We made our 2nd annual trek to Lovitt Restaurant in Colville, Washington. We first heard of Lovitt from a Sunset magazine article
from a few years ago. We were shocked to see anything from the Inland
Northwest in Sunset (have you ever tried to search for Spokane on the
Sunset mag website?) and were surprised that it was all the way up in
Colville. We figured it must be something special and sure enough,
it is.
I ordered the smoked salmon lasagna with a local microbrew. They use a pit smoker with apple wood and the flavors they coax out of the salmon are amazing. Nancy had the bratwurst and the Mary Hill Pinot Grigio. Very nice. The purple cabbage was like guilt free julienned gourmet french fries. We topped it off with apricot upside down cake with a dolop of homemade ice cream. Queue the Homer Simpson drooling sounds.
After the meal we talked to Norman Six, who does most of the heavy lifting in the kitchen, and he explained that they source 90-95% of the their food from local sources.From the farmhouse on a ridge setting, to the seasonal savory eats, to the gourmet meal for less than $50, you’ve got to love Lovitt. I know we’ll be making at least an annual trip.
Also:
How did Colville come to have the best food community in the Inland Northwest? It’s home to Quillisascut Farm (the book “Chefs on the Farm” which we bought at Lovitt, is informative and beautiful), Lovitt Restaurant and huge Wednesday and Saturday farmers’ markets.
Blog link love to www.spokanefoodblog.com and their locavore challenge. They’ve got some local bloggers taking the 100 mile diet challenge for the first week in September.
You forgot the heirloom tomato appetizer. YUMMY YUM. I tried to replicate it at home- you'd think it'd be so easy, but theirs were extra special. A dusting of salt, some balsamic vinegar, perfectly ripe tomatoes... what else? Everything we had there was simple but special. Craig also didn't mention the incredible view. It's just the perfect place to enjoy a wonderful meal! It's my absolute favorite restaurant.
Posted by: nancy goodwin | August 28, 2009 at 09:51 AM
That book, Chefs on the Farm, looks great. Thanks for the heads up on it and the restaurant.
Posted by: April | August 31, 2009 at 09:55 AM
Serving "90-95% of the their food from local sources"----do you know where they get their meat inspected? Because I've found there aren't nearly enough USDA inspectors to make that viable here in central Idaho. Nampa is the closest facility... ?
Posted by: April | August 31, 2009 at 09:57 AM
Good to know that restaurant is worth the trek. Might be part of the weekend fun. I think they have dinner only hours?
Posted by: Geneva | September 02, 2009 at 11:50 AM
Geneva,
They're open from 4:30pm to 8:00pm and reservations are usually advisable.
Posted by: nancy goodwin | September 02, 2009 at 11:55 AM