I’m all about the pics
In Spokane, late August, September and early October are the months for awesome locally grown tomatoes. Here’s a caprese salad Heather made with simply the tastiest heirloom tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil from the Bistro garden, with a virgin Coeur d’Alene Olive Oil drizzle, salt and pepper. Yum. Live is good with a sunny patio table and a glass of Pinot Noir.
The last couple Sundays have been wonderful. The KG trio were jazz monsters. Nice job guys. Thanks.
Last Sunday’s Irish night was cool. John’s band was great and the beef in Guinness was delicious. Thanks to the staff for the authentic eats and thanks to all who came down and made it so fun.
Next Wednesday (Oct 4th) Aaron Richner will be back playing inside from 6:30 - 8:30. Please call ahead to make reservations 838-8338. See you soon.
This time of year is my favorite. The markets have the best fresh ripe harvest. Although the cooler weather seems to trigger a fall menu desire in most Spokane diners, we still have delicious heirloom tomatoes available. Our new motto at the Bistro is, “Nature changes often, so does our menu”. We play by the rules of what’s fresh so you can enjoy the best food. When the summer harvest runs out (usually around mid October) we will move towards fall/winter fare. Anyone go to Farmchicks?
What a fun event. It was interesting to see the little town of Fairfield bustling with so many people.
Ahh the Cornish Pasty. (pronounced like the word “nasty”) This delicious food is found all over the UK and Ireland. It’s like their version of pizza by the slice. There are many shops that display pastys in warm glass cases tempting you as you walk by. If you click the link you will see the story behind this pastry is colorful. They can be filled with just about anything except fish (bad luck). The most common is potato, steak, onion and swede.
We had a potato cheese version on a hike around Derwentwater near Keswick. It was delicious. Here’s a good link for the traditional recipe. Enjoy. for more info
We just returned home from a trip to Ireland and are having a celebration -Â Irish style.
Along with the traditional Irish music we will be serving an entree special of Beef in Guinness with homemade soda bread. We will also display photos of Ireland on the back wall. Come on down, share a Guinness, dance a jig and enjoy.
Almost every restaurant in Ireland offers soda bread with their meals. It is a hearty bread with many different styles and variations. We received this recipe from Michael Carroll from the Milestone B&B in Dingle, Ireland. It was our favorite. Give it a try and enjoy.
Michaels Famous Milestone House White Irish Soda Bread
1 lb. Plain white fllour, sifted
1 level teaspoon of salt
1 level teaspoon bread soda (bicarbonate of soda)
14 fluid ounces (400ml) buttermilk
Preheat oven to 475 F
Sieve the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Make a well in the center.
Pour in the buttermilk.
Using a strong fork, stir in the mixture from the center out, lifting the fork to introduce air to the mixture.
When the dough comes together turn out onto a floured surface
Bring it together but handle as little as possible. Cut a deep cross on the loaf and use the fork to fluff it up a bit.
Bake for about 40 minutes until browned. It should sound hollow when you tap the underside.
Allow to cool on a wire try or upside down.
We encountered the power of Guinness in Ireland. This 250 year old brew is served everywhere. We found Guinness taps in hardware stores, grocery stores and even a shoe store, which we fondly referred to as shoes and booze thereafter. The Irish consider this beverage as the drink of the gods and proudly disiplay this sign in Gaelic. It means, “There is no beer like Guinness.
Did I mention we have Guinness on tap?
We have had such great response from live music on Wednesday nights, we thought we would expand and see what happens on Sunday nights too. Wednesdays are typically acoustic with vocals but Sunday we are going to experiment with different styles. The only requirement will be talent. This Sunday (9/17) from 6 - 9 pm, we will feature “The Keef Green Trio”. These guys play instrumental jazz style fusion with upright bass, acoustic guitar, and keys. It should be hot. The picture is not them. I just liked the look.
veggies and a great Chilean Merlot
lamb shank in wine reduction
We are back from our trip to the UK and Ireland. The Guinness was fresh and the food hearty and delicious. Scotland and Ireland do a great job sourcing their foods locally. England is a bit like the US and imports plenty from large distances. We found the prices at restaurants a bit higher than here in Spokane. The exchange rate for the Euro (1Euro= 1.26$) and the Pound (1GBP = 1$) don’t help. Our best dining experience occurred at “The Fox Inn”, just outside Stow on the Wold in the English Cotswolds. The ambience was a 10 in the candlelit pub with a live acoustic guitar player. The service was perfect and the food fresh and well prepared, and the wine selection was superb.
fresh tuna, potatoes, cauliflower, caper tapenade, carrots, salad.
Lunch in Dingle, Ireland at “Out of the Blue” was also fantastic. This tiny restaurant only serves seafood from the Dingle area. We had a tuna with a light blue cheese sauce that was a ten. They really know how to cook potatoes here.
The fish and chips at “The Anstruther Fish Bar” was the best we ever had.
More later. It’s good to be back in Spokane.
This is what fish & chips look like in Anstruther Scotland.