Restaurants in Opportunity

Chan Bistro owners Katia Chan and Meo Goldstein sojourn to local markets each morning to gather fresh ingredients for the meals their patrons will order that day, according to the Pacific Northwest Inlander's feature on the eatery. The married couple's emphasis on freshness carries over to the recipes they serve, and they prepare all of their rich sauces in-house. Though adept at all manner of culinary styles, Katia and Meo primarily dole out variations on traditional Asian dishes, such as the fuji sweet-and-sour chicken breaded with panko and topped with grilled pineapple. Vegetarian entrees, such as Sichuan-style steamed Silken tofu with fresh garlic and scallions, allow diners of different dietary persuasions to sup together and compare chewing techniques. Diners dig into Katia and Meo’s recipes beside a photographic backdrop of Hong Kong’s gleaming skyline, a nod to Katia's hometown, which she describes as “the heaven of food.”

El Mercado Del Pueblo encompasses a Mexican market, deli, bakery, and sit-down restaurant. One need not search for authenticity here, because it's everywhere. Overhanging Mexican flags run the length of the full-service market, its shelves rife with imported spices, sweets, and one of the largest dried-pepper selections in town. After scoping out the freshly made tres-leches cakes at the panaderia, guests can explore Chef Hortencia's Cuernavaca roots by sampling the eatery's authentic soups, chiles rellenos, or traditional street tacos. If time is short, they can carry out a sweet or savory tamale to surprise a friend, or a pound of fresh salsa to bribe a crooked chip baron.

According to a June 2012 profile in The Pacific Northwest Inlander, Donna Byrd spent months simmering sauces over her kitchen stove and recruiting family members and friends for taste tests. After those months of experimentation, clear winners emerged and those champion recipes hold a place of honor in the Byrds' restaurant, Noodle Works. Guests order their vegetables, meats, and tofu stir-fried in a teriyaki sauce tinged with pineapple or a sesame and ginger-laced mustard sauce. Then, they watch chefs place the sizzling feast onto a bed of rice or yakisoba noodles to create a dinner in a bowl or onto a bed of rose petals to create a romantic dinner in a bowl. Visitors can pair noodle bowls with domestic and imported beers while taking in a sports game on television screens mounted on the walls.

Though it’s not uncommon to hear lip smacking at Smacky’s on Broadway, that’s not how the eatery got its name. It was named after owner Mike’s childhood pet monkey. But despite its playful name, Smacky’s is serious about sandwich making. Its menu includes french dips, crispy paninis, and twice-baked hoagies. All of these handheld meals are made with fresh-baked bread, save for the selection of wraps, and top-choice black forest ham, roast beef, and slow-roasted turkey.

In 2009, Smacky’s moved into a roomy, newly renovated space with wood-paneled walls and an eclectic collection of furniture. Above a big fuzzy green sofa hang an assortment of frying pans, windowpanes, and a map of North America. These seemingly random decorations help create a casual atmosphere, not unlike when a corporation insists its employees wear footed pajamas to the office.

After making countless lasagnas for their seven children over the years, Lasagna's On Ya owners Dan and Jennifer Shorts decided to bring their homemade specialty dish to the public. Each day, they prepare several types of lasagna--from the classic lasagna with tomato sauce to the mushroom melt with alfredo sauce--and design you-build-it varieties for customers from scratch, tailoring lasagna to be lactose- or gluten-free upon request. The take-and-bake meals pair with salads, artisan breads, and rich desserts that leave a sweeter taste in your mouth than eating Shirley Temple postage stamps.

Chicken-N-More founder Bob Hemphill moved to Spokane, he brought the flavors of his native Texas with him. Here, white and dark-meat fried chicken perfectly compliment sides such as hush puppies and gumbo, while rolls sidle up to orders of ribs. Sandwiches range from barbecued brisket and pulled pork to farm-raised Alabama catfish, and guests can finish their meal with a peach cobbler or a sweet-potato pie. Chicken-N-More also crafts its own famous sweet-tart Old South Barbeque sauce sauce, sold by the pint.

Inside, you’ll find the walls plastered with old pictures, license plates from across the country, and sports jerseys given to the restaurant by local teams. In an interview with The Inlander, Bob said that players from the Gonzaga and Eastern Washington basketball teams eat at Chicken-N-More all the time.