Hansens close businesses

In a Facebook post Friday afternoon, restaurateur Kate Hansen announced that her husband, chef Jeremy Hansen, and she decided to shutter Common Crumb Artisan Bakery and Biscuit Wizard in Saranac Commons on Sunday. Here’s the post from Kate Hansen:

“There is something I’ve been meaning to share for a while, and it is finally time. Jeremy and I have come to a crossroads in our business pursuits and will be wrapping up our time at the wonderful Saranac Commons this Sunday. It’s not every day that an opportunity is given to create a bakery in a historic building, and we took that opportunity and ran with it.”

She continued: “It’s been such a time of nostalgia and reflection for me. In its heyday, Common Crumb Bakery was producing around the clock for upwards of 30 stores, restaurants and cafes, as well as farmers markets nearly every night of the week. There are so many factors that have led to this decision, and it isn’t one Jeremy and I take lightly.

“Over time, some of our key players moved on to new ventures, and with our time being shared with our other locations, it became harder to maintain the consistent production and quality the business required. This has been one of the most joyous but also the most heartbreaking journey for us personally. We are naturally persistent and loyal, and fought with everything – and risked nearly everything – to try and make it work.

“Thankfully, some wise and supportive people around Jeremy and I made us see that it’s time to scale down. Although Jeremy saw this coming way before I did, he continued to sacrifice and dig in deeper with me, determined to make it work, far past it being able to be saved. So, come down this weekend and join me as we say goodbye to this amazing building and community.”

The full post is at facebook.com/mrsrosehansen. The Hansens still operate Inland Pacific Kitchen, Hogwash Whiskey Den and their latest venture, Smoke & Mirrors, which replaced Santé.

Soft opening is delayed

Despite a Father’s Day preview with long lines of barbecue fans in the afternoon, chef and restaurateur Chad White on June 17 said that the planned soft opening for TT’s Old Iron Brewery on June 20 had been pushed back to June 25.

The reason? The expected liquor license approval was delayed, and the “Top Chef” Season 13 cheftestant said that it didn’t make sense to open the brewery at 4110 S. Bowdish Road in Spokane Valley with his barbecue menu without being able to serve alcohol.

“There is unfortunately no way that we can open,” White said. A quick drive-by at 12:45 p.m. on Father’s Day ahead of the 1 p.m. preview to the public saw long lines waiting to enter the new establishment.

White, whose High Tide Lobster Bar 2 was announced June 14 at the Wonder Building grand opening, said via text, “Father’s Day was bananas for us. We ran out of ribs, brisket and turkey by 4 p.m. and pulled pork by 6 p.m. The only thing left over was chicken.”

Sweetbread Twinkies?!

SecretBurger.com is hosting Sweetbread Twinkies night at Clover Restaurant & Bar at 913 E. Sharp Ave. on July 2. Yes, sweetbread. Here’s the 411 from chef Bryan Doyle via Facebook: Let’s get this first fact out of the way: Sweetbreads are not sweet breads. The play on this dish is all about pairing sweetbreads with America’s most popular iconic treat: the Twinkie.

Sweetbreads (most commonly calf or lamb thymus) consist of pieces of the throat/gullet/neck and got their name because, traditionally, they are much richer in flavor than meat. SecretBurger.com gives us the perfect platform to take an underutilized and often shied-away-from dish and turn it into a delicious comfort food.

We will be making Twinkie tempura-fried sweetbreads with a Brussels and radicchio slaw tossed in a portly poached pear vinaigrette and Ding Dong dust. One day only for $20, so reserve now at SecretBurger.com!

New Das Stein Haus specials

As of Monday, Das Stein Haus at 1812 W. Francis Ave. has begun offering new specials.

In the restaurant, it’s Military Monday (all military personnel, active or inactive, receive 25% off entire meals); Terrible 2’s Day (it’s family night, so one free kids meal with the purchase of an adult meal); Wine Down Wednesday ($15 for select bottles of wine); Teacher Thursday (teachers receive 25% off entire meals); First Responder Friday (police, firefighters and EMT receive 25% off entire meals); Steak Night Saturday (two a la carte steaks for the price of one, not including prime rib); and Senior Sunday (seniors ages 60 and older receive 25% off entire meals).

In the lounge, it’s 25% off any beer on Mondays; any burger and beer for $12 on Tuesdays; select bottles of wine for $15 on Wednesdays; 25% off any whiskey on Thursdays; Frikadellon sliders ($8), prime rib ($14.95) and Fireball shots ($3.50) on Fridays; college students receive 25% off entire meals on Saturdays; and mimosas ($3), absolute spicy mary ($4) and 25% off any vodka drinks on Sundays.

Wine tasting dinner

Laguna Café at 2013 E. 29th Ave. is hosting a wine tasting dinner Thursday, with reservations available from 6-7:30 p.m. Guest winemaker Brian Carter has paired five wines with a five-course dinner, and the price is $59 per person.

Carter, nicknamed “the dean of Washington winemaking” per Laguna Café’s Facebook post, has been named winemaker of the year twice and will present wines at each table, with guests dining at their own pace. There also will be special discounts on wine to take home. To make reservations, call (509) 448-0887.