White Box Pies Bakery and Cafe

I was happy to try this little spot called White Box Pies on the corner of Sharp and Ruby.  I am really not a sandwich" person... and I'm not much of a pie person either, but being en-hungered for lunch, I took a venture to see what White box Pies was all about.  i was a bit curious too, to find out more about what "gluten free" items a pie and sandwich shop had to offer.

They had quite a selection.

 The pies looked yummy.

This is my gluten-free lunch plate.

While I was ordering, having noticed and commented how busy this little spot was, the man behind the counter told me they were looking for another location and would be moving soon to a bigger space.  He also told me that hey make all of their own everything here from scratch.  I think most of the building is kitchen.  With both indoor and outdoor seating, the place was definitely on people's radar scope for lunch.  I even overheard the man behind the counter telling one other first-timer to this restaurant that the sandwiches here would be the best they had ever eaten.


I ordered the Salad Trio... There was a Chicken and Pasta Salad, a Broccoli and Bacon and a Tomato/Cucumber Vinaigrette. (All gluten-free,) The three salads we served with a bread.  I selected a gluten free roll.   I didn't ask them about cross contamination because I am not gluten intolerant.  I just wanted to  check out what eating gluten-free might be like. So if that is you, you will have to ask your own questions of the management if that is of interest to you.

Lunch was great!  The gluten free roll, for one who does not HAVE TO eat gluten-free and had never eaten a gluten free roll before, was actually good.  I mean, it would take some getting used to if I was to actually be excited about it.  It was a good substitute, but certainly not the same as a more usual wheat product.  My salads, all three of them, were tasty!  My favorite was the broccoli one.  Yum!'

I wonder what location White Box Pies will be at when they move.  I may have to go back and try a sandwich, or maybe take home one of them-thar pies.

Cassano's Deli

Cassano's (and the Mission Bistro) are housed in the same building located at 2002 E. Mission in Spokane. I have learned that it used to be Piccolo's until Cassano bought it and here it is today... a new location....They advertise that they have,"Wine's, Olive Oils, Italian Groceries & Cured Meats, Italian Candy, Imported Cheeses, Fine Selection Of Italian Products, and Deli Sandwiches."  

My Italian friend and I decided to try this place for lunch, however upon arrival I discovered that she had been here before...( I think she just wanted to go because she knew it would be good and because she, like me, is part Italian, and being Italian together is a little bit fun.)   I have driven past this location at least fifty times in my travels around town.... and I was happy to try it, because finally, I had a reason to stop and go in.

We were sorely disappointed to discover as we went in, that the Bistro , The Mission Bistro... like many establishments in Spokane, is closed on Mondays.

The room was dark when we looked around inside but it looked like a very nice atmosphere...

A few moments later, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that all was not lost simply because Mission Bistro was closed.... you see, Cassano's has a nice little deli, complete with seating too.

It is quite the place!

We ordered a sandwich to share...
(I forgot what kind) 
spaghetti and meatballs
and lasagna.

Here is my lasagna...
Mine is the piece missing....


As we were ordering, the cashier warned us, well she tried to warn us.... that it would be a lot of food.  It was.  It was way more than we could eat, but it sure was good.

Here is my lasagna on the plate:

I really liked my half of sandwich, the black spots are Balsamic vinegar.  

And this is the spaghetti and meatballs.


The store also had a great selection of drinks. We had Snapple!

It was a fun Italian lunch to be sure.




I didn't know it until we read this T-shirt, But...they even have cannoli!


After reading this T shirt, my friend went back tot he deli and asked about cannoli.  I already had food to take home and couldn't eat another bite, but then, neither could she, however, they let her have a sample taste of the cannoli filling.... and I think that she liked it.  So, the cannoli is to be continued.... next time!

If you want to know more about cannoli... click here and read about cannoli from the perspective of a New York Taxi cab driver in the Bronx.


Outside the Deli, in front of the Bistro, Cassano's itself is a great little grocery store with a bit of an Italian flavor. 

I enjoyed touring around...

It was like a little visit to Italy!


So, as for Mission Bistro.. You will have to check out the menus and decide for yourself, but go on a day other than Monday, cuz on Monday, the Bistro is closed.

 As for me, ...maybe the Bistro.. on another day...  when in the mood for Italian food, or maybe if we are hungry and the neighborhood.... and then again, ... maybe the deli.....yum!

Huckleberry's "Ninth Street Bistro"

Ninth Street Bistro is located at Huckleberry's Natural Market on Lincoln.

On Friday Geo and I got a bit of a late start to the evening so we didn't have the usual amount of time. We have different methods of picking where we go and tonight it was both, "Find somewhere that is not too far." and "Someplace quick would be nice." We wrestled with a few ideas, before making up our minds... and this too took a while. You see, one place we always seem to see and never want go was where we were near, and Geo suggested it again. I said no. Then I suggested Huckleberry's, and off we went!

Now, Huckleberry's, in case you did not know, is a food store that caters to folks who like nutritional supplements, organically grown produce and meat, and ecologically produced products. I was a little afraid Geo might worry about sunflower seeds in spaghetti sauce and the like because it also caters to the vegan/vegetarian crowd. But Geo, liked the idea. He had never been there before and he wasn't very hungry either. Besides that it sounded like someplace "quick!" So we trekked off to the South Hill to check out their Deli.

What a spread! They certainly have a lot of delicious looking things to select from. They claim to have 10-15 entrees, 15 different salads and 8 soup varieties daily. Our first stop was the soup bar.

We sampled a few soups and they were all delicious. Geo chose to have a chicken and noodle soup and I had the cream of mushroom. I. was hard to choose. We probably would have went with the Jalepeno chicken, but there was not enough left in the pot.

Every sandwich looked intriguing, as did the lasagna. One thing I noticed is that the people who work throughout the whole store are prepared to serve the customer and our first encounter with this was in the deli at the soup bar. It was such a hard choice that I decided to ask some questions of the attendant there. He told us about several of the items in the showcase when I asked him what things he liked to eat there. We selected the Gouda Chicken, which was then grilled like a pannini and cut in half for us.

It was great food and we ate every bite. After dinner we looked around the store a bit. At the bakery section we bought a marzipan hedgehog as a gift for a friend in town from England. After taking a peek at the bulk foods, groceries both organic and conventional and posting some flyers for an upcoming concert in the park that I had been carrying in my purse, we went on our way.

Huckleberry's is a fun place to visit. The little restaurant also has made to order items and you can take out or dine in. You can order waffles or pancakes, omelets, scrambles, burritos, burgers, or a little something from their hot pasta bar. There is espresso, Italian sodas and fresh juiced produce too. The grocery has a wine section, bakery, meat department, and uniquely diverse cheeses. They can make gift baskets and party trays too. They offer canning classes, (August 20th, 2009) have musicians come in an play on Saturdays, and sell flowers. For their sales see their website, or click here.

Huckleberry's on Lincoln has a lot of stuff for a little store, and they have good tasting, "quick" food at this great little bistro!

In April, I visited there again with Cherry and she liked it a lot.  We even had dessert!