Molly's Family Restaurant -- by gcleff11

Some have read my work, while most all of civilization hasn't.  But for the five of you that have read my work in Urbanspoon, you know my disdain for the train car.  If for nothing else, because a lazy Spokane populace plunges off the buffalo jump--every stinking year--to vote them as Spokane's best breakfast in local media channels.  In a word that rhymes with wrong.....wrong.  I will not mention their name in this posting...

What I will mention, is what most of my family and friends feel is one of the best and most affordable Downtown Spokane breakfast experiences---Molly's.  Traditional, stick to your ribs, American breakfasts in an historic old A-Frame that awaits you.  It beckons me all the way to Cheney like a Homeric siren...

Six egg omelets are standard here.  Say that out freekin' loud.  And at pretty much the same price line that other hearty breakfast places charge.  And guess what's inside of that umami ova blanket?  Stuff.  Good stuff, and lots of it.  My oldest daughter's fave is their sausage and cheese. She usually succumbs to impending food coma after eating half of it...

As you walk in, always take a peak at the blackboards near the cash register for their specials. I've had $7.95 steak and eggs, chicken fried pork loin and eggs (massive), and a traditional eggs/hash browns/sourdough toast for $4.95.  Good things to be had by frugal diners.  Last visit's special I sampled was Breaded Pork Chops for $6.99...

  

This is a lower middle-class joint.  Most of the clientele I've seen dining there are dressed casually in work attire, of all ages, and are always engaged in quiet and friendly banter among themselves. To-go containers are the norm here, so have a hungry teenager at home, or plan on splitting a meal with your dining partner when  you order.  Even their smaller platters may give you a struggle to finish...

One can't look at the building and not figure out what it's history is/was.  Nostalgia makes me very pleased to see that it wasn't demolished years ago, when the previous corporate tenant bailed downtown Spokane.  The familiar design has a very archaic appeal to me, and leads me to believe that it might have been one of the first ones of it's kind in Eastern Washington. Plus, it just screams of....breakfast.

I love the waitresses here, and there is a cross-section of generations taking care of the patrons. There are no, 'gals who have been here for thirty years,' but each and every one of them are all business, yet genuinely friendly in a welcoming way--and they all have pull on how you want your food cooked.  Let them know how you like it.  And I'm a sucker for uniforms, so the dark green polo shirts, with the black cheerleader skirts win me over every time.  I would have loved to post a picture of these, but I wasn't about to ask the nice gals if they minded a weird foodie blogger posting their photos online...


BUSINESS NOTES:  Everyday, all-day, all year long.  A well-oiled, greasy spoon machine.  I may have to try lunch or dinner, sometime.  But it's just so very, very hard to order anything but breakfast here.  No alcohol sales here, so always family friendly.  And Molly, the little animal as their mascot?  It's a dog.  For years I thought it was a cat...

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Vien Dong -- by gcleff11

This posting has a target audience.  If you require a high-end ambience; a more urbane part of town; and to have your food in front of you five minutes after you order, stop reading. However, if you yearn for delicious fresh food, regardless of looks and locale, I am humbled to have you continue...

Vien Dong ain't pretty.  It never will be.  The location is what it is, and may never get cleaned up to where the Spokane community would be proud of it.  Enjoying lunch there yesterday, my oldest son marveled that the prostitute across the street had the same outfit on that she wore the day before (yes, he did eat here two days in a row).  That's an unfortunate aspect of the neighborhood, and if it bothers you, don't sit by the window.  Despite all this, Vien Dong just simply has the freshest tasting food in town, and it is very noticeable... 

We generally start with spring rolls and shredded pork & lettuce roll apps.  Simple, hand-made on order, and accompanied with delicious peanut and fish dipping sauces that are a perfect compliment to each...

While they are primarily a Vietnamese restaurant with traditional standards like pho & bahn mi, they do---like other great Viet restaurants in this country---prepare traditional Chinese-American style dishes.  If you are unfamiliar with Viet fare, or just plain timid about by trying something new, you can do no wrong by ordering one of their Chinese styled dishes.  A gateway drug menu item like that is their decadent, cake-batter dipped, Honey Cashew Shrimp.  Is it an entree---or a dessert...?

Pho is not rocket science; however, pho broth is.  You can tell the good stuff from the bad, i.e., from scratch, boned-boiled goodness, to the can opened crap other places use.  I have tasted both the beef and chicken broths this family creates for their soups, and they have flavors I get when I take the time to make a good broth at home.  Judging how they put effort and emphasis on freshness with all their dishes, this is not a surprise...  

My wifey will take bites of everyone else's dishes, but she orders only one thing when we visit: Wonton soup, with egg noodles instead of rice noodles (egg rolls not included), never finishing it. She's not a fan of rice noodles, and it's nice to have the option to order egg noodles for certain dishes...

Vien Dong is great place to enjoy a family meal.  It's not necessarily served 'family-style,' but you know you're going to have a bite of his meal, she's going to want a bite of yours, they want to sample your appetizer, etc., etc. That's the way it is for our family, and maybe yours too. Dining in this manner is always special to me.  My youngest child is eight years old; oldest is 24.  They, and all ages in between, agree: The Dong never fails to satisfy.  And it's all so amazingly affordable. Did I not mention that?  There, I did...

Everybody has their happy places.  Favorite restaurants fall in to this category for me.  Writing blogs, and providing silly little reviews for Urbanspoon may be a fun hobby, but it is only a byproduct of the overall pleasure mission....dining out.  I love it, and so does my family.  And if you were to poll all eight of us which was our top choice for dropping everything and heading out to eat, percentages would have Vien Dong coming out on top.  All votes for fast food or froyo from my little girls would be overruled.  And they'd be cool with it...

BUSINESS NOTES:  They gloriously open at 10AM.  I'm an early eater, and that is a major plus with me.  You can peruse their menu at:  http://www.viendongspokane.com/  They serve no alcohol, so it is always family friendly.  Don't go on a Monday!  Even these nice folks need a day off...

Zentropa Pizzeria & Pub -- by gcleff11

I dye my hair.  And let me tell you why.  Because having to live in a college town that arguably had the crappiest pizza options for over ten years of residence caused me to go prematurely grey.  I'm serious.  Think about it.  College students and pizza.  They go together like college students and ramen noodles.  When take and bake pizza is your absolute best pizza option in this town, you can understand why the follicles went white...

Wedgies...



Like a legally prescribed dose of human growth hormones, Zentropa will return the shade of my mop-top to it's original hue.  I cannot tell you how happy I am to have them in my town.  This is pizza.  Yeah, yeah, they advertise a "NYC" style of wheel, but really nothing compares to the product from iconic pizza locales, i.e., The Big Apple, Chicago, SoCal, etc.  What they are--and are doing--is making a damn fine pie.  They opt for a thin crust, which indeed, is nicely foldable like an NYC wheel.  Slices on their extra large pizzas, when folded, almost have a hot Italian sandwich quality to them...

$5.99 Wing Wednesday...



As to their extra large pies...  They're big (18").  I can see where folks might think that $20+ for one of their big ones might be a bit pricey for pizza, but with the quality of product and the amount you get, I happen to think they are priced very fairly.  I can give you anecdotal reasons for that with stories of my take-home boxes from dining experiences, but I think you get the idea.  If you can eat more than two slices, after apps, finishing the crust in their nice pesto ranch dip, you are a better man than I, Gunga Din...

Pancetta & Onion w/Garlic White Sauce (Build Your Own)



I do have a recommendation for those who wish to visit:  go for their signature pies--either regular or extra large.  You will get more toppings for the price.  When you opt to do a "build your own" it will get a little expensive.  No less delicious, but a slightly higher price.  I have tried four of their signatures, and there hasn't been a bad one in the bunch...

House Combo...



House Chicken...

They are not infallible, and I need this to be pointed out.  I have had a less than memorable experience (once), and I attribute it to being early in the week, with newer food preparers and inexperience staff.  They are new.  Yet, even with my slight disappointment with that one experience, everything was still light years better than every other pizza option in Cheney.  And I have met the owner and general manager, and both absolutely insist on receiving feedback about the product, anything that falls short of expectations, or anything else the customer might suggest to improve the experience...

What I appreciate about these guys is that while they obviously will cater to the college crowd, their focus is on the citizens of Cheney first and foremost.  That will work very well for them when visitors from Spokane make a special trip to try them.  Another thing that pleases me, is how I am treated the same every time I have been there.  I'm not treated any different than any other Jane or Joe who plops down in one of their booths or buddy bars.  That's the way it should be...

Welcome to The Trope...



BUSINESS NOTES:  They are open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner.  They do offer slices thru the lunch time frame for hungry locals working in downtown Cheney.  They also have some very fresh local micro brews on tap, which will be rotated, and they are going to host a "Mug Club," which you can count on me being a part of...