Well Paired

Young Kwak

Sigurd Panke enjoys an eggnog latte at Well-Read Moose.

Forget meat or fish: what really goes well with merlot is a nice, juicy murder mystery. Or maybe a mocha. Have either (or both) at the Well-Read Moose, a recent addition to Coeur d'Alene's Riverstone development.

Designed to encourage browsing, this independently owned bookstore fits plenty into 2,700 square feet. In addition to the usual — bookcases by section, tables of sales items, a children's play area — numerous seating areas invite you to sit and sip. The emphasis is definitely on local vendors: coffee from DOMA; wines from regional wineries like Coeur d'Alene Cellars, Townshend, Pend d'Oreille Winery and 14 Hands; and beer from such brewers as Selkirk Abbey and Bitter Root.

Because reading can be exhausting, the Well-Read Moose serves homemade soups, like tomato basil or broccoli cheddar ($3.95), as well as veggie or fruit and cheese plates ($3.50-$5). Sweetwater Bakery in Post Falls provides tasty pastries and bread for paninis: turkey or ham pesto, grilled cheese and breakfast egg sandwich ($4.99). For dessert, try Chocolate Bear sweets from Sandpoint, like truffles ($2) or brittle ($4).

But if real relaxing means tucking into the curve of your own couch, step around the corner from the Well-Read Moose to check out the Cork & Tap for to-go orders of standard and not-so-standard spirits.

Craft beers include No-Li, Ninkasi and Elysian, but also Odell Brewing's Friek and Firestone Walker. Most countries are represented on the wine list, with a concentration of Italian, German and French varietals, as well as bottles from California and Washington. Like the bookstore, the Cork & Tap encourages browsing, albeit in their tap room. Friday tastings of three 2-ounce pours ($11) vary weekly, while growlers depend on what's flowing from the tap — Iron Horse's Mocha Death was recently featured.

Don't see what you like? Owners Trisha Maddy and Michael Dimico can order it for you, giving you the benefit of their combined decades of wine-trying and wine-buying experience.♦