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!"


 

Hop Jacks

Last week Hop Jacks officially opened.  It's a little neighborhood-type of gathering spot, they say, and I must say, it is rather neat to have a place that welcomes the gathering of friends like the taverns and inns of old.   It's definitely a friendly spot.

Their specialty, I have learned, is hops and things made with hops, like beer, though I was at first, by sheer virtue of the name of the place, thinking it would be more like pancakes made really fast. You know.."Hop Jacks"  Nope.   It's hops.



In the "olden days," these were gathered by men on stilts!

As you see here, the taps are covered in ice.  At Hop Jacks, they guarantee that the beer on tap is extra cold.

Aside from the brew, their specialty is food, and you can even get pancakes, omelets  burgers, soup and salads here too!  This restaurant is part of a chain with restaurants in other cities.  My friend Nan says she goes to the one in Lacey all the time.

Fish Tacos

A Tasty Toasted Sandwich

Bowl of Clam Chowder with Salad

Cup of Clam Chowder

Asian Chicken Salad

They offer a rather eclectic menu for sure.

I have been here twice.  Located on Nevada street, near the WINCO store it's been rather convenient for meeting and eating with friends and co workers when on the north side of town.  The exact address is 9265.

The outside of the building is not unique, but the service here is great, very attentive.  I have never been to any other restaurant where they greet you and open the door for you as they do here, (unless of course this was just because of the grand opening week....  time will tell.  If you are in a hurry, let them know, for our group, they were very accommodating.

"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.

Catacombs Pub

Catacombs may no longer be open for business, but here is the old post about it.
Catacombs are artificial caverns.. and true to the name this place is underground... you must go down the stairwell to get there.  I have read that during the Roman Empire, at the time when the Christians were persecuted for their faith, they built and used an elaborate network of catacombs as a refuge and often used these underground places as meeting places to hold "church."  This particular cavern-like restaurant is fashioned from the  boiler and coal-delivery room for the downtown  Montevale Hotel.















Just follow the arrow and go down the stairs to this restaurant.  (Their must be an alternative for handicap entrance, call and ask.)

 We were out walking, after a night

at the symphony, and while walking by the  Catacombs Pub, Geo and I decided to take a trip downstairs and check it out.

Over the years, I have heard many rumors that this was a great spot, and so I was quite excited that finally, we had a chance to see what this place was like.  (In case you are wondering, the rumors are true; this place was great. I think this is one of my new favorite places!)

I didn't particularly find the hard wooden church pew type of seats to be comfortable, and it took a while for my eyes to adjust to the dimly lit room.  Not only that, but there were cold wafts of air that crept under our table from some vent by the floor and settled in around our feet... but but then who ever heard of well-lit, pillow-lined, electrically heated catacombs?   Not me.  So, while the beautiful wooden seats were smooth and hard beneath me, and the wafts of cold air were chilling me on that cool autumn night, I have to admit, I did love the ambiance of it all.  It did kinda feel like being in a catacomb. We did  end up moving a little closer to the center of the room.

The place was busy.  The warm glow of a fire blazing inside the pizza oven filled the cavernous room and a wonderful aroma of spices hung in the air.  I could hear the low murmur of the other customer's voices talking in hushed tones as people sipped their wines, laughed and clanked in their groups.  As we looked over the menu, we wanted to try all the pizzas they offered.  Deciding what to order was hard to do.

The Margaretta, Orient Express, Cashew Chicken, the Antioch.... the Tuscany, (Their names for Pizzas, all sounded good.   They also make Chicken Paprikash... (a Hungarian dish,) Lasagna, Meatloaf and Beef Stroganoff.   It was a difficult choice, but in the end, we were taken-in by the pizza; and I loved the taste of our Garlic Pesto Pizza that we finall decided to order.... The Garlic Pesto.   It was wonderful!

I did notice that one specialty this restaurant offers is S'More's for dessert.  Apparently t    iiu   ey bring you the ingredients for this famous camping desert and then you get to make them yourself at your table... a rather fun idea if you ask me.  I do not particularly like S'More's, but I like the concept.   Me? I am more inclined to try the Nutella Calzone or Apple Crisp. Unfortunately for us, having arrived rather late, by time we finished pizza, the kitchen had completely closed, so we had to skip dessert.

Oh, well.  Next time I might have to come in earlier and have some dessert!

The Catacombs is located in the cellar of the Montvale Hotel.at 110 S. Monroe Street and is open daily at 5:00 pm.  Tel: (509) 838-4610.  It is affiliated with the nearby Montevale Hotel.

The Flying Goat

The Flying Goat is located in a neighborhood.  I love the fact that people in the neighborhood can walk over to go out to eat or hang with friends, maybe even have beer and then not get behind the wheel of a car and drive afterwards.

  (There are a few good little spots for eating in this neighborhood by the way.)

I found The Goat to be a very friendly, and quite lively place with good food and a good selection of food on the menu to choose from.  You know, if you are ever at Audubon Park, this might be a good spot to stop to eat before going home, or you could eat here first and then enjoy a day at the park.  Either way, (or if you go there without going to the park,) the Flying Goat is worth a try, if you like dis-ordinary pizzas, some made with exotic sounding cheeses, roasted peppers, asparagus... things like that.

I went there on a rainy day with some friends.  The atmosphere was great.  There was a fire outside on the patio in the pit with people sitting around it, enjoying the contrast in temperatures as they ate their food.  We sat inside, and as I walked past table after table on the way to my own, I couldn't help but notice the beautiful pizzas being served... and the happy people, (this on a Monday, none the less!)  I mean imagine, if you will, steak pizza with roasted mushrooms, capers, flying goat cheese blend, a sweet onion cream sauce and watercress, or a chorizo and shrimp with spiced tomato sauce, house cheese blend, red peppers and Manchego cheese.  I never even heard of Manchengo cheese!

Of the group I ate with, we all absolutely loved what we ate, (though we did think the asparagus salad would have been more asparagus.)  This Flying Goat place, was truly a find for us that day that we all wanted to visit over lunch...  and we all will probably go another day.  I was just right for us.

Our table ordered several menu items including a pizza. 

Asparagus Salad with Chicken

The Grace Veggie:  asparagus, roasted red pepper, tomato, cucumber, carmelized onion, goat cheese arugula and balsamic reduction..... on a delicious flatbread, with Greek salad on the side.

Here is the Pizza, still on the pizza serving pan.

I kinda forgot which one this is, but think this is the Wellington...  note the asparagus!

Garland Chicken, with potato salad.

 You can double click on the menu and see it closer for prices if you like.

Now, about that "Flying Goat" concept.  I love it, mostly because I often thing of my own goat with ears so long, and when she hold them out and runs, she reminds me of The Flying Nun.  Have you ever heard of it, or do you remember Sally Feilds in that TV show?  Alas, it was long ago, and rather silly, but believe it or not, people watched it way back "when."  My goat looks nothing like the one that is their logo, but I love the concept....  Goats are pretty cool animals. 


I did read that in the building of this restaurant they used the wood from an old grain elevator belonging to Otis Leonard of Ritzville.  The grain elevator originally constructed in 1910, can be seen in a photo on the wall near the front entrance of the place.  It's amazing to think that that structure's materials are now being used throughout the pub.  I think it is what gives this place it's character.  HAving been built just in 2010, it doesn;t feel new, but has the feel of being there a while.  It has a lot of warmth and charm.

I liked it!

They offered desserts, but we declined, thinking coming here for dessert alone would maybe be fun.  They sounded delicious, and they even have Root Beer Floats!  But one of the desserts, the fruit crisp, was advertised to us as being made with a fruit called "a pluot."  (Plu- ot.)  IT sounded interesting but we were all pretty much calorie laden.  I left wondering why I had never heard of a pluot before.

But guess what?  As I was driving home, I just happened to stop at a fruit stand on my way home,  that just happened to have some pluots for sale. Interesting....

So, I had to buy some...

A pluot!

and taste them.

They are pretty much just as advertised and they are indeed, the best of both worlds... a mix between a plum and an apricot! 





And such was my day, the day, I went to the Flying Goat!

There is some great artwork on the walls too!