Lunch at the Davenport

Welcome to the beautiful, historic Davenport Hotel

in downtown Spokane Washington.

Many of you know that my sister Joni, from Red Couch Recipes

moved there in October.

My other sister, Jean, from Texas and I went to visit Joni

and she took us to the Davenport Hotel for lunch.

Davenport is a landmark hotel in Spokane and was 

commissioned by a group of businessmen in 1914

and named after Louis Davenport, the first proprietor

of the hotel.

 What a treat it was to go in and walk around.  It was restored

and reestablished in 2002 by the Worthy's
at a cost of around $38 million.

And it is a restoration worthy of this grand hotel.

They lovingly keep the rooms open when they are 

not being used for a function, so that you

can come in, enjoy, and take photos.

The Renaissance room is exquisite and makes

you feel like royalty when you are in it.

I would love to be here for a ball.

The Marie Antoinette Room is also stunning with

it's second floor balcony.  It is done in soft blue.

They were preparing for a wedding reception when

we were there.

There are beautiful chandeliers throughout the hotel.

Look at the detail on this original chandelier.

The Hall of the Doges, Spokane's "oldest and finest ballroom" 

was lifted intact out of an older part of the building

and placed here at the top of the stairs in the

new east wing.

It was modeled after royal palaces in Venice.

In this beautiful wood paneled room, each of these

chandeliers contain 75 pounds of silver.  

The Palm Court Grill, the open, two-story lobby

 is where lunch is served.

It is decorated exquisitely.  You can appreciate

the Worthy's love of this fine historic building and

their care in restoring it to it's charm and beauty.

with these fantastic onyx lamps atop gold twisted pillars.

We were seated right in front of the elegant fireplace.

I just love appetizers and desserts.  I could eat just

appetizers and desserts and die a happy woman,

so I had to try their Cougar Gold Cheese Dip.

Mmmmmmm....

Cougar Gold Cheese Dip, served with bread.

Cougar Gold is a white, sharp cheddar cheese

made exclusively at Washington State University.

  It can be ordered online, but shipping doubles the price.  I might

try this recipe, substituting another aged, white, sharp

cheddar cheese.  It really was amazing.  We all said we

could have just ordered our own cheese dip and gone

away happy!

Jean ordered the Halibut Fish and Chips,

 and it was so light and flakey.

Joni got Grilled Chicken Satay with a peanut sauce.

Tatiana, Joni's daughter ordered
 a gorgeous Reuben Sandwich.

Of course I had to try the

Davenport Crab Louis salad,

named after Louis Davenport.

It was filled with huge chunks of wonderful crab.

After lunch, we wandered into the Davenport's gift shop,

Davenport Home,

and I fell madly in love with this table.  Look at the lines

on it!

Of course I had to take photos of the gorgeously shaped

wood and the beautiful tablesetting.  I love the metallic

plates mixed with the swirled plates.  It is definitely a

rustic elegant look.

This store was a tablescaper's dream.  Look at these

stunning goblets with their peach colored beads.

I love how they tied the antique silverware

together with a ribbon.

It is a fun way to mix and match antique pieces.

Let's have a peek at those stunning legs -

three beautiful carved legs on each end - 

what's not to love?

I don't think I have ever seen a more beautiful table.

I even asked about having it shipped.  I have to

say that the only thing about the Davenport that disappointed

me was that the sales manager never called me back

about how much it would be to have it drop shipped!

Alas, it was not meant to be!

Make me feel bad about not getting it one more time -

this is the view from the end!  I am in love!!

This is the view from the side.  What a glorious table.

Wish they could ship it!!

Isn't this table fabulous too?  That edge is

just fantastic!  

The store was just filled with all kinds of treats.

They told us you can even order their mattresses

and linens if you loved the way you slept!

Oh, and how about these plates for fun?  These look like

glass but are melamine.  You have to pick them up to 

believe it.

While you are in the store, take a taste test of

Spokane's famous soft peanut brittle.  It is quite

a unique treat that I just love.

Lunch at the Davenport was really a treat and if you are

in town, come in, explore and have lunch.  It is

breathtaking, and will transport you to a more

elegant time.  Breakfast and lunch are very reasonable and

we loved each dish.  

We had a delightful week with Joni and loved getting

to know her wonderful new town.

I will be posting this with

Tablescapes Thursday