Zola

It's a big hard not to type an exclamation point after typing "Zola."  I am not sure if that is because it is such a fun word to say or because it's such an interesting little night spot.  They have live music EVERY night of the week, a dance floor, a friendly staff and crowd, and let's not forget to mention, good food.  To top all of this off, the eclectic decor at Zola's is fascinating.  It could easily be called, "Zola!"

 Tonight's band was The Bucket List.  I have heard these three play before... they are good.

To see who else is playing on a given day, go to the Zola Website: http://www.zolainspokane.com/

Now, on to the eats....

 

Exceptionally yummy Mac and Cheese!

They served us three of these sliders...

And such was our visit to "Zola!"


 

"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.

South Perry Pizza

South Perry Pizza is located on the South Hill, at the corner of 10th Avenue and.... Perry.  It is part of a little section of Spokane known as the South Perry District..  It's an attractive little spot with indoor and outdoor seating in a community/neighborhood environment, and the food is good too.

The open air building, an old garage, has been neatly transformed into a great little eating establishment, and is just right for eating pizza on a summer evening with friends, especially as the live music is playing on a breeze.  Tonight, the place was packed.  It sure felt as though summer had finally arrived.

While we ate and visited, we had the  opportunity to enjoy the musical talents of Matt Mitchell, as he  played guitar, keyboards, and a bit of harmonica too.

For me personally, it felt like old times when my family would go to the local pizza parlor and listen to my brother-in-law, John play his guitar and sing.   In my reminiscing, I even thought I heard him singing for just a little while.  These two have a sound in common.  I liked it.

Matt, thanks for the tunes!

Between us we enjoyed a Caesar and shared a Bleu. The Caesar was great and the Blue was fantastic... but I think I liked the Blue the best.  The mixture of flavors was just right.

We loved the anti-pasta too, and started eating it before remembering to take these pics.  The Antipasto had olives, red peppers, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, sopressata, salami, pepperoni and artichokes.   It really hit the spot.

So, the music was great, the company was fantastic  and the dinner was uniquely superb.  I mean, there are just not too many places I have been that serve "Peach" Pizza.  Okay, well, I have never heard of or even thought of "Peach Pizza" before.  Have you?

Well, they have Peach Pizza here, and for me it was just plain difficult to resist something as unique and interesting as that.  We tried that and the house pizza.... along with that antipasto and salads.

The pizza is thin crust and I have to note that the prices were a little spendy.  If you have a plan to feed a lot of hungry kids you might want to plan ahead.

For pizza, as I mentioned, we had the House Special which consisted of tomato sauce, mozzarella, sausage, pepperoni, mushroom, and caramelized onions on a thin crust.

The  Peach Pizza, consisted of peaches, prosciutto, basil, olive oil and mozzarella.

It was very pleasant. There was a hint of sweet with the savory, kinda like a pizza with pinapple on it, but it was not as sweet.  It was a nice surprise.  My boy, who ate our leftovers when we got home almost reluctantly tried it, but the thought of peaches on a pizza really sorta perked his interest too, and as it turned out, he loved it.

A lot of people must like it.    Did I mention that this place was busy for a Wednesday evening?

There was something special about it.

Maybe it was the live music in the casual open-air that made it special?







Perhaps it was the fire baked pizza?  Maybe the smells of spices and herbs wafting into the street?

Maybe it was the feel of summer in the evening air, being that it was the first warm summery day in a long time here in Spokane?  Or maybe it was just that feel of community? (You know, walking down the street, seeing familiar faces, stopping by the local pizza joint on the corner of Perry and Tenth?)

It may have been the appeal of having a local artist's ("Jill Skeie") artwork (and poetry)  showcased on the walls.  Jill does all sorts of artistry.... here she is with her handmade fashions and woven rugs. 

 and here is her watercolors.....

and poems.

 I venture to say that the experience at South Perry Pizza, is a little like a good pizza itself, a "combination" of several delicious ingredients.  It was a good combination.... good food, good friends and a friendly community atmosphere on a Spokane summer evening, that made this place, South Perry Pizza, a delicious, busy, and fun, little place to take in some local music and art and maybe even share a pizza dinner between good friends.

Olive It Cafe ... They Serve Up Local Music Too

Olive IT Cafe is located at 3402 N. Crestline, I posted on them previously, but they are more than simply a coffeeshop/cafe, so I will post again.  They also have music on Friday nights!  Telephone them for information about events and hours at 413-1589

Last night, a local performer named MO was here, singing, playing her guitar and a bit if piano too.   (Mo is a great Blues/Folk singer!) Towards the end of the evening, one of the waitresses pulled out her harmonica and sang and played along with MO.  It was great!  The kind of thing that takes one back to another era.

Our order seemed to take a little while... but we enjoyed our fresh squeezed lemonade...and popcorn as well as the music while we waited.   NEwsflash on the menu items: The Friday night menu includes five special kinds of pizza.  Some fancy sounding flavors too, but we opted for the Sausage plus.

Geo liked it.  He surprised himself in liking the flatbread turkey, bacon and provolone sandwich he ordered, accidentally ordering it on the flat bread.  He didn't think he liked flatbread sandwiches when he looked at the menu and when he ordered he forgot to order the kind of bread he likes.  (He did order the sandwich with the cranberry cream cheese on the side, because he didn't think he would like that either.)  But do you know what?  He put the cream cheese on his sandwich and decided that he liked the flat bread sandwich...and the cream cheese too!

What we really liked the best of all though was the live music scene.  It was so cool to have the opportunity to listen to Mo while we enjoyed this cozy little place.  If you are an inspiring artist, and if you want to play somewhere, you will have to check this little-known place out.  If you love live and local music and the arts, this little coffee shop in Hillyard, could be the place for you on a Friday night.  It's quite possibly be the next "best" college Friday night coffee hangout, especially in the way of being alcohol free and local artist supporting. They serve coffee, tea, and fresh squeezed lemonade, but no espresso.

Hooray for the Olive It Cafe in Hillyard!  They have a great idea for our community and make a great flatbread sandwich too!