It is Positive Week here at SpoCOOL because why the hell not?

And Luxe has plenty of things to be positive about. Just something small like opening at 6am, for example, which for whatever reason is a rarity downtown.

That, of course, means preciously little if the coffee isn't good, though thankfully Luxe does an excellent job pulling shots with their rather sexy La Marzocco, using beans from Anvil. The Americano is spot-on, nice and strong, yet with a delicate mouthfeel, perfectly balanced. Those who like lattes—and I mean like, as opposed to drinking them merely to get a caffeine high—will find them not being too sweet here. You can actually taste the coffee, and that's great.

We give them bonus points for using paper cups for to-go orders only. Sit down and you get coffee served in real cups; nice looking ones at that.

In fact, the interiors deserve a special nod. Top That has appropriately dubbed them "Northwest Baroque", and exactly how Luxe pulled that off is beyond me. But they did. This is an extremely comfortable spot, with pieces you might find in your grandma's house, but with an overall feel that's anything but "old lady". It just… is. It's a spot everyone from hiptivists to people with taste can agree on, each piece of wall hanging different yet matching in a symmetrical way; burlap mixed with large statues.

Faithful readers of our Liquor License Stalker will know that Luxe has applied for a license, and their plans sound interesting. They're looking at carrying microbrews—bottles only I assume—you rarely see in this area, as well as glasses of wine ranging from $5 to $25. With this, they're looking at 10pm for their closing hours, but will stay open longer if people are hanging out, enjoying themselves with a glass of wine or coffee.

Add to that, the baked goods from Petite Chat, and it's hard to find any faults with Luxe.

Much like Brews on Washington, then, this is turning into a spot. A spot to hang. I, for one, am rather happy this trend is catching on. Go to any Mediterranean country and spots are in pretty much every city's DNA. It would be quite something if it could become part of Spokane's genetic makeup too.

As for Luxe, it's pretty awesome, surprisingly so seeing it has only been open for a couple of days. Try them out. They're joining the small but growing niche of places that should be in any Better Taster's rotation.