"nYne"... Bar and Bistro

It's a short menu.... 

and a busy night spot.  

The food is good, the crowd- eclectic, and friendly.   

Tonight we dined at "nYne." 232 W  Sprague.

When he was telling me about the place he found on-line, Geo described it as being... possibly, a "Ladies Sports Bar."  I was suspicious! 

 "But there would be dancing!"

"Dancing?"  in a "Ladies sports bar?"  Really?

Funny, though I am a lady,and I enjoy dancing with Geo, I am not into bars or even a big fan of sports!


At first, walking by, it was rather crowded... and it was not even a bunch of ladies, (BTW) there were lots of assorted people talking, laughing, eating, drinking, and it was so lively I began to suspect it was a hang out where everyone knew each other already. I immediately figured I was too old  for that scene and would pass, but Geo thought different.  The man taking money at the door he was talking to, was personable enough.  He said something about the bands being really good, that they were playing, Alternative "Folk/Rock." 


I appreciate Folk music, and so I forgot my apprehension for feeling older (than most) and  in we went. Geo had, after all,  planned to go and check out this spot....found it as a place to go downtown to hear some live music, eat some dinner.... maybe dance and experience our favorite city that we call home.   And, for the record, there were all ages of people in this place.

Bands playing were Holly McGarry, Cathedral Pearls and Terrible Buttons.  (Never heard of them before.  You?)

The food on the menu... it was mostly burgers. was resonably priced, which could be one reason why he chose this spot to try.  But there were some other items.  I say, reasonably priced;  but there was however,  a 5.00 cover charge to enter the place....(for the bands.)

We got a table, but then it started to get crowded  There was not table service either, it was actually less a restaurant and definately a bar.   We ordered our food ... and iced tea with the bartender at the bar.  The food was delivered to our table.

We ordered what turned out to be a beautiful (and very tasty) flatbread and hummus platter,

some sliders,

...and two kinds of wraps.  There was a Veggie and a Tuscan Chicken Club.  Our Veggie came tasting fresh and salad-y and the Club, had to be one of our favorite wrap sandwiches we have eaten yet.  We even liked out multi-grain chips.  It is quite possible that we were just super hungry after having walked four miles downtown before eating here, (that was Geo's plan as well,) but even if that's the case, I can say it that we thought the food was fresh tasting and quite good!

One could shoot some pool here at nYne...











mingle with friends,

or listen to the bands that eventually took the stage.

So what about those bands?  How were they?

Interesting. Creative.

Holly was cute, friendly to talk to, and her music was kinda blue-grassy... country/folk and "airy."   We decided that though it was not loud enough for us to hear the lyrics we liked it.  It seemed to have little variety in style, but we liked her voice and it was nice background music to listen to as we took- in "the scene" and while we ate.

We only heard a little of the Cathedral Pearls playing.  I thought it creative...  "a bit Sirenic" (as in the greek mythos kind of "sirens" who called to those sailors on the sea.) It was also  a bit loud, (of course,)  kinda folksy, and some of it was quite dance-able, as proved by the now lively crowd  assembled on the indoor alley-like basketball half-court that alternately serves as a dance floor.

Cathedral Pearls at  nYne

When we left, people were dancing and having a good time while the Pearls played.  I tried to get a good photo of the band.

The last band, "Terrible Buttons," was the main band that was to play.   We missed it completely.  (Fro Yo was calling.)  

My guess is that they were, ..... "terrible!"
(Get it?)
Actually, I was listening to them a little on the web.... as I was typing this today.  Ever hear of "Horror Folk?"  That is one way that they describe themselves.  


Horror?  does the music lament horror or invoke it?  You have to wonder.

Weird.


Pardon my commentary here, but some of us, me... for example, have actually had enough horror this weekend.  I am still in recovery.  I am fine actually, because I believe God is good, and that HE saves people from that horrible darkness, death and despair, through Jesus Christ, but still I am recovering from the most recent news on TV to hit my heart.  You see, I am saddened grieved in my heart that people in this world are hurting.  I, and probably you too were affected to hear the horror that some people are in right now in Aurora Colorado., where a gunman, during a midnight showing of a movie senselessly killed injured and maimed a bunch of people without provocation or remorse.    


Sad story.
Fodder for a folk song?  Maybe.  Hopefully one that doesn't glorify the horror or encourage one to live in the darkness that would perpetrate such a deed of darkness.

I say, let there be light!



 So, as for the "horror folk" music, I am not certain exactly what it is, nor what is it supposed to be, and I probably wouldn't like it and was glad I missed it...  But we did like our food at....  nYne.

Golden Dragon (Post Falls, ID)

We crossed the state line for this one.  Food was not our destination of the day, but we did happen to eat here and to our surprise it was very good.

The name of this place is the Golden Dragon, and its location is Post Falls, Idaho.  It was a Chinese/American food kinda place, and it looked like it had been here for a while.  Skeptical, we asked a restaurant patron who was leaving the place, walking to her car, how the food was; she enthusiastically endorsed it, saying that this was her favorite restaurant.  


Now, we do keep in mind that most people, when you ask them how the restaurant they just ate ate was, will say it is good, but her enthusiasm seemed quite sincere and her good report was highly encouraging, so we decided to try it.  


Since food was not our destination that day, and because we were out of Spokane area, blogging was not on my agenda, but then the food came.  It looked so pretty.... and eating here was fun, (a.k.a. relaxing and delicious) so I started taking pictures for the blog.  Now, you get this blog post.  

The inside reminded me of an old soda fountain kinda place inside with a long bar for seating singles that probably gets busy for lunch.  There are lots of tables and booths too.  


This is the appetizer, Rangoons.  It is different than most places I have been and was yummy too.

We also ordered a Beef Noodle Soup and Chow Mein.  We ate "family-style," which means, we shared.












I am still learning the different kinds of Chow Mein....  and I have decided that I like the kind with the crunchy noodles best.  This one had crunchy noodles on the bottom.  I have to admit, it was hard to know what to order.  There was a great selection.

We loved the hanging lanterns.  They gave the place it's oriental feel.  The place is definitely Chinese/American though... There you are eating your Chinese food, with oldies American music playing in the background.  


You gotta love Idaho.

Savory Restaurant and Lounge

Saw today, June 2013, that this restaurant is closed.  However here is the post about it:


Our latest restaurant stop is Savory, located at 1314 south Grand Blvd.  Being as I like definitions I just had to look up the word Savory after visiting here.  The dictionary says that it means, 1) appetizing to the taste or smell; 2) Piquant, pungent or salty to the taste; and 3) Morally respectable, unoffensive.  ("Thank you" dictionary.com)  

I really enjoyed being there with some of my favorite people, and some friendly people I didn't even know at the other tables too.  What fun to be enjoying life with neighbors, eating out of doors on Spokane's South Hill on one of those very beautiful sunny afternoons, and this while live music lingered on the breeze.  At my table there was lots of talking and laughing as we enjoyed each others company  all while eating "savory" food!  As a good friend of mine would say, "It was delightful!"

We opted for the Spo-Casual Menu... and since there were three of us dining, we tried three of their offerings.  We had the Savory Beef Stroganoff, 

 the Chicken Picatta on Angel Hair Pasta..

 .... and I ordered the Savory Fish and Chips.  

These selected entrees come with your choice of a petite size soup of the day, or salad and a petite select dessert.  Here are our soup and salads.  

It was a most interesting salad.  It had peculiar garbanzos in it.  Very savory!


I didn't catch the name of the musician who played but he was great to listen to.  The crowd seemed to like him too.

Mr. Bill, our special guest, approved.

One unique thing about this place just might be the ariel performances they do.  How interesting is that!  Check their website to see performance times for the shows and to know what musicians may be playing.  

For dessert we had the Creme Brulee...

 ...Salted Carmel and Pear Bread Pudding....

 and Ice Cream...
(Espresso Chip.)

Brooklyn Deli and Lounge

We ate at the Brooklyn Deli on Monroe, right off of Railroad Alley.  Railroad Alley itself is interesting, and the deli is a cozy and welcoming little spot, making for  great lunch outing.  Brooklyn Deli serves homemade breads, soups and sandwiches. 

We ordered the Ruben... (I think that it was a half...) with tomato soup...

and two of the the Special of the Day, (No. 1) the Pastrami Stacker....serve on Pretzel bread.  We ordered one of them with Clam Chowder .

Yum!

 If you wonder what this pretzel sandwich is like inside, here it is:

There was quite a selection of hot/spicy sauces to choose from.  We liked ours just the way it was, but rest assured.. you can spice yours up if you like.

We enjoyed the food and view.... here at the Brooklyn Deli.