Creative. Reliable. Locally rooted and finely tuned. The secret to fine dining is originality and consistency, and boy, does that describe Wild Sage. This is the 10th straight year that Chef Elijah Crume's team has been one of the top three contenders in our fine dining category, and the second year in a row they've clinched it.
But it's the first year that we get to talk about "the two Dannys" — that is, Danny Sisson and Danny Reese, the two bakers at Wild Sage who are whipping, mixing, baking and frosting up the winner for Inlander readers' favorite dessert this year. They're the ones stocking the fridge with over 200 slices of coconut cake every week, the miraculously gluten-free dessert that no one (regardless of gluten tolerance) can get enough of.
A coconut cake has been on Wild Sage's menu for close to two decades, soon after the restaurant opened in 2006. It used to be a normal, glutinous cake served with a coconut sauce. But when the original owners wanted to make the dessert menu entirely gluten-free and Crume started helming the kitchen 15 years ago, the cake got some major facelifts.
They found a perfect blend of gluten-free flour to keep a great crumb, but ended up drizzling each slice with lilikoi, or passion fruit, sauce to add an acidic kick that makes you keep digging your fork in for more.
"The cake is a little sweet, [but] the lilikoi sauce cuts through that," Crume says. "It's almost like on its own, the lilikoi kind of stands out as too much. But with the cake, it pairs really well."
The entire regular dessert menu is gluten-free, including a Callebaut chocolate tart, a knockout creme brulee and even a vegan chocolate macaron ice cream.
I wouldn't judge if you just wanted desserts for dinner. But if you're looking for heartier entrees, look no further than Wild Sage's signature Yukon taquitos, Meyer lemon chicken, Chinook salmon and clams, or its "Bucket List Burger" made with Australian wagyu beef.
The restaurant has always been in touch with local farms, and still maintains a special relationship with Casa Cano Farms on the edge of the Palouse. The farm supplies fresh watermelon radishes, perfectly ripe cherry tomatoes, tiny microgreens and other crispy, crunchy veggies at Crume's request.
Despite the constantly rotating fresh sheet, Wild Sage mostly keeps an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality.
"We kind of keep the same vibe of just trying to buy local and work with local farms," Crume says. "Just keep it more of a Northwest vibe with French techniques."
It also turns out that Inlander Best Of awards may not be the biggest accolades Crume is up for this year. A proud alum of ProStart high school cooking competitions, Crume spent this year coaching local high school teams through their own hospitality competitions.
Last year, Crume helped North Central's team win the state competition and earn a trip to the nation's capital. This year, he's coaching at Rogers High School, which just won state and is currently prepping for a trip to the other Washington. Way to go, Wild Sage and Pirates — you all make us proud!
BEST FINE DINING
2nd PLACE:
Masselow's Steakhouse
3rd PLACE:
Clinkerdagger
NORTH IDAHO'S BEST: Beverly's, Coeur d'Alene
BEST DESSERT
2nd PLACE:
Europa Restaurant & Bakery
3rd PLACE: (tie)
Chaps, Mizuna
NORTH IDAHO'S BEST: Dockside, Coeur d'Alene
