Seattle Met names these three Spokane restaurants best in the state
The food and travel editors of the Seattle Met Magazine have named three Spokane restaurants the best in the state.
Downtown Spokane’s Gander and Ryegrass, Inland Pacific Kitchen and Cochinito Taqueria were destinations worth visiting outside of Seattle’s immediate metropolitan area, the editors wrote.
“A dining room all but hidden inside a former cracker factory subverts the ‘old brick and railroad tracks’ ambience with tall windows and plush banquettes. Here, chefs Dylan Gilbert and Chong Vang bring a host of seasonal ingredients into impressive harmony – each achievement punctuated with edible flowers,” Allison Williams and Allecia Vermillion wrote about Inland Pacific Kitchen in the Washington Cracker Co. Building. “Squid ink ravioli arrives filled with spinach ricotta, atop smoked pea puree, with duck prosciutto and brown butter. A melon and prosciutto salad might also involve fennel, arugula, and pistachio dukka.
“The creativity is impressive; so is the success rate. Desserts wield these maximalist tendencies especially well.”
Regarding Cochinito, Williams and Vermillion said: “The world is full of cheffy tacos, but Travis Dickinson’s layers of flavor (and the $5 price tag) put Cochinito’s in a stratosphere of their own. Dickinson, the chef and co-owner, applies the techniques and sourcing of his training in higher-end Portland kitchens to a lineup of 10-ish fillings. His ethos: Treat each tortilla like a tiny plate. In this case, plates are made of house-blended yellow and white masa, and might support chunks of steelhead al pastor. Or duck confit, bits of roasted brussels sprouts, stewy mole, and candied hazelnuts. This handiwork comes on metal trays, but you can dignify that fast-casual vibe with a really good margarita.”
At the North Post Street restaurant, the Seattle Met wrote, each taco contains an entire meal’s worth of flavor.
As for Gander and Ryegrass? “We do something really crazy here,” servers cautioned the Met upon their arrival.
“The craziness in question is the ‘chef’s marathon’ tasting menu – six courses that remain a mystery until they arrive at the table. No disrespect to chef Peter Froese’s other, three-course option, but the real madness would be bypassing this marathon o f modern Italian fare,” Vermillion and Williams wrote about the West Main Avenue eatery. “Dinner starts with stuzzichini (aka snacks), then a splay of seasonal vegetables with subtle prosciutto. A particularly brilliant touch: One course of delicate pasta on individual plates, followed by a hearty bowl to share with tongs – both ends of the pasta pleasure spectrum, delivered in one sitting.
“Wine pairings are also exceptionally fun. The lunch menu centers on share plates, but whatever the time of day, this just might be the best meal in Spokane.”
Other Eastern Washington eateries in the Met’s list of best places to eat are:
Passatempo Taverna and Kinglet
- in Walla Walla.
- in Waitsburg.
- in Yakima.
- in Union Gap.
- in Pullman.
Yodelin Broth Company and Larch
- in Leavenworth.
Canyon River Grill in Ellensburg.