street that will offer healthy, affordable gourmet food in a setting designed for families. It’s called Junebugs Cafe.
The parents of 2 1/2 -year-old Amia want to create a “truly inviting atmosphere, free of awkwardness and tailored for you,” the Delaneys say on their Web site.
After the family returned to Spokane from Portland, they missed the neighborhood bistros there, Ben Delaney says. They also were inspired by a restaurant in Portland designed just for kids, called Peanut Butter and Ellie’s. They hope Junebugs Cafe is a nice cross between the two and ultimately appeals even to those without kids.
“We really think that people want this kind of place,” Ben Delaney says.
They’re remodeling a house at 1017 S. Perry St. for the cafe. A banner on the house announces their plans, and they’re blogging their way through the process. Recent posts include permit approvals from the city, architectural plans and notes about their experiments with a new crepe griddle. Look for updates at www.junebugscafe.com. You can also sign up for a newsletter there.
The Delaneys hope to open by the end of September, but haven’t set a date yet. Right now, they’re working on ambitious plans for a new patio and other renovations inside the house.