Recently Reviewed

The Inlander Staff & r & & r & HANGAR 57 & r & & r & The Hangar features airplanes over moth-eaten jerseys and frontlines its 57 martinis over keg nights, but it's definitely a sports bar. The menu's focus is the stone-oven pizza -- make your own or pick from the menu, with options like Margherita and Hawaiian or more adventurous ones, like El Taco and the Philly Cheese Steak. The Buffalo chicken pizza, with slices of tender chicken bathed in Frank's Red Hot atop a thin crust slice, was surprisingly delicious -- the hot sauce, piquant and vinegary, balanced out nicely against the cheese and the very agreeable crust. The grinder with sausage and sweet cherry peppers was exceptional, with sweet, yet vinegary cherry peppers paired with sweet Italian sausage and truly flavorful provolone in a soft, artisan roll. Martinis and beer pong? Zucchini and prosciutto grinders? Frat boys and highbrows? Somehow Hangar 57 pulls it off. 2911 E. 57th Ave., 448-5707 (JS)





Wolf Lodge Steakhouse


Some of the steakiest steaks in the Inland Northwest can be found a short drive east of Coeur d'Alene along I-90. Rubbed in seasoning, cooked over an open fire and delivered with a genuine attention to doneness, these thick slabs of beef are offered in enough combinations of cuts to meet any challenging appetite ($19 for a top sirloin to $56 for the steak and lobster). Freshly made, home-style accompaniments, like steak fries made from whole split potatoes, are absolutely pleasing. Appetizers are mostly standard pub food except for the Rocky Mountain oysters. 11741 E. Frontage Rd., Coeur d'Alene (I-90, exit 22), (208) 664-6665 (MD)





DAILY GRIND UPTOWN


Owner Lauren Izenberg and her staff take pride in knowing their customers and giving them great service -- not to mention scrumptious food. With daily specials like chicken pesto panini, a tuna melt and a meatball sandwich, you have to come back again to try regular lunch items. Rotating soup varieties include roasted Yukon Gold potato, chicken basil chili and crab red-pepper bisque. Salads run the gamut from house to Greek to the fully loaded Hopped-Up. Choose from panini and deli sandwiches like a perfectly executed BLT on sourdough. The Riverside's turkey with cranberries on focaccia is a comforting m & eacute;lange of flavors and textures. Freshly baked scones are Izenberg's trademark, so don't leave without dessert. Moist pumpkin bread and creamy lemon bars are but a couple of her high-quality creations. 120 W. Riverside Ave., 448-1281 (SH)





Caf & eacute; Marron


The sunny tangerine-hued north wall marks this casual-yet-upscale neighborhood gathering place as a daily source for morning meals that you'd expect to find at an indulgent weekend brunch. The presentation here lifts the most prosaic breakfast classics above the ordinary, and you can find surprises like salad and sandwiches for breakfast. My avocado sandwich ($9), with two poached eggs shimmying atop slices of avocado, bacon and tomato, all on Bouzies toast, gave me vegetables along with salty earthiness, and the Coeur d'Alene Park scramble ($10) -- eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, peppers and mushrooms topped with a smattering of sausage gravy -- gave the simple flavors room to breathe without drowning them. And don't forget to come back for dinner. 144 S. Cannon St., 456-8660 (AC)