Don’t listen to pundits. The approval rating at the Oval Office couldn’t be higher. Far from Washington, D.C., this Post Falls sister restaurant to Raci Erdem’s White House Grill is a plenty happy place.

There are two happy hours, from 3-6 pm and again from 9-11 pm, when you can eat, drink or both, with most dishes going for just $5.50 a pop (how’s that for an economic plan?). Try appetizers like happy mushrooms (sautéed in butter, soy sauce and chili flakes), skinny secretaries (grilled asparagus in a lemon and olive oil sauce) or lamb burgers stuffed with gooey Gorgonzola.

Although beer and wine is served, the real draw is the martinis, not only for the taste but for the names. Try the Global Warmer — plum vodka, habanero simple syrup and guava nectar. Or the Larry Craig, with plum vodka, pineapple juice and black raspberry liqueur. A classic example of Erdem’s offbeat humor, it encourages you to “come out of the closet and embrace the fruit.” Nothing like a little political humor with your cocktail.

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Carrie Scozzaro

Carrie Scozzaro has made a living and a life with art: teaching it, making it and writing about it since her undergrad days at Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of Art. Her writing can be found in back editions of Big Sky Journal, Kootenai Mountain Culture, Sandpoint Magazine, WSU Magazine, and Western Art & Architecture...