Growlers filled with good stuff …

There’s been a 45-minute wait for dinner every night since the Manito Tap House opened, so I’m assuming you’ve already been there. BUT, just in case you’re late to the party … this place has 50 taps. Five Oh. Most of the taps rotate, and I hear customer demand plays a part in which brews are brought in, and brought back. Also, this place boasts an amazing food menu (which, I’m guessing, is why they call themselves a gastropub).

Michelle and I stopped by Saturday afternoon, around 4, and waited for about 25 minutes for a table in the bar. I was mesmerized by the supercool beer bottle chandelier hanging above us in the entry way, so the wait didn’t seem too torturous, although I was hankering for a pint of something dark.

Once we got to the table it took us another 15 minutes to study the beer menu. Seriously, it seemed like there were a gagillion brews to choose from. I decided to narrow my search by ordering a Washington beer. And then, because I’m so local it hurts, I narrowed my search even more and decided to go with a Spokane-made beer — the Budge Brothers Extra Stout. Pretty sure it put hair on my chest.

And then, because every drink needs an eat, we ordered a plate of Yam Chips. Holy god. So good – light and crispy and the perfect mix of salty and sweet. But wait, it gets better – they serve this ginormous pile of chips with a bowl of creamy dipping sauce made with some sort of zippy cheese (gorgonzola?), big hunks of bacon and some other stuff I can’t remember, thanks to the Budge Brothers.

You’ll find the Manito Tap House at 3011 S. Grand Blvd, under the building that used to be Lamont’s, then Gottschalks, and now Ross, at the corner of 29th and Grand.