Location: 1611 South Smittys Boulevard, Ritzville, WA (inside the Cow Creek Mercantile)
Our choices were very limited off the exit in Ritzville. We could either opt for fast food, or we could try something new and different. We went for the new and different and stopped in at Spike's Deli and Pizza, located in the Cow Creek Mercantile.
We had to creatively get around the split plate fee, so I ordered the Baked Potato and Ham Soup. My husband ordered the Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich. The soup was a bit different than what I had in mind, but it was good. I think I was taken aback because it was darker than most potato soups I have eaten, but that goes to show you can never judge a soup by its color.
The plate with the sandwich was adorable. In addition to the sandwich, they served up chips, some carrots, a pickle and a cookie. The sandwich was a pleasant surprise. The sauce was delicious, though I could have done without the bacon. Most people will probably like it. I'm just not a fan of bacon in my sandwiches unless they are a BLT.
The restaurant had a lot of fun books at the table, and I saw some games sitting on the ledge. It's a decent family restaurant, but I'm not chomping at the bit to go back. The food was tasty but average, though I am curious about their carrot cake. They claim quite a few of their desserts are famous, and I love a good dessert! I guess we'll see what happens next time we're in town.
Showing posts with label lunch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lunch. Show all posts
Monday, July 25, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Tomato Street
Location: 6220 North Division Street, Spokane, WA
Tomato Street has kind of ruined me. My first experience there was so awesome that I hold every other Italian restaurant in Spokane to their standard. I have yet to find one I like as much, so I was super excited when the girls suggested we go there for lunch.
My favorite item on their menu is their Baked Spaghetti. Unfortunately, it wasn't on the lunch specials menu, and I was trying to be cheap, so I made a different selection. I debated between Uncle Tony's Chicken Pasta and the Smoked Chicken Manicotti, but in the end I decided to give the Smoked Chicken Manicotti a whirl.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though, because there is the matter of bread that needs to be discussed. Tomato Street calls it garlic bread, but highly addictive buttery goodness bread would probably be more accurate. It is soaked in butter and garlic, and it's delicious. Hello carbs!
The lunch portions are quite generous and, in addition to the garlic bread, a small side salad comes with the meal. The side salad was truly the least exciting portion of the meal, so I'm just going to breeze through and get on with the good stuff.
The menu claims the lunch portions are half portions of the dinner entrees, and they are STILL huge. There were 3 pieces of manicotti, stuffed with smoked chicken, ricotta, mozzarella, provolone, smoked Gouda, bacon, green onions and Roma tomatoes. As if that isn't a rich enough mix of cheeses, they cover it in Asiago sauce.
So how did it stack up to my beloved Baked Spaghetti? Well, it wasn't a bad meal by any means, but it wasn't my favorite. Rumor has it I should have chosen Uncle Tony's Chicken Pasta, which I will definitely do next time. I'm sure I can arrange another visit to Tomato Street sooner rather than later.
On a bit of a side note, be sure to check out the servers' hats when you visit. Each server wears a fun hat that quite possibly reflects their personality. Our server had a viking-type helmet, which we joked was indicative of his level of brain activity. He forgot a refill on one of the girls' drinks, so it's only fair I throw in a little humor at his expense. ;)
P.S. Apologies for the lack of video in this post. We recently joined the 21st century and bought smartphones, and I'm still trying to learn the ropes. (My handy dandy videographer did not accompany me on this dining excursion.) Will you forgive me if I share a pic of that yummy garlic bread I told you about instead?
Tomato Street has kind of ruined me. My first experience there was so awesome that I hold every other Italian restaurant in Spokane to their standard. I have yet to find one I like as much, so I was super excited when the girls suggested we go there for lunch.
My favorite item on their menu is their Baked Spaghetti. Unfortunately, it wasn't on the lunch specials menu, and I was trying to be cheap, so I made a different selection. I debated between Uncle Tony's Chicken Pasta and the Smoked Chicken Manicotti, but in the end I decided to give the Smoked Chicken Manicotti a whirl.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though, because there is the matter of bread that needs to be discussed. Tomato Street calls it garlic bread, but highly addictive buttery goodness bread would probably be more accurate. It is soaked in butter and garlic, and it's delicious. Hello carbs!
The lunch portions are quite generous and, in addition to the garlic bread, a small side salad comes with the meal. The side salad was truly the least exciting portion of the meal, so I'm just going to breeze through and get on with the good stuff.
The menu claims the lunch portions are half portions of the dinner entrees, and they are STILL huge. There were 3 pieces of manicotti, stuffed with smoked chicken, ricotta, mozzarella, provolone, smoked Gouda, bacon, green onions and Roma tomatoes. As if that isn't a rich enough mix of cheeses, they cover it in Asiago sauce.
So how did it stack up to my beloved Baked Spaghetti? Well, it wasn't a bad meal by any means, but it wasn't my favorite. Rumor has it I should have chosen Uncle Tony's Chicken Pasta, which I will definitely do next time. I'm sure I can arrange another visit to Tomato Street sooner rather than later.
On a bit of a side note, be sure to check out the servers' hats when you visit. Each server wears a fun hat that quite possibly reflects their personality. Our server had a viking-type helmet, which we joked was indicative of his level of brain activity. He forgot a refill on one of the girls' drinks, so it's only fair I throw in a little humor at his expense. ;)
P.S. Apologies for the lack of video in this post. We recently joined the 21st century and bought smartphones, and I'm still trying to learn the ropes. (My handy dandy videographer did not accompany me on this dining excursion.) Will you forgive me if I share a pic of that yummy garlic bread I told you about instead?
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Sweet Basil Pizzeria
Location: 5 South First Avenue, Walla Walla, WA
My husband and I consider ourselves pizza connoisseurs. We've been to many great pizza places during our travels, and we've even started making our own pizzas. Needless to say, we've established a list of favorites. Sweet Basil Pizzeria in Walla Walla has made our list.
We were starving when we made it into town today, so the smell was enough to make us weak in the knees when we walked in the door. I've actually never been inside before, so it was fun to have a look around the place. (Normally I am waiting outside on the patio with our dog.)
Today's specialty pizza (aka my selection for today) was the Primavera, which is topped with spinach, garlic, mushroom, roasted red pepper and feta. Can you say, a few of my favorite things?! My husband ordered the BBQ pizza with the agreement that we would each share some of our piece with the other. His was topped with bbq sauce, chicken, bacon and onions.
Sweet Basil makes their pizzas with a thin crust, and the slices are huge. We ordered some cheese breadsticks to go along with our meal, and we both felt comfortably full. Both the pizza and the breadsticks have always been consistent. We've not had a bad batch. They serve marinara sauce with the breadsticks, but it's definitely not needed. Their cheesy, buttery flavor is enough on its own.
While I love eating outside on their patio, it's fun to be inside because you can watch them toss the pizza dough. No matter how many times I see it done, I'm always impressed by those who do it well. Sweet Basil definitely knows how to make a great pizza!
My husband and I consider ourselves pizza connoisseurs. We've been to many great pizza places during our travels, and we've even started making our own pizzas. Needless to say, we've established a list of favorites. Sweet Basil Pizzeria in Walla Walla has made our list.
We were starving when we made it into town today, so the smell was enough to make us weak in the knees when we walked in the door. I've actually never been inside before, so it was fun to have a look around the place. (Normally I am waiting outside on the patio with our dog.)
Today's specialty pizza (aka my selection for today) was the Primavera, which is topped with spinach, garlic, mushroom, roasted red pepper and feta. Can you say, a few of my favorite things?! My husband ordered the BBQ pizza with the agreement that we would each share some of our piece with the other. His was topped with bbq sauce, chicken, bacon and onions.
Sweet Basil makes their pizzas with a thin crust, and the slices are huge. We ordered some cheese breadsticks to go along with our meal, and we both felt comfortably full. Both the pizza and the breadsticks have always been consistent. We've not had a bad batch. They serve marinara sauce with the breadsticks, but it's definitely not needed. Their cheesy, buttery flavor is enough on its own.
While I love eating outside on their patio, it's fun to be inside because you can watch them toss the pizza dough. No matter how many times I see it done, I'm always impressed by those who do it well. Sweet Basil definitely knows how to make a great pizza!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Main Street Grill
Location: 625 Main Street, Lewiston, ID
We decided to eat lunch at the Main Street Grill in Lewiston. We had been there once before and were very impressed, so we thought it would make a great restaurant to include in the blog. We ordered the Fried Mozzarella to start and the Steak Wrap for lunch.
The Fried Mozzarella was some of the best we have tried in a long time. The batter was thick and tasted homemade. The waitress was more than happy to provide ranch sauce for dipping them in, and we enjoyed every cheesy bite. I believe there were 5 pieces in total, and the only drawback was having to fight over the last piece. :)
Our Steak Wrap arrived next. Per the menu, it consisted of thin sliced grilled steak, bell pepper, olives, mushroom, onion, cheddar cheese, and Main Street's own jerk sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla. The jerk sauce was awesome. It gave just a little kick, but it was not so spicy as to alienate those who like milder flavors. Between that dripping out of the edges and the melted gooey cheese, we savored every bite. (You just know it's good when it's messy!) We would definitely order both items again. The only thing I felt was missing with the wrap was a side of fries or potato chips or something. You can order them separately, but they are not included with the meal.
I should mention the service at Main Street is always great. Our server the last time was very friendly, and our server this time did not disappoint either. As I mentioned, she was happy to bring us ranch sauce, and she made sure our drinks did not go empty. All in all, it was another great meal, and we'd be happy to continue coming back for more.
We decided to eat lunch at the Main Street Grill in Lewiston. We had been there once before and were very impressed, so we thought it would make a great restaurant to include in the blog. We ordered the Fried Mozzarella to start and the Steak Wrap for lunch.
The Fried Mozzarella was some of the best we have tried in a long time. The batter was thick and tasted homemade. The waitress was more than happy to provide ranch sauce for dipping them in, and we enjoyed every cheesy bite. I believe there were 5 pieces in total, and the only drawback was having to fight over the last piece. :)
Our Steak Wrap arrived next. Per the menu, it consisted of thin sliced grilled steak, bell pepper, olives, mushroom, onion, cheddar cheese, and Main Street's own jerk sauce wrapped in a flour tortilla. The jerk sauce was awesome. It gave just a little kick, but it was not so spicy as to alienate those who like milder flavors. Between that dripping out of the edges and the melted gooey cheese, we savored every bite. (You just know it's good when it's messy!) We would definitely order both items again. The only thing I felt was missing with the wrap was a side of fries or potato chips or something. You can order them separately, but they are not included with the meal.
I should mention the service at Main Street is always great. Our server the last time was very friendly, and our server this time did not disappoint either. As I mentioned, she was happy to bring us ranch sauce, and she made sure our drinks did not go empty. All in all, it was another great meal, and we'd be happy to continue coming back for more.
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