Thai Bamboo -- If you're looking for an escape, there's hardly a better option than a foray to one of Thai Bamboo's three Spokane locations. The menu is enormous, with some items helpfully labeled "popular Thai dish." The Thai Bamboo style fried rice ($10) was easily the best fried rice I've had in Spokane, with big chunks of tender pork, crisp cabbage and other vegetables all fried up with jasmine rice. Swimming rama ($9) is a mysteriously named dish that is really quite simple and delicious. Sauteed chicken is served on a bed of fresh spinach and topped with a rich peanut sauce. Thai Bamboo uses high-quality fresh ingredients and keeps prices reasonable. Call: 232-THAI (South), 444-THAI (Valley) or 777-THAI (North). (Reviewed 9/15/05, LM)
Ferrante's -- Ferrante's is one of the South Hill's most urbane yet casual stops for lunch and dinner, especially for families. The caf & eacute; is designed to create the illusion of sitting outside in the evening on the patio of an Italian caf & eacute;. Lunch selections include Italian favorites like thin-crust pizza ($9.50-$14.25), calzones ($10.25-$11.75) and paninis (with house greens for $7.95). Our enormous spinach calzone ($10.25) -- the biggest we've encountered in Spokane -- glistened as it beckoned us to explore its warm, fragrant depths. The Mediterranean salad ($9.25 for a whole) was also huge and definitely made for sharing. Ferrante's is also one of the few places around town where you can get real Italian gelato in about 10 different flavors ($2.60 for a single scoop). 4516 S. Regal, 443-6304. (Reviewed 8/11/05, MC)
Max at Mirabeau -- Fine dining shows up even in a hotel restaurant located next to the Sullivan Road/I-90 on-ramp. And you know the Mirabeau Park Hotel is dedicated to total service, because the more than 100 items on the menu here are available all the way from 6 am (every day) to 2 am (on the weekends). Try the basil crab cakes ($12), the hot spinach salad ($6), the caprese salad ($7, with mozzarella, basil and tomato), the New Zealand rack of lamb ($28, with pankoo peanut crust and passion fruit demiglace) or the seared sesame-crusted ahi tuna with yakisoba noodles ($24). Call 922-6252. (Reviewed 7/14/05, LM)
Empyrean Coffee Shop and Caf & eacute; -- Featuring Shop coffee, Fery's food and Sweetwater breads Empyrean (in the old Luminaria space) serves quick foods and beverages in a sophisticated yet warm and inviting atmosphere. The sandwiches are $5.50, salads, $3.95. There are mini pizza bagels (with pepperoni, sausage or veggie) for $2.50 and a selection of amazing-looking desserts. The sausage-and-cheese-stuffed bagel pocket was heated panini-style and served with Fery's famous chicken and spinach pasta salad. 154 S. Madison St. Call: 456-3676 (Reviewed 6/23/05, MC)
Fiesta Charra -- This place offers great service and authentic, tasty Mexican food in an unpretentious, out-of-the-way location (on top of the Sunset Hill next to the Motel 6). The lunch menu is good until 3 pm and features a variety of dishes from the main menu at bargain prices. The large chicken enchilada is filled with a generous amount of very high-quality shredded chicken breast. 1520 S. Rustle Rd. Call 835-5606. Also at 505 Second Ave in Cheney. Call 235-5679 (Reviewed 5/26/05, MC)
HuHot Mongolian Grill -- HuHot takes the Mongolian Grill concept to new heights, putting diners in charge of selecting ingredients. The centerpiece of the dining room is a big circular grill where white-toqued grillmasters await your orders. Dinners ($11) include soup or salad and as many trips through the grill line as you care to make. Fill up a colorful bowl with uncooked ingredients (meats, vegetables and noodles) and a myriad of sauces, and the chefs-in-waiting will cook up your creations. Service is pleasant but inexper-ienced and there are a few cleanliness issues to address. 11703 E. Sprague. Call: 891-871. (Reviewed 5/19/05, LM)
Latah Bistro -- Just south of town along Hwy 95 is where you'll find the Latah Bistro, a new neighborhood restaurant located in a strip mall across from a Tidyman's. The interior is surprisingly comfortable and chic. And the appetizers, salads, pizzas and pastas are anything but ordinary. The entrees include salmon and a pork tenderloin grilled brochettes over lemon-oregano risotto, feta cheese and spinach ($19). The pan-roasted duck breast with roasted cabbage, mashed potatoes and pomegranate puree ($21) was delightful. 4241 S. Cheney-Spokane Road Call: 838-8338. (Reviewed 4/28/05, LM)
El Gallo Giro -- El Gallo Giro is fast food in the only way you want food to be fast -- that is, rapidly prepared. You sacrifice nothing in terms of quality or authenticity. Lots of choices and cheerful service, too. The Gallo Giro tacos (in a rice and beans combo for $6.50) are terrific: tender seasoned meat (your choice) in delicate white corn tortillas with a squirt of lime and a drizzle of freshly made hot sauce. The carne asada burrito ($4.50) is big, dusted with cheese and bathed in a rich red enchilada sauce. 305 S. Thor St. 535-0142 (Reviewed 4/21/05, MC)
The Globe Bar and Grill -- The Globe's pub grub is a cut above with a menu featuring French, Jamaican, Greek, American, Spanish and Italian dishes along with a good selection of good ol' Northwest microbrews. It's dark inside with a long wooden bar, a scattering of tables and a row of booths. The menu has seven salads, from Caesar to Ginger Peach Shrimp. Four creamy pasta dishes. A page and a half of sandwiches (the French Dip, the Jamaican Jerk Pork) and burgers (the Whiskey Pepper Demi, the Black & amp; Bleu). The muffuletta sandwich ($9.25) was big, stacked thick with ham and spicy salami along with a little tomato and lettuce to wet the palate and slathered all over with an exquisite olive tapenade on thick, lightly toasted foccaccia. Divine. 204 N. Division. Call: 744-0438 (reviewed 4/14/05, JS)
Coeur d'Alene Brew Pub -- The dozen (or more) Coeur d'Alene Brewing Company ales are distinctive and clean tasting. To go along with all those cool pints, the comfortable CdA brewpub has a diverse menu featuring salads, soups, sandwiches, wraps, pasta, even fish tacos. The $8.50 Alehouse Sandwich -- made with quality ingredients like sliced turkey breast, bacon, provolone, lettuce, red onion and roasted pepper aioli on sourdough -- is hefty and satisfying. The $11 fish and chips (coated in Lakeside Ale batter), however, are so-so. A pleasant atmosphere and good service come standard. Corner of Second Street and Lakeside Avenue, Coeur d'Alene. Call (208) 664-2739 (Reviewed 4/7/05, MC)
Maggie's Grill -- Maggie's seat-yourself, order-at-the-counter style of dining adds a new twist to South Hill neighborhood dining. The menu includes a little bit of everything: sandwiches, wraps, salads and hot entrees like lasagna, chicken pot pie, flat iron steak, roasted honey ginger chicken and broiled lemon shrimp skewers. The Thai chicken noodle ($11) was quite pleasant and spicy with a rich, tangy peanut sauce, thick noodles, grilled chicken and crispy cabbage slaw that added texture and coolness. The pan-seared ahi tuna ($15) -- encrusted with black sesame seeds and served with wasabi aioli -- was also very tasty. The timing between salad and main entr & eacute;e course was off, but the owner made up for it with complimentary desserts. 2808 E. 29th Ave. Call 536-4745. (Reviewed 3/31/05, LM)