Pizza, salad, service all make the drive to Embers worthwhile

As we neared our destination, we realized we had never traveled so far to just have pizza.

And as we arrived at Embers by the Lake and a jam-packed parking lot, we wondered if we should have made reservations to just have pizza.

But you don’t give up after driving a half-hour. That was our second good decision, the first being to follow a couple of recommendations to check out the new family-owned restaurant at Hauser Lake.

Yes, the relatively small restaurant was crowded on the Friday night we visited, which is a great sign.

The wait wasn’t bad – they don’t take reservations after 5:30 we learned – and when we were seated and greeted by Anna, the fun began.

She couldn’t have been more delightful as she welcomed us, explained the history and highlighted the menu. Turns out the restaurant opened last June, replacing Chef in the Forest. Her mom was the hostess who made sure we had a glass of wine while we were waiting, her dad would be baking our wood-fired pizza (and play in the band on certain Saturday nights), and her aunt did the artwork on the walls and tables.

The best tip was that we could split pizzas even if our choices had difference sauces. Our eyes lit up because there were four of us with four different ideas of what we wanted.

For starters we split a pair of salads, a traditional Caesar and Anna’s favorite, the Pepper Jack. Splitting was a good call – and the Pepper Jack was a great call.

One pizza featured two popular choices, Garlic Chicken and Mediterranean, the other Carmelita and Papa’s Special, which is the most popular because of several meats.

If we remember correctly, we were too full by the time we tried everything to decide which ones we liked the best, so we’ll just say that the person doing the typing loved Papa’s Special.

For us, part of the charm was time spent together to reach our destination. It also reinforced that even more important than the food itself is the connection you make with people.

Anna endeared herself to the restaurateur when she approached the table at one point saying, “Your meal is coming right up; would you like another glass of wine before I bring it?” For those who enjoy a beverage with dinner, all too often the meal comes when your glass is empty, and when you reorder, the meal is half-finished when it arrives. Our night at Embers was made by our interaction with Anna, in particular, and her mother. We confidently recommend the pizza and salad (and wine), but your money will be well spent because of the experience.

Funny, we started this feature about 2  1/2 years ago because of bad service at a now defunct restaurant. We can say that since then, to the greater Spokane area’s credit, we have rarely been disappointed. And a couple of times along the way we’ve gotten to know family members of the family-owned places we prefer to support. Sundance Bistro comes to mind – frequently.

Now we believe we have found another – but to be fair, we should warn you. Chances of being served by Anna at Embers are slim, since she is a Vandal, who was probably home for spring break to help her family – or just to wait on us.