Last Wednesday night (10/29/2014) was
one to remember. Jacque and I joined
nearly my entire office staff, along with Sandy and her Branch Office
Administrator, Marti, for a much needed evening out at Twigs Bistro and Martini
Bar in Spokane, Washington. (http://www.twigsbistro.com/menu/river-park-square).
The anticipation of a night at Twigs prompted my newest staff member,
Samantha, to enthusiastically proclaim, "I like martinis!" So our evening out with the crew started off
with martinis for almost everyone - everyone except Sam and Sandy, that is. Sam
opted for Jack Daniels, and Sandy settled on a glass of Terra Blanca Cabernet (http://www.terrablanca.com).
Now I love very cold,
extremely dirty, vodka martinis. I often
explain to the waiter or waitress that I have a running contest going on to see who can
serve me the coldest and dirtiest martini.
I detail how I prefer to have ice shavings or crystals actually floating
in my drink. I love it when a server or
bartender personally steps up to the challenge, and in this case our waitress,
Chanelle, did just that. Chanelle volunteered
to make it herself, and she scored extra points by offering me Grey Goose vodka
and blue cheese olives in my drink. (How did she know that I absolutely love
blue cheese?) Without hesitation, I eagerly accepted the offer. Still, despite
loving blue cheese enough to hoard it, the olives were too good not to share,
and I ended up sharing them with Jacque. We were off to a good start.
Now, delicious as the
martinis were, as I stated, traditional martinis are not for everyone. Jacque, Gay, and
Marci all decided on lemon drops instead (Gay Heindselman and Marci Hill are my
two senior Administrators having been with me for 12 and 7 years respectively).
The first round of lemon drops were obviously made pretty because they
warranted a second round. Samantha, who
had so boldly proclaimed her affinity for martinis, had the seasonal
huckleberry martini which was also prepared in a manner and fashion warranting
a second one to be ordered.
Personally, I am not a
big sweet drink fan. With that said, I
am curious about who drinks their cocktail rotating the glass in such a way as
to take advantage of the rim of sugar.
In this case, the bartenders had the perfect sugar rims - that for the
most part went untouched.
(Look you can actually see the ice!!!)
As for my extra cold
extremely dirty vodka martini...calabunga!
First of all, ice – yes! Floating like little diamond crystals covering
the surface of a near perfect combination of vodka, vermouth, and olive
brine. It is the brine that makes it
dirty. The more brine, the dirtier it
gets. I need to inquire regarding the
technical difference between a nasty martini and a very dirty martini. Regarding my ideal blend, I want to taste
liquid olive and have to think about the vodka.
I find that if you go with a lower end vodka, it is too easy to notice
it without much thought.
(Twigs Meza)
For appetizers, I ordered
a couple of servings of the Twigs Signature fries with their add on of the Gorgonzola
fondue, and an order of the Twigs Meza (grilled pita bread served with garlic
hummus, olive tapenade, spiced tomato confit and marinated feta, drizzled with
extra virgin olive oil). Jacque and I
were first introduced to Twigs by our best friends, Roger and Miriam
Devaney. There is a Twigs close to their
home where we have shared many meals - Signature fries with fondue having been
part of every meal!
As the title infers, a
French fry isn’t merely a French fry.
Shoestring fries are great when they are part of a steak and frites
plate, but I often find them too greasy and not enough potato. Steak cut fries, the big large wedges, are
also appropriate at times, but not my favorite. Waffle fries are awesome if you are having
chili fries, or some sort of “loaded fries” that you want to hold a bunch of
“goop”. Twigs cuts their fries thin, but
here comes the special part that makes all fries not created equal. After their trip to the deep fryer, they are
tossed in a combination of seasonings: salt, pepper, cayenne, rice vinegar, and
basil. Even before we add the fondue,
these fries are awesome, with the
best part being the flash fried basil (I often find myself eating just the
basil). The rice vinegar and cayenne pepper add the perfect combination of sour
and heat. The combination is unnoticeable
until you think about them, but add to the overall complexity of what is
normally just a fast food side order.
The Gorgonzola fondue I
would not typically think of as a fondue, but is a must with the fries. Served
warm and rich, the Gorgonzola is not overpowering as some blue cheeses can be. It is more of a dip than an actual fondue,
but the name is the only thing I can think of to complain about regarding this
side to the fries.
(Bistro Salad)
For dinner tonight I had
the Bistro Salad, (one of my favorites), and Jacque, Sandy, and Gay all had the
Argentinian Fish Tacos as their main course.
This is an appetizer, but after the fries and Twigs Meza, I don't think
any of these three ate all of their tacos.
The Argentinian Fish Tacos are roasted ancho garlic, marinated mahi mahi
drizzled with chipotle BBQ aioli, served on flour tortillas, with Twigs slaw
and tomatoes. The fish is served on
three skewers building a tepee on the plate, with you building your own tacos. I can't remember dining at Twigs when Jacque
or Miriam has not ordered this as their entree...so that should speak to how
good this dish is. I have had it a few
times myself, and I would definitely recommend it. Try it and let me know what
you think.
(Fish Tacos)
So, next time you are in Spokane and looking for
a great martini, really friendly service, and unquestionably good food, this
foodie recommends Twigs. If you are at
the River Park Square restaurant, ask for Chanelle and tip her well!
