All that glitters
The Gilded Unicorn is coming soon to downtown Spokane.
Adam Hegsted is leasing the basement space that formerly housed Catacombs in the Montvale Hotel. His newest restaurant will feature old favorite American food with modern twists, whiskey and lots of gold.
“It’s going to be ridiculous,” he said.
Think Grandma’s rose plates, reproduction paintings with gilt frames, vintage barware and gold-painted unicorn heads.
Hegsted said he’s going for a speakeasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The vibe is distinctly “funny and tacky. It’s going to be fantastic.”
It’s going to be open for lunch, dinner and drinks. Early and late-night happy hours are planned.
Menu items include the $9 Sparkle Burger, $8 Unicorn Mac-and-Cheese and $9 Tatertot Casserole. Midwesterners might be happy to see a sugar pie with whipped cream for dessert for $4. Expect a s’mores ice cream sandwich for $6 and orange salad reminiscent of the one Hegsted’s Mom used to make for $5, too.
The Gilded Unicorn is slated to open in early December. Meantime, there’s plenty of work to do. Hegsted and chef Matt Mayer, who will run the kitchen on a day-to-day basis, have been cleaning out the freezer and back office and refinishing wooden surfaces such as tables and the bar. The cooler still needs to be cleaned and the kitchen revamped. There are sinks to tear out, floors to to redo and things to throw away or at least empty.
Catacombs, located in a former boiler room of the Montvale Hotel, has sat largely untouched since it closed in spring 2013. Parmesan, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper remain in shakers on shelves from two and a half years ago. Wine glasses in racks have been gathering dust. There are spider webs from floor to ceiling.
It had opened in 2002 and served German-style food and wood-fired pizza.
Hegsted loves the high ceilings and stone walls of the space. He isn’t too worried about all of the work that remains.
“It’s going to come together pretty fast,” he said.
Hegsted is the chef behind Wandering Table and Yards Bruncheon in Spokane’s Kendall Yards. Hegsted also owns The Cellar in Coeur d’Alene, where he lives, and the Eat Good cafeteria in Liberty Lake, along with Le Catering Co.