MASSELOW'S STEAKHOUSE ($29)
There are no white tablecloths here anymore. Aftert revamping its menu last May — Masselow's also added "Steakhouse" to its name, to better reflect its best-selling item — the Northern Quest Resort & Casino restaurant also toned down its dining room to a more casual feel.
"The point of participating in this event is to get the message out that we're not an elite restaurant," says executive chef Robert Rogers.
With Masselow's since its inception, Rogers continues to create simple yet high-quality dishes. Restaurant Week main courses, of course, include a filet mignon option, as well as crispy free-range chicken and wild salmon, all featured on the regular menu. Upgraded selections also are available, as well.
BROWNE'S TAVERN ($19)
About a year ago, the restaurant famous for its spacious patio completely overhauled its menu and brought in a new chef.
"Honestly, we needed a facelift," says restaurant manager Justin Hooper, who has been with the Browne's Addition historic mansion-turned-restaurant since it opened two years ago. "We were fancy and pricey."
Participating in Restaurant Week for the first time means a wider range of people will taste the changes — warming homemade and fried food.
"I've always participated in the event myself, going to other restaurants," Hooper says. "This is an awesome way to support the local community."
Customer favorites like the calamari and fresh hummus platter are included on their Restaurant Week menu.
GASLAMP SOCIAL PROVISIONS ($19)
Gaslamp barely has three months under its belt, but already its soups, stews and flatbreads are bringing folks back for more. With a Riverfront Park location next to the AMC Theater, business is quite dependent on mall traffic, says operations manager Jason Martinez.
"I've only ever heard good things about Restaurant Week from my friends in the business," he says. "February can be a slower time of year, and from everything I've heard, Restaurant Week is a great way to bring people in."
Going with the venue's most popular selections, patrons can sample the beer cheese soup and downtown pork-and-green-chile stew. The candied orange cheesecake dessert, especially, will end a date night well.
KAIJU SUSHI AND SPIRITS ($29)
Bringing monsters to downtown Coeur d'Alene is all part of the package at Kaiju Sushi. Pictures of Toho monsters (think Godzilla and other 1950s- and '60s-era Japanese creature films) line the restaurant walls and sushi rolls are named after them. But since opening in August, owner/general manager Frank Ciccone says that not all people are aware of his restaurant.
"Specifically, we're doing Restaurant Week this year for the exposure," he says.
As Coeur d'Alene isn't hurting for sushi restaurants, Ciccone says what sets his place apart is the menu's mix of traditional Japanese sushi, as well as rolls he and executive chef Ryan "Bogie" Bourgard have crafted. For their Restaurant Week menu, expect creative pairings of these items, including "monster" rolls.
TIMBER GASTRO PUB ($19)
Located between Coeur d'Alene and Spokane, Post Falls' Timber Gastro Pub has worked tirelessly to embrace its local community, as well as nearby cities, since opening last May. Participating in Restaurant Week for the first time means bringing even more people to experience the venue's scratch-made, Northwest-inspired pub cuisine and exposed-wood ambiance.
"We like to do anything that has to do with the community," says Jeff Chatigny, the restaurant's executive chef and general manager. "This is a different thing to do when it's a time of year where fewer people are coming out to eat."
Chatigny describes the menu options as being fun, specialty items.
"I think the meatloaf entrée is especially going to be pretty righteous," he says. "It comes on a loaded potato cake, with demi-glace, vegetables and a sunny egg that tops it off. That's crazy flavor going on."
