A Must Try Culinary Experience at Masselows
Wine lists at restaurants are important to me, almost as important as the food menu. Often times I find myself either frustrated at the lack of creativity, the lack of knowledge or the absurd pricing that makes beer or cocktails seem so much more appealing. I’ve heard rumors of a restaurant with stellar service, phenomenal food and a spectacular wine list. Recently, after a long wait and many friend suggestions, I finally got the opportunity to try Masselow’s Restaurant in the Northern Quest Resort & Casino. See the full review of Northern Quest Resort & Casino As greater Spokane’s only […]
Impressed and Hungry at Pasco’s Bin No 20 Restaurant
Impressed. This single word describes my entire experience at The Red Lion Hotel in Pasco. Hungry. This is the word that describes how I’m feeling right now, re-living the culinary experience at the hotel restaurant, Bin No. 20. Jealous. This is the word that you’ll be thinking after reading this post, looking at the pictures and watching the accompanying video. Living in Spokane, I’m very fortunate to have access to some top chefs, quality food, and top notch experiences. My first thought would not be to make the 120 mile drive to the Tri-Cities to have those experiences elevated to […]
Restaurant Wine Lists Are Put on Notice
Restaurant wine practices are a sour subject. Earlier in the year CNN.com ran a story on the top five “rip-offs” and restaurant wine prices came in on the list. Often with a 400% above wholesale markup, restaurants are passing off bad wine at high prices and often in inferior stemware with a less than knowledgeable staff. As I type this I can hear restaurant owners around the US complaining about high overhead, stemware breakage, and loss, there is obviously a more balanced way to sell wine. It’s time to call out the good restaurant wine lists and put the bad […]
A Visit To WineStyles in North Spokane
Be careful, surfing at entrepreneur.com can lead to some wild adventures. For Mike and Deedee McMahon, it’s just the adventure they were looking for. The McMahon’s own and operate several coffee shops in the Spokane area. With the operations of these shops firmly under control, Mike and Deedee were intrigued by the Wine Styles franchise and were eager to dive into something that involved their other passion, wine. As I’m fond of saying, “Wine and coffee equal liquid love.” Wine Styles is an exciting franchise that brings an old world retail wine experience to communities. The franchise costs are relatively […]
A Wine Education with L’Ecole 41
If school were like this, I’d have gotten my doctorates degree! L’Ecole 41, French for “The School” district 41 is more appropriately named, “Je t’aime” for the love that it induces upon first sip. Situated in a schoolhouse built in 1915, L’Ecole teaches a master class in Washington wine class, style and marketing. Until the recent changes to Highway 12 in Walla Walla, every visitor entering Walla Wall from the West drove past the distinct schoolhouse tasting room which beckoned all inside for an enological education. Operated by Megan and Marty Clubb, L’Ecole offers a 27 year lesson plan on […]