It might be in a strip mall, but Latah Bistro still comes up with better food than many in town. Most, in fact.

With its generous use of local ingredients in what probably can be classified as continental European style fare, Latah Bistro always deliver food that is good and fresh tasting. Particularly the specials seem to be rotated faster than what we usually see around these parts, and they always reflect what's in season, pretty much down to the day.

During our last visit, the wild mushroom ravioli was perfectly cooked, and came with a nice creamy smoked bacon sauce, which also could be ordered vegetarian style. The summer pasta, too, was excellent, with a medley of fresh local vegetables.

It might be the consistency of the dishes that truly makes Latah Bistro a winner. Sure, you might not always like a flavor combination based on your personal preferences, but the dishes are always well prepared, and if you order the exact same dish twice, it will taste the same. Too many places in town have different definitions of what "medium rare" and "spicy" means on daily basis, so kudos to Latah Bistro for keeping consistency in the front seat.

The changes to the actual main menu don't quite keep up with the pace of the specials and that's too bad. It's great to see some new things on paper for every visit or so, something which is the case at places like Sante. It is understandable, though. Many go into cardiac arrest when their favorites are removed from the menu, so from a business perspective I can see why stand-bys stand by.

I would prefer to see dishes rotated more, but heck, I've been guilty of ordering the pumpkin bread pudding off season too.

The strip mall location isn't necessarily the prettiest place ever, but then again, a quick trip through the port and chocolate sampler, and that is soon forgotten.

Overall we're big fans. Latah Bistro should definitely be in the rotation for anyone who likes great local food.

It's September and what better way to celebrate the month than to have a little challenge. Not a contest or competition, but a challenge, one we like to call:

Sustaining Straight Edge Vegan Foods During September in Spokane (Challenge)

Pretty snappy, isn't it? Just a little something we came up with.

And yes, it is exactly what it sounds like: During the month of September we will live straightedge vegan, with an emphasis on Spokane foods! For those not familiar with the term "straight edge vegan" this means:

• Pure vegan foods, of course, i.e. no meat or dairy.
• No alcohol.
• No tobacco.
• No caffeine.
• No prescription or recreational drugs.
• Lots of hardcore punk rock…

… actually, no, we'll probably just keep this food related. In other words we can still wear our leather belts.

Will we stumble and fail? You bet! But Sustaining Straight Edge Vegan Foods During September in Spokane (Challenge) is a challenge, not a contest, so we'll simply fess up when we do.

The stumbling blocks are many: Sante, for example. Or Latah Bistro. You get the point. We're simply trying to challenge ourselves to some semi-straight edge veganism for Sustaining Straight Edge Vegan Foods During September in Spokane (Challenge).

Now and again we'll have some updates here, keeping you up to date on our progress. I am sure we will learn some things about the many myths behind veganism, both positive and negative.

And hey, if you want to join in with Sustaining Straight Edge Vegan Foods During September in Spokane (Challenge), go for it! It could get interesting.

Our previous mini-rant on how "Greek yoghurt" is really not Greek at all got the ol' cogs turning around discussions Team SpoCOOL has had on many occasions. Here in the USA people tend to strongly define anything by political borders. I'm sure we've all met people claiming to be "23% German, 12.5% Swedish, 1.734% Chinese, etc." There's an underlying problem with that, seeing that people lose quite a bit of their actual American identity, but that's a discussion for another time.

The jargon carries over to food, as we all know. Swedish pancakes. Belgian waffles. Canadian bacon. So on and so forth.

The thing, of course, is that these dishes really didn't have their origins in the countries their American namesakes suggest. For the most part it'd be impossible to trace the history of the dishes properly, largely because political borders have shifted significantly over time. And, of course, that the dishes have been around in some form or other for a long time.

Using Swedish pancakes as an example: These type of pancakes can be found in most of Europe, heck, even the world. Here in the US many differentiate between the Swedish pancake and the French crepe. They shouldn't, as they're virtually identical. The French crepe, the Greek krepa, the Norwegian pannekake, the Russian bliny… You'll find subtle differences, but for the most part they're the same thing.

It gets more complicated.

Indian food is something we all enjoy, but do we enjoy North Indian cuisine or South Indian fare? The two are very different, more so than a crepe from France and a pancake from Sweden. Yet they're inside the political borders of India.

Of course, it all comes down to giving things, anything, names. That's fine. We need names, and we're not saying there's anything inherently wrong using names like Belgian waffles, though it probably would be better if the names were either a bit less geographical. Or, when talking about a country's cuisine, possibly even more specific. 

Regardless, we do think people would benefit from doing some basic research on various dishes. Not just to figure out the foods, but to learn more about political and geographical history. Broaden your horizon and all that jazz.

It goes by many names—different signs and flyers carry various names—but in terms of Middle Eastern and halal food, no store in Spokane does it better than the International Food Store.

The selection here is pretty outstanding, and if you have any interest in authentic hummos tahini, Ziyad's canned stuff is probably better even than anything you can make yourself. There's a good choice of different types of pitas too, again all of high quality.

More important, to me at least, is the choice of "Greek" yoghurt. I use quotations around "Greek" as that's actually a common misnomer. Strained yoghurt—which is what we call "Greek" here in the US—has its origins in the Middle East. Traditional Greek yoghurt is not strained. Therefore "strained" yoghurt would be a better name for it.

Anyway!

International Food Store carries multiple brands of the extremely flavorful and fatty yoghurt and, as you only need to use a dollop  of it while cooking, a container goes a long way. (And you will never ever again use what Yoplait calls Greek yoghurt.)

They also carry hookahs ranging from $20 into the hundreds.

We like international markets quite a bit here at Team SpoCOOL, and International Food Store is one of the more interesting ones in town. A must if you are interested in Middle Eastern food.

It is, apparently, Garland Week here at ye olde SpoCOOL, and why not? The neighborhood is going through a boom period, and is alongside the downtown core and South Perry one of the more interesting and vibrant areas in town.

Bon Bon is a classic and classy lounge. Think 40s/50s movie bars where Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart would suave it up with Grace Kelly, and you have the general idea. Dan Spalding was responsible for lot of the interiors, and the space catches the classic movie theater lounge perfectly. (Wear your linen suit here, for full effect.)

The cocktails follow suit; classic drinks, often with modern twists, all nicely mixed. My Negroni was very refreshing and came served in a cool coupe to boot. There are a handful of "specials" also, and Top That's Cane Flower was very tasty. Perfectly balanced in sweetness and citrusy flavors.

To top it off, Bon Bon also offers cheese and charcuterie plates from Sante. Nobody can complain about that. 

The only real issue with Bon Bon is that the drinks don't come cheap. A good cocktail rarely does, one might argue, and that's valid, but with assorted drinks crossing the $10 mark, well, it's not cheap fun, particularly in a neighborhood bar.

But hey, it's fun none the less.

I think my thing is that I don't "get" cupcakes. You might say there is little to "get," and that might very well be correct. Maybe I just don't "get" Celebrations? I just wasn't that bowled over by their cupcakes.

That's not to say they were bad. They weren't. The cake part was fine; nothing crazily exciting, and I couldn't really distinguish the flavors between the various cupcakes too distinctly, but that's not to say it was offensively awful or anything. Just OK.

I can't say I was sold on the frosting, however. They were, from what I can understand, made using either buttercream or cream cheese, and were rich. Very rich. A bit too rich, in fact. Again I had problems truly distinguishing the flavors, largely because it almost felt like taking a bite of butter. There were some flavors there, sure, but the richness kind of hid them.

The cupcakes weren't bad, nor were they amazing, and the chocolate chip cookie was actually the best thing we picked up at Celebrations. I certainly do hope the proprietors see great success, as the place is worth visiting.

Follow them on Facebook to learn about their "happy hours" and special offers.

Odds are you know the 101 on Mizuna: It started as a vegetarian spot, then moved over to a full continental-style menu and was considered by many to be the best restaurant in Spokane. Then the beast known as inconsistency reared its ugly head, and a visit could involve anything from excellent soups to less than stellar gnocchi. 

I'm not sure if the consistency issues truly are fixed once and for all, but things are looking up if our last visit is anything to go by.

The sturgeon, for example, was an excellent showcase on how to properly prepare a fish. Its natural flavors were not overpowered by a bunch of marinades or rubs, but lightly seasoned, paired with a nice pancetta hash and a crimini mushroom sauce. A good combination, not too overwhelming, just fresh and summer-y tasting.

The vegetarian special consisted of a orzo stuffed pasilla pepper. It wasn't bad either, though I felt flavors weren't distributed as well as they were with the sturgeon. Some bites were spicy, some were rather bland.

One could probably go back and forth discussing if Mizuna is as good today as it was during its hey-day, but two facts can not be argued:

As far as a vegetarian/vegan menu goes, Mizuna has a larger selection than most. It is a creative menu, and not simply an afterthought consisting of your standard portabello burger.

And the bar serves some of the best martinis in town.

After a few eh visits to Mizuna I feel that the old king might be getting ready to be back in the running for "best spot in town" again. That's a good thing for all of us.

UPDATE: Fans of Guy Fieri has semi-confirmed what we already semi-knew, and added Chaps into the mix. The Sante crew also believe Hill's is on the list.

Spokane is abuzz about Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives hitting town. We have never watched the show—we rather enjoy the man's non-food related gameshow however—but we did talk to the production company (they were very nice) about some places we (and you too—remember the poll?) thought they should hit, as well as places they probably would want to hit. The two are, of course, very different.

Long story short, these are the spots we can confirm or semi-confirm they've visited:

• The Elk: Bart was there, quite possibly because he's stalking Fieri across town.
• Waddell's: According to Nick they've already been there.
• Picabu: From an anonymous source.
• Capone's: BITE Facebook group claims this one, with Nosworthy's Hall of Fame apparently coming up.

Well… Assuming all of these are true, I will repeat @andrewzahler's words of wisdom: "Neither of which strike me as diner, drive-in OR dive." Can't help but wonder why Dick's and Chicken & More aren't on the list (so far).

Got any other locations they've been to/are going to? Feel free to e-mail us and we'll spread the word…

Well, this was no good…

I ordered half an Italian and was promptly informed that they were out of French bread. The Italians love their French bread, you see. When I asked for sourdough, I was told I could either have rye or whole wheat.

You know it's a bad sign when a sandwich shop doesn't have any bread left at 1pm on a Tuesday. I suppose you could read that as a business so successful that they can't keep up with its crazy demand, but really… To me it just seems like lack of planning.

Anyway.

While my sandwich was being assembled, I stepped up to pay. The cashier asked what I was having, and I told him it was half a sandwich. Just as my card was being processed, the—dare I use this title?—artist came up and said "here's your whole Italian sandwich." The cashier looked at me suspiciously, clutching my debit card, giving me a "hey, are you trying to pull a fast one on me?!"-look while asking what I actually had ordered. Thus the sandwich went back, was cut in half, and returned to me, most of the ingredient having fallen off during the process.

This would all be forgivable if the sandwich was good. It wasn't. I wouldn't be surprised if the bread had been picked up from Rite Aid across the way, and I was going to compare the salami to Hormel, but that would be an insult to the fine cold cut company. It also came with a slice of green pepper and mayo.

Actually, I'm a bit at a loss what actually made it Italian. The salami, I assume? Or maybe the French bread would have pulled it all together and I missed the finer points of the sandwhich arteest's work?

Bottom line: It didn't taste very good. Sandwich Gardens should be avoided.

PS: There are two tip lines on the receipt. One regular and one dedicated to the maitre d'. This is apparently a very exclusive place.

It's a familiar scene: You sit at a restaurant—let's for argument's sake say Sante—and the menu has more foreign words than English. Mirepoix? Zabaglione? Shirred eggs could be good, but what is it? You could ask the wait staff of course, but really, seeing that you are a Better Taster and use an iPhone… There must be an app for that.

And I'm sure there are plenty, but now you have another option with our very own Food Dictionary! Even better, seeing that this is a web app, it will work in any newer incarnations of WebKit browsers, including the one used in Android 2.2. (Chrome and Safari will also display the site on your desktop.)

You can simply access it by browsing to the website, and, on the iPhone, press "+" and "Add to Home Screen" to run it like an app in the future.

This is still in early testing phases, so things might not work as well as it should (I've only tested it on an aging iPhone 3G myself) but if you use it, at least you don't have to worry about updating the app, as it's all run on the web, where we'll update it for you.

As for the definitions, most were nabbed from Wikipedia, so let us know if you find any errors.

Now go try it.