Northwest treasures
Sometimes, you can’t see the diamonds for the gravel.
The Inland Northwest is sprinkled with Hidden Gems, some of them tucked away in obscure corners, others right underfoot (in the case of the Wine Cellar, literally underfoot).
We cast an eye over the region, and discovered the following small, but glittering, objects:
The Shop
924 S. Perry (534-1647, www.theshop.bz/welcome.htm): When it comes to music at The Shop, there is a misconception that it is exclusive to folkies.
While local and Northwest singer/songwriter shows are consistently well attended, largely because of the unmatched intimacy The Shop provides, it also hosts bands of the more eclectic slant, such as San Francisco improv jazz-jam band Om Trio, Santa Fe’s all-female country-punks Dolly Ranchers, Coeur d’Alene’s premiere marimba players Couerimba, and once even a polka group.
During the summer months, the auto-shop-turned-java-joint flips up its garage door for semi-outdoor shows.
Another nice bonus is that nearly all live shows are recorded at The Shop, and repeat offenders usually have them for sale at revisits. Local artists’ work adorns the walls. Thursdays are pretty much a given for the best live music The Shop has to offer, with occasional must-sees on Saturday nights.
The average cover charge flexes from $5 to $8, with many shows calling for a suggested donation in a similar range.
In terms of movies, though, The Shop is the site for the South Perry Summer Theater.
Beginning July 17, in conjunction with its street fair, the summer movie series will show a seven-week-long selection of classic action, musical, mystery and comedy films. There is no admission, although Camp says that they pay licensing fees for the films, and donations help defray their costs.
The movies are screened on the side of the Altamont Pharmacy, which forces the audience to sit in the parking lot (bring your own pillows). The first movies probably won’t start until about 9 p.m., which Camp says should be about dusk.
The Twilight Room
112 S. Monroe (456-5654): Walking into the Twilight Room is like stepping into “The Twilight Zone.”
The first thing you think is, “This is not Spokane.” With The Twilight Room’s cozy leather couches and movable ottoman cubes, ambient lighting, and cutting edge electronic and hip-hop pulsating in quasi-quadrophonics, this place has big-city hipster written all over it.
And that’s exactly what brothers Ramsin, who ran the DJ program at Havanas for five years until it closed, and Ramon Amirkhas intended when they opened the mid-key beer and wine lounge on New Year’s Eve.
It’s a place where the 20- to 30-something wine sipper can peel it back and have a meat market-free glass of libation: average $3 to $4 for a beer, $4 to $5 for wine, the likes of your microtypicals, domestics and imports and a combination of largely Spokane and Northwest wines.
Plus, for the more obscure tastes there are popular exoticas such as Tsing Tao suds, Chilean wines and the oft-sought Southern Australian Big Pig reds and whites.
The Twilight Room is open Wednesday through Saturday: Sho’ shots are Thursday at 8 p.m. for DJ Messiah’s supercool blend of deep down-tempo, hip hop and house; Friday night for more unique and slept-on music and semi-regular showings for local visual artists.
Careful though, with a tight 600 square feet of space and a 32-head capacity, when packed, the room has Thirstbuster appeal crammed into a Dixie cup.
Ramsin said if traffic stays heavy he envisions moving to another location and expanding to an upscale night club.
Unified Groove Merchants
2607 N. Monroe (326-4842): If you’re a deejay, or a vinyl connoisseur of any kind, then you’ve likely been digging in the bins at Unified Groove Merchants.
Owner, deejay, and all-around wax-hunter Tony Brown, aka Grand Groove, is reputable in spin circles for his seemingly bottomless vault of rare groove, jazz, funk and hip-hop records and CDs — everything from classic hip-hop LPs to the classic soul records they sampled are for sell or trade at this mom-and-pop record shop for a new generation.
And, with a crate-load of distributors at his disposable for special orders and imports, Brown said he sells as much indie rock as he does underground rap.
Brown also dabbles in world music, such as reggae, Latin, and Afro-Cuban.
In its fourth year in operation, Unified Groove Merchants moved to the larger location on North Monroe a year ago.
In July, Brown plans to multi-task disc enthusiasts by adding a coffee shop and stage for deejay, jazz, folk, and small rock showcases.
O’Shay’s Irish Pub
313 Coeur d’Alene Drive, Coeur d’Alene ((208) 765-7723): Inside O’Shay’s Irish Pub, the capacity caps at about 75.
But outside, the beer yard, O’Garden, can handle upward of 350-500 folks.
Claiming to be Coeur d’Alene’s only true Irish Pub, O’Shay’s beer garden is sure to be the real draw there this summer.
In addition to 15 picnic tables and a stage for live music, it will offer badminton, horseshoes, and often a bonfire after sundown, said manager Timothy Johnston.
Open for about a year now, O’Shay’s features live Celtic music on Friday and Saturday nights, mixed with original and classic rock indoors year round.
In addition to the usual pours, a selection of Irish beers is available to wash down a menu of traditional Irish pub grub and good ol’ American bar bites.
Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre
508 S. Main, Moscow ((208) 882-4127, www.kenworthy.org/Default.asp): In use as an opera house as far back as 1908, Moscow’s Kenworthy Theatre has been used as a public theater since 1926.
Enlarged and remodeled over the decades, and used for a while as an office building, the theater has been run since 2000 by the nonprofit Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre Inc. (KPAC).
In the years since, community theater productions have vied with musical performances and, since 2002, for the screening of independent American and foreign-language movies such as “Whale Rider,” “Under the Skin of the City,” “A Mighty Wind” and “Touching the Void.”
The Panida Theater
300 N. First Ave., Sandpoint ((208) 263-9191, www.panida.org/history.html): Another regional historical gem, the Panida started out as a vaudeville palace in 1927.
Admired for its “Spanish Mission styling,” the theater fell into disrepair over the decades, even nearly burning down at one point.
Saved in 1985 by concerned Sandpoint citizens, the 550-seat Panida now serves as a stage for concerts, lectures, stage plays and the Global Cinema Café series that will bring such films as “In America” tonight and Saturday, “The Barbarian Invasions” on May 20-22, “Girl With a Pearl Earring” on May 27-29 and “Goodbye Lenin” on June 3-5.
The Auto-Vue Drive-In
444 Auto View Road, Colville ((509) 684-2863): In the 51 years it’s been open, the Auto-Vue has gone from one of thousands of drive-in theaters in the nation to one in about 400.
But that doesn’t mean movie-goers are in for a quiet night alone when they catch a flick at this golden-era haven.
The lot still gets crowded with truck beds and convertibles packed full of people for the theater’s summer weekend double features.
The experience is a little more modern than it was in the days of yore, with the soundtrack broadcast over low-power FM directly to viewers’ car stereos.
Shows start once the sun goes down, given there are at least five carloads in attendance.
Call to see what’s playing.
The Blue Door Theatre
815 W. Garland (747-7045): Here’s a gem that changes minute to minute, week to week. In fact, its greatest strength is its utter unpredictability.
The Blue Door Theatre is an improvisational comedy troupe performing improv scenes as well as scripted scenes based on monthly themes (this month’s theme: Bill Shakespeare), every Friday night on their own funky stage in the Garland District.
These young, brainy, talented improvisers take the audience on impromptu journeys through the sometimes surreal, sometimes bizarre and almost always funny landscapes in their heads.
Not every idea clicks — but that makes the inspired moments even more rewarding.
And don’t forget Spokane’s other improv company, ComedySportz, a gem that’s not quite as hidden in its new space in the Havermale Park building, 227 W. Riverside (363-1279).
The ComedySportz festivities, every Friday and Saturday night, are family-friendly and more strictly structured as a competition.
The Cutter Theatre
302 Park Ave., Metaline Falls ((509) 446-4108): Who would expect to find a historic, vibrant theater in a town of 225 souls?
Metaline Falls has just that, with this Kirtland Cutter-designed 1912 gem.
The theater has been nurtured by a dedicated group of local residents and now regularly hosts local plays, musical performances, lectures and touring acts.
Coming up: An Dochas Irish Band and the Haran Irish Dancers on May 22 and a reading of James Joyce’s works on June 16.
The Firth Chew Studio Theatre at the Spokane Civic Theatre
1020 N. Howard (325-2507): The Civic’s Main Stage has the big musicals and the mainstream plays, but here’s our advice: take a hike downstairs.
his tiny black-box of a space can seat only 96 people, maximum. In spite of that (or possibly because of that), the Studio Theater has always presented the newest, most thought-provoking plays there, such as “Wit” and “The Laramie Project,” as well as some of the oldest, such as “Lysistrata.”
Next season, we can look forward to George C. Wolfe’s “The Colored Museum” and an evening of avant-garde theater.
The Wine Cellar
313 Sherman Ave., Coeur d’Alene ((208) 664-9463): For disciples of Mediterranean cuisine, The Wine Cellar is hardly unknown. Yet it is buried in a Coeur d’Alene cellar (well, a basement), so plenty of Spokane people still remain uninitiated into its Provencal and Tuscan pleasures.
The best deal: the three-course Italian Menu, which allows you to choose three courses for just $13.95 per person. The Wine Cellar also has live jazz and blues music nightly, and a terrific late-night bistro menu.
The Marrakesh
2008 W. Northwest Blvd. (328-9733): This fine Moroccan restaurant has been in business for more than a decade, yet many people still don’t know that Spokane has a North African restaurant.
Relax on the cushions in the dark, tent-like dining rooms, sample some bastella royale (a savory chicken pastry) and sip some sweet mint tea.
It’s a complete Moroccan experience, including a hand-washing ritual.
The Baby Bar
827 W. First Ave. (847-1234): “Hidden” is no metaphor with this gem.
It’s tucked behind its sister-establishment, Slick Rock Burrito, on First Avenue downtown.
The shorty-style theme is apt — only about 25 can squeeze into this hip little nightspot.
Yet squeeze in people do, lured by its eclectic décor (pulp-fiction art and leopard skin) and fine imbibe-ables.