Five top house-made condiments in Spokane
Whether you’re the kind of person who eats fries with ranch or ranch with fries – if you don’t like ranch, I don’t know what to say to you – the secret to a great shareable menu item is usually going to be the sauce. Here are five great places to find house-made sauces in Spokane.
Garland Brew Werks
A favorite on its sampler platter, the spicy garlic sauce at Garland Brew Werks pairs well with tater tots and pretzel bites but, best of all, with the beer bratwurst slices, chef Sheila Clifford said.
“I think a good dipping sauce should offer complexity in its flavors,” Clifford said. “It should take whatever you’re dipping in it up a notch in terms of flavor and make you want to keep dipping.”
If you go: 603 W. Garland Ave., (509) 863-9419 and Garland Brew Werks on Facebook
Wooden City
When you’re making all your sauces in-house, Wooden City owner and chef Jon Green explained, it’s almost too difficult to choose a favorite.
Green loves the whole list, from fry sauce and minimalist classic ranch – great with wings, fries and pizza crust – to less traditional options. The chive oil, for example, is “amazing” on the wax peppers and great for dipping bread and pizza crust.
“Our barbecue sauce is underrated, in my opinion,” Green said. “We make it in-house, and I love it on our wings. … We also use it to baste the burger patties for the tavern burger.”
Other honorable mentions include the garlic aioli served with Wooden City’s “Fancy Burger” and steak frites, the zesty mustard, tartar sauce, buffalo sauce, cocktail sauce, bone marrow aioli, blue cheese and, of course, the habanero sauce (the recipe for which is a carefully guarded secret).
If you go: 821 W. Riverside Ave., (509) 822-7194 and woodencityspokane.com
Heritage Bar & Kitchen
The team at Heritage Bar & Kitchen makes its ranch, pesto ranch, honey mustard, special sauce and tartar in-house, but the chipotle ketchup – available for purchase in 16-ounce bottles – is decidedly a favorite.
“It has a little spice to it, but it’s well-balanced and full of flavor,” co-owners Gabe Wood and Alex King said in an email.
They use the chipotle ketchup to top their hash brown burger and chipotle meatloaf, but they also recommend pairing it with their sweet potato fries, curly fries and chicken dippers.
If you go: 122 S. Monroe St., (509) 863-9235 and heritagebarandkitchen.com
Bark, A Rescue Pub
“I like sauces that hit multiple taste factors … whether that is sweet and tangy, spicy and savory or any sort of combination,” said Kayleigh Wytcherley, executive chef at Bark, A Rescue Pub.
With that in mind, she explained, the best sauce on the menu is “definitely the honey mustard.”
Tangier than your typical honey mustard, the sauce has a slight kick to it.
“I think it pairs best with our house-made pretzel bones … our sweet potato fries and our fried pickles,” Wytcherley said.
If you go: 905 N. Washington St., (509) 418-2551 and barkrescuepub.com
Longhorn Barbecue
“The most important thing when making a sauce is keeping in mind what you are going to be dipping in it,” said Zac Smith, managing partner at Longhorn Barbecue. “Does my sauce need to be sweet and savory, or does it need to have a touch of heat?”
Smith recommends Longhorn Barbecue’s original Longhorn Barbecue sauce paired with German sausage and the homemade zesty ranch dressing with onion rings. The sauces are available at the Airway Heights location, as well.
If you go: 2315 N. Argonne Road, (509) 924-9600 and thelonghornbbq.com/locations/spokane-valley