Stop in at Pacific to Palouse and you might think you've arrived at owner Amber Park's living room.
Park, who's also the owner of Wanderlust Delicato in downtown Spokane, opened the new cozy neighborhood spot in May and features local wines from family-run vineyards, plus a menu of light fare highlighting Washington ingredients from the salty coast to the Idaho border.
It's the perfect counterbalance to Wanderlust, which scratches the travel itch by importing delicacies from far-flung corners of the globe. Instead, Pacific to Palouse celebrates everything that's within reach from our nest in the "Upper Left." Perry's newest neighbor is super family-friendly, from nonalcoholic (NA) drink options to cute children's furniture to even cuter baby Landen, Park's grandson who hangs out at the shop and has already become its beloved, unofficial mascot.
The bar's menu is curated by Park's daughter (and baby Landen's mother), Mariah Brown. Mix-and-match chips and dips give plenty of opportunities for the perfectly tailored snack. You could pair marinated labneh ($8) with sourdough toast points made fresh at Gander & Ryegrass ($3), or Dungeness crab dip ($20) with artisan crackers ($3), or Cougar Gold cheese ($12) with Tim's Cascade potato chips ($3).
PACIFIC TO PALOUSE
1020 S. Perry St., Suite 102
509-960-7569
Tue-Sat 3 pm-10pm
"NA is really a big category right now in the industry," Park says. "There's a lot of people that are
taking a break from alcohol. That's part of the reason for the NA cocktails, in addition to being all ages. My teenage niece or my teenage employees who want to come in and hang out and feel fancy — they can have an NA cocktail, chill and have a snack. More of that neighborhood, family feel."
MORE TO TRY
EMRYS BEER AND MEAD WORKS
21850 E. Wellington Pkwy., Liberty Lake
Mon-Thu 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11 am-10 pm, Sun 11 am-8pm
Emrys means "immortal" in Welsh, which fits head brewer and founder of Emrys Beer & Mead Works Thomas Croskrey's undying enthusiasm to bring a meadery to life. The project that's been in the works since 2015 finally celebrated its grand opening in Liberty Lake in June.
Made from honey, "Mead is so wildly different from other alcoholic beverages," Croskrey says. "It's the only one not made out of plants. It is made out of an animal product." Beer is also on tap.
Food options include smashburgers — meat and veggie — as well as griddled bakestones, which are a traditional Welsh sweetbread.
— ELIZA BILLINGHAM
TAICHI BUBBLE TEA
1227 W. Summit Parkway
Open daily 11 am-8 pm
The Inlander's new Kendall Yard's neighbor, Taichi Bubble Tea, is the franchise's first Inland Northwest location.
Taichi's drink menu features fruit teas, milk teas ($5.50/small, $6.50/large), and smoothies ($6.75) in a wide selection of flavors: jasmine, honeydew, chocolate, kumquat, taro, strawberry, and pineapple, to name a few. Customers can also choose toppings such as tapioca pearls, jelly, popping boba and cheesy milk foam.
Taichi's unique options include the milk crush ($6.75), a combination of frozen fruit and milk that creates a creamy fruit drink, and its zang zang ($5.50/small, $6.50/large), a flavored paste on the inside of a cup filled with milk. Flavors include sweet potato, taro, matcha, chocolate and co-owner Rosseana Kang's favorite, brown sugar.
— LUCY KLEBECK
SAUCED!
11712 E. Montgomery Drive, Spokane Valley
Open Mon-Sat 3-8 pm (9 pm Fri-Sat)
Spokane, it's time to get sauced. Responsibly, of course. Forget the New York slice. Forget Chicago deep dish. Melt your face with Detroit-style pizza, a thick casserole-shaped pizza that's cut into rectangles.
This Midwestern monster is brought to you by the people behind Heritage Bar & Kitchen, who opened a new kitchen at YaYa Brewing Co.'s Spokane Valley tasting room.
You can build your own pizza or try their signature ground beef, onion and dill relish topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheese creation. In addition, Sauced! serves up wings, sweet potato fries, onion rings and a couple of bomb salads. You can now officially call Spokane Valley the Inland Midwest.
— ELIZA BILLINGHAM
