August, 2010

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You Don’t Have to Pig Out to Love Pig Out in the Park, September 1–6

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Autumn is in the air, and Spokane is preparing to say good-bye to summer with one more big bash in Riverfront Park. The 31st annual Pig Out in the Park runs September 1–6.

Pigging out is certainly an option, with forty-eight food booths providing affordable plates of a wide diversity of food—you can enjoy Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, German, Italian, Korean, Indian, Native American, American, Bavarian, Spanish, French, Jordanian, Russian, Hawaiian, Thai, and Middle Eastern foods at this year’s event. You can take a world tour of food in one place. But the entertainment is, for many of us, the real draw.

The admission is free for all shows! There are very few events in the region where families can enjoy so much free entertainment. Two stages, the clocktower stage and the new river acoustic stage, will host fifty-five free concerts over six days, beginning at noon on Wednesday and ending at 10:00 p.m. Labor Day. There is truly something for everyone. Kaylee Cole, Trailer Park Girls, Sammy Eubanks, Janet Johnson, Soul Proprietor, and Hot Club of Spokane are just a few of the great acts you can catch while sitting in beautiful Riverfront Park. The weather is usually warm and sunny, and there is plenty of room for everyone to pull up a piece of lawn or place a lawn chair. Check the schedule for times. This year, you can also enjoy a cool drink in one of three adult beverage gardens.

Pig Out in the Park will serve up 225,000 servings of entrees, desserts, beverages, and snacks to people from all over the region. The attendance is huge, so be ready for crowds, especially in the busy food booth area, where you just have to be patient, as you are not going anywhere fast. But Riverfront Park is a big place, and once you purchase your food, you will have no trouble finding a pleasant spot to sit down and enjoy it in. It has been reported that the total economic benefit from Pig Out in the Park for the Spokane community is roughly $4.7 million.

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Comedy Tonight! Spokane’s Comedy Club Scene

Friday, August 13th, 2010

Tired of the same old Saturday night “going out” routine? How about a live comedy show? Spokane now has several great choices, including a family friendly venue and a new clean comedy club that you can take a first date or your mother to without being embarrassed. Grab a friend and be ready to laugh and have a good time.

Squeaky’s Comedy at Players & Spectators

Spokane’s newest venue for stand-up comedy promises to be squeaky clean, with no cussing, no outrageously offensive subject matter, and plenty of laughs, The success of Squeaky’s is proving that you don’t have to tell dirty jokes to be funny. A variety of acts are booked through the next couple of months, including Rube Goldberg Device, featuring sketch comedy, live music, and improv. Squeaky’s 5 for 5 shows, offered throughout the season, feature five up-and-coming comedians from the area for the regular ticket price of $5.00; check the website for schedules. Shows start at 9:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. You can buy your tickets in advance through TicketsWest for $5.00. Located in Players and Spectators, where you can also bowl in their large alley or gamble at the casino, at 12828 E. Sprague Avenue.

Blue Door Theatre

Blue Door Theatre

If you like to see all new improvised material in a small setting with fun audience participation, head to the Blue Door any Friday or Saturday night. The performers are more actors than stand-up comedians, and they delight audiences with on-the-spot sketches, themed acts, and improvised scenes based on audience suggestions. Kids are always welcome, and a variety of topics are explored that will amuse audience members of all ages, but Friday nights are specifically PG, while Saturday nights reach into more adult themes. The theatre is a non-profit that has been run by volunteers since its creation in 2000. Improv classes for kids and adults are available. Friday night shows start at 8:00 p.m. and are $9.00 or $7.00 for children, seniors, and students. Saturday night shows start at 9:00 p.m. and are $7.00 See the website for reservations. Located at 815 W. Garland Ave.

Uncle D’s Comedy Underground at Bluz at the Bend

Bluz at the Bend is becoming as known and loved for its great comedy club as for its quality live blues and dancing. During the professional performance season, September through June, you can catch national acts on Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m. During the summer, and throughout the entire year, Uncle D’s offers an open mike show with no cover charge on Thursday nights at 7:30. Check out a video here. If you have ever wanted to try stand-up comedy, this is a great opportunity to try your jokes in front of a live audience and receive coaching from club owner Don Parkins. The professional season will begin September 17th with a well-known national act, Jay Wendell Walker, winner of the 2006 San Francisco Invitational Comedy Competition. For reservations, call 509-483-7300. Located at 2721 N. Market Street. Bring your appetite; the club offers full service from the delicious restaurant, which offers everything from live Maine lobster to burgers and accommodates vegetarians with a tofu option for most dishes.

Chuckles Comedy Club at the Season Ticket

Chuckles features live stand-up comedy every Friday and Saturday nights starting at 8:30 p.m. Usually, the show line-up consists of one or two local act openers followed by a national act. Located inside the Season Ticket sports bar at 1221 N. Howard Street, across from the Arena. Tickets are $10 at the door.

Posted in Nightlife, Shows, Spokane | No Responses »

New Ethiopian Cuisine in Spokane: Queen of Sheba

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Queen of Sheba platter Spokane, WA is known for its excellent local restaurants, and a new choice for lunch and dinner has people all over town talking: Queen of Sheba is Spokane’s first Ethiopian restaurant, located in the historic Flour Mill near downtown and the Courthouse district. A truly unique dining experience awaits those who are interested in trying something adventurous. The food is authentic, delicious, and reasonably priced. The owner, Almaz, was born and raised in Ethiopia, and she frequently chats with guests before they order to explain how the food is served and answer any questions about the dishes.

All food is served with injera, a spongy flatbread that has such a mild, neutral taste that it doesn’t not interfere with the rich, fragrant flavors of the entrees. No utensils are used. You simply tear off a piece of injera and scoop the food up with it. But the bread makes a perfect eating implement, so you don’t need to worry about your fingers (or shirt) getting messy and sticky. While highly flavorful and full of rich, Ethiopian spices, most of the dishes are mild to medium on the heat scale. The menu features a variety of melt-in-your-mouth meat and vegetable dishes cooked in tasty sauces to perfection so that each bite is infused with flavor.

For appetizers, I highly recommend the spicy fried chick peas, a wonderful Ethiopian answer to the standard bowl of nuts at the table, and the beef sambussas (crispy triangles of dough surrounding a beef and spice mixture), which disappeared fast at our table. If you are new to Ethiopian food, try the vegetarian or meat combination platters, which each come with a few different entrees and feed two people. The selections lend themselves well to sharing with others at the table for a satisfying, communal meal in a friendly atmosphere. The yaterkik alicha, split peas cooked with onions, peppers, and herbs, is amazingly good, as is the doro we’t, a spicy stew-like dish of succulent, tender pieces of chicken simmered in a thick berbere sauce with garlic, ginger, cardamom, and onions, topped with hard boiled eggs.

Queen of Sheba is open Tuesday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Reservations are a good idea for Friday and Saturday nights; call 509-328-3958.

Posted in Dining, Spokane | 1 Response »

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the essential guide to spokane :: presented by stratford suites

August, 2010

...now browsing by month

You Don’t Have to Pig Out to Love Pig Out in the Park, September 1–6

Comedy Tonight! Spokane’s Comedy Club Scene

New Ethiopian Cuisine in Spokane: Queen of Sheba

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