The Otis Grill

Otis Grill is a new favorite on the breakfast scale for Geo and I.  Have you been here?

This restaurant, located in the Otis Orchards area, might be a little far for you if you are not looing to take a drive, but it just a hop, skip, and a jump from the freeway if you are traveling between Spokane a Coeur de Alene, (or anywhere in-between.)  Otis Grill, located at 21902 E. Wellsley Avenue... in Otis Orchards, WA, specializes in "hometown" cooking... and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and in the spring summer, autumn or winter, too.

The day we went for breakfast, there was snow on the ground.

It was indeed a beautiful biscuit and gravy, eggs and bacon... and pancake day, 

 made complete with maple syrup.

And who does not love Rosie the Riveter, Marilyn Monroe and old cars?

I did say, "hometown"... right?
It's not a fancy spot.  In fact, when you arrive, they invite you to pick your own seating, (in other words, seat yourself...) and evidently the people here feel right "at home."

 If you are wondering about the menu.... here's an idea of what is served:

 And.. if you are adventurous, like James T. Kirk, pictured here on the menu, you can order the quadruple Otis Burger....

 ...at the Otis Grill.

Perry Street Cafe

I often find myself driving past the Perry Street Cafe, thinking something like, "I would like to try that place someday!"  Located on the corner of the town center on Perry Street on Spokane's South Hill, this little place evokes a nostalgia in me.  It makes me think of a place I once worked in in Oregon.  One of my first jobs was waitressing in a little street-shop cafe by the beach.  There's no beach here, but the place is just as charming, and finally, I made it to the Perry Street Cafe!  I wasn't just "driving by" either.  Perry Street Cafe was my predetermined destination on a recent outing for lunch with a friend, and I was not disappointed.

I love quaint little spots like this, where the service is expedient, but at the same time when you are feeling leisurely, there is not rush.  There is a down home feel to it... neighborly.... friendly.... the kind place where you can hang your hat, relax, and enjoy your meal.  This is THAT kind of place.  Besides that, the menu made me laugh... and I love that.

The food is advertised "home made" and "made from scratch."   Got to love that!




And besides, where else you you get an item listed as being available if Debbie "felt like making it" that day.  (If you want Mrs. B's Turkey Pot Pie, I guess you will just have to ask!)

My fried ordered salad and "fries".  Not your usual fries, and definitely tasty!


I went for the burger and baked beans.

I do hear rumor that this place serves up an awesome breakfast.  We might have to try that too!

Sweety Pie

Sweetie Pie is one of a kind.  It's a quaint little bungalow atmosphere in a house located at 1724 W. Carlisle Ave. The house has been transformed into a restaurant that serves home made food and pies.

I visited here with a friend who had been here before and really liked it and she wanted to go again.  We tried to come once before, but it was a Monday, and they are closed on Mondays, (so if you come here to eat, pick another day.) This was our second attempt, and it was Tuesday...  It was a little late in the afternoon, so we thought they might be closed, but they were open, and what a treat!

It's small inside... quite cozy; they can probably serve about a dozen people.. (maybe a little more,) at a time.  The food is all fresh home made, cooked by a mom and daughter team, who opened the little restaurant/pie shop, two years ago, come next month, October.

















The menu is simple.... and the decor is eclectic and rather fun.  There's some neat artwork of cars, and cars, classic of course, are one of those things quite popular in Spokane.

Here is the room we ate in:

Next is a beautiful desk in the entrance.


This is where they keep their treasures, mainly tea!  There is a great variety of blends. There are some toys for the tots too.


And another room:











We ordered the Ruben to share... with pasta salad.  They were kind enough to put it on separate plates for us.  I liked the pasta salad and the Ruben was yummy too, not too saucy, which I like.  To me, it was just right.


We also ordered slices of pie.  My friend ordered the Key Lime, which had a coconut crust, and I, the Chocolate.

We didn't get to take a photo of them, because we ate our pie before thinking of photographing it.


When I mentioned to our hostess that I missed this opportunity, she told me sh had run out of whipped cream for the day and tha she had no pie that looked like the one that was served.... but she did have a pretty pie in the oven.  When it was done cooking, she appeared with  a big beautiful Strawberry Rhubarb pie, fresh from the oven for us to photo.

This here is one SWEET pie!.
You can buy pie by the slice or the pie, at Sweetie Pie.

Thai at My House

We have been home in the evenings!
yeah!
So it is not that I have forgotten to post or anything, just that we have been eating at home. However, being home has given me reason to cook some Thai flavored food, something that I thought I would never really do very well... so the verdict...

YUM!
Here is a recipe...

Easy Thai Chicken

2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned & cut into bite-size pieces
( I used pre-cooked chicken, but you can cook it as you make the recipe below.)
1/2 c. peanut butter, chunky or not.
1/2 c. water
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper, (I used 1 1/2 tsp. of red chili pepper sauce.)
3 to 4 c. sliced broccoli or mixed frozen Asian veggies.

In a small bowl, blend peanut butter, water, soy sauce and sugar; set aside. Heat oil over high heat in skillet. Add garlic and pepper; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add chicken, stir-fry until firm and white, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli or veggies, stir-fry until bright green, about 3 minutes. Stir in peanut butter mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.
Serves 4.