BUSINESS
26 • AUGUST 2013
The Current
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The BBQ pulled pork nachos at Spitfire have a special place in columnist Craig Swanson’s heart ... er ... belly.
Bellying up to the Valley’s best BBQ
Spitfire, Charlie P’s battle as top contenders By Craig Swanson
SPOKANE VALLEY SCOOP
Perhaps the most honest survey of the year lands on Father’s Day. There is only one judge, but he is honest and true. On this one day of the year, I can eat anywhere that I choose. By early afternoon, I had not eaten anything more than a couple of tasty malt balls from the quart gallon Whoppers box one of the kids gave me. I asked her to stop giving me such presents as they are helping to turn my belly into a whopper. Actually, it was this whopper of a belly I’d been working on for many years that was conducting the survey. While it always leads out in front, it does not always get to choose which way we head. But on Father’s Day, my belly gets to eat wherever it chooses, and the only thing my head has to do with the course of culinary events is to try and help stave off consumption for as long as possible. After all, a hollow, howling belly is the most pure and unbiased judge. A belly is like a baby in that when it is hungry it is quite focused and just wants what it wants. Unfortunately, some bellies also act like babies in that they seem to grow on a daily
basis whether you like it or not, and they are never as cute as when they were little. I live near Alki and Bowdish, the center of the Valley (the gut, you might say), and I can head out in any direction. All four winds blow wonderful scents toward me, but this year my tummy tugged me to the west. In that direction lies Charlie P’s, which I have for years claimed to be the most delicious spot in the Valley. I love just two types of food: seafood and barbecue, both of which Charlie P’s dishes out in an array of delectable varieties. There is a worthy argument to be made that the seafood calzone on Charlie P’s menu is Spokane’s most indulgent sin. It is one that I have too often committed. Charlie’s seafood omelet itself has the power to suck my belly down there, and as the hunger grew, I dared not start thinking about their seafood fettuccini, which might be the best I have ever eaten. Then there is the smoke-pit barbecue which has far too often lured me astray like the sirens and Odysseus. I normally try to eat alone when I order the barbecue since I dine spellbound and cannot think of anything but the alluring food before me. But recently, I have become aware of a new bastion of barbecue, the Spitfire Pub and Eatery at 6520 E. Trent Ave. While I thought my belly might first lead me to Charlie P’s for the $5 two-rib-
and-fries happy hour special, I began to lean a bit further west for my Father’s Day feast. Barbecue, I realize, is a very personal area of each man’s life, and I do not want to step on any tongues here, but to my increasingly boisterous belly, the Spitfire is Charlie P’s greatest rival, and for this day appeared to be the likely victor. This place is so into barbecue it has barbecue pulled pork nachos and tacos. The sauce is so good they could serve it as syrup for waffles. The only drawback with the Spitfire is it is a neighborhood bar that is a tad short on the atmosphere. If only it looked as good as it smells. As for myself, I keep intending to do takeout, but I can never imagine holding out long enough to get it home. Earlier this year, The Spokesman-Review did a barbecue survey that cast its reach all the way to Coeur d’Alene and up north to Wandermere and downtown. Nine places were featured, with Smokie’s Log Cabin BBQ Drive-Thru at Trent and Freya coming out on top. My belly took umbrage to this outrageous outcome. Only two Valley venues were mentioned in this survey, the Longhorn and O’Doherty’s, both good friends to my belly. But to leave off Charlie P’s and the Spitfire? My stomach did more than growl over that; it roared. Not to take away from the noble efforts of these other purveyors of heavenly
cooked meats, but leaving off Charlie P’s and the Spitfire from a Spokane survey of sumptuous barbecue is like leaving off Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds on list of baseball’s biggest batters, which would be balderdash at best. They should not only be included in any survey, they should be at the tippy-top. But I must stop writing. My tummy can’t take it any longer. Father’s Day or any day, my belly is, after all, a big baby.
Craig Swanson and his wife, Elaine, operate a blog and newsletter called the Spokane Valley Scoop, where a version of this article originally appeared. A graduate of University High School, Craig is a lifetime resident of Spokane Valley. The Spokane Valley Scoop can be read online at spokanevalleyscoop.wordpress.com.