Authentic Latin American restaurants can feel few and far between in the Inland Northwest. Cantarito Mexican Restaurant in Spokane's Indian Trail neighborhood opened in November, and helps fill this gap by serving a unique blend of Mexican, Panamanian, and various other Central and South American cuisine.
Turquoise leather seats, colorful artwork, and sprawling plants provide a sense of cheerful, homelike comfort. Born in Panama, owner José Gonzalez opened Cantarito with his wife, Michele, and he thinks the restaurant's family-friendly feel makes Cantarito special.
The food is filled with fresh-tasting flavors, including the housemade chips and medium spicy salsa served when you sit, and the exquisitely creamy flan ($6.50).
Served in a tortilla lightly fried to perfection with melt-in-your-mouth meat, the carnitas de puerco Cantarito street tacos ($4.11 each) are a must. Fajitas ($21.79) and burritos ($11.39 each or $16.59-$18.67 for specialty burritos), as well as carne, pollo, mariscos and vegetarian dishes, fill out the menu's entree offerings. The original margarita ($13.46) and the cantarito ($11.39) — a drink served in a clay pot for which the restaurant is named — are the more popular drinks, but there are also wine, beer and tequila options.
The Panamanian and Peruvian fare at Cantarito adds a distinct touch to Spokane's Latin American food scene, which is almost exclusively Mexican food. Gonzalez hopes to add some Colombian and Salvadoran food to his menu in the future. Check out other menu options and more at cantaritospokane.com. (LAUREN RODDIS)
LOCAL ACCOLADES
If you've ever watched an awards show — Golden Globes, the Oscars — you'll inevitably hear someone say, "It's an honor just to be nominated."
But when the venerable James Beard Foundation lists your name or your business among its annual culinary industry leaders, it truly is an honor to be nominated. In January, the foundation recognized chef-owner Tony Brown of RUINS and HUNT as a semifinalist in the "best chef" category for the Pacific and Northwest region. Meanwhile, THE BLACK CYPRESS in Pullman was among 20 nationwide nominees for the outstanding hospitality award. Visit jamesbeard.org to learn more and see the complete list of nominees.
The Black Cypress was also among the Northwest regional restaurants that Seattle Met's food and travel writers recognized as the best in Washington state outside the Seattle area for 2023. Additional Eastern Washington spots that made the list include Spokane's INLAND PACIFIC KITCHEN, COCHINITO TAQUERIA and GANDER & RYEGRASS.
And since we're talking accolades, POW'WAW FOOD TRUCK won the Golden Noodle Award at the 2023 downtown Coeur d'Alene Mac and Cheese festival. Owned by Shane Clark (Turtle Mountain Chippewa) and his wife, Megan (Coeur d'Alene), Pow'Waw wowed the judges with its smoked salmon mac and cheese topped with bison jerky, fry bread crumbles, fresh herbs and a honey maple berry sauce called wojapi.
Big shout out to Maisa Abudayha of FEAST WORLD KITCHEN for being an honoree in this year's YWCA Women of Achievement awards in the Arts and Culture category. The YWCA writes that Abudayha's "leadership has been instrumental in helping over 75 chef families share their culinary gifts as they earn income, learn valuable career skills, and build community connections," including more than 79 percent of whom are women, many of them single mothers who have experienced significant trauma. Awards are to be presented in person at the Davenport Grand Hotel during a luncheon on March 9. Visit ywcaspokane.org to see the complete list of honorees. (CARRIE SCOZZARO) ♦
To-Go Box is the Inlander's regular dining news column, offering tasty tidbits and updates on the region's food and drink scene. Send tips and updates to [email protected].
