Manito Tap House and The Blackbird Tavern + Kitchen 4 STAR CERTIFIED GREEN RESTAURANTS DEDICATED TO QUALITY BEER AND FOOD — BY JILLIAN CHANDLER —
MANITO TAP HOUSE, located on the South Hill, celebrated their sixth anniversary this past fall. Opened by owners Patrick McPherson and Denise Hanson, this 4 Star Certified Green Restaurant has been treating patrons to the best beers paired with a food menu featuring elevated pub fare to meet the quality and standard of the beer, all while aiming to maintain an eco-friendly gastropub. Guests will find 50 tap handles of which 80 percent are rotating, more than 70 bottles of rare beer, an entire serving staff of certified beer servers and a certified cicerone. Beer is taken seriously at Manito Tap House. In 2017, CraftBeer.com (the Brewers Association’s website) named Manito Tap House the Best Beer Bar in Washington State. Manito offers patrons a relaxed neighborhood vibe while serving upscale pub food, made from scratch, utilizing local and regional purveyors whenever possible. The menu changes seasonally, with a new fresh sheet offered every two weeks. With the success of Manito Tap House, Patrick and Denise decided to open a second restaurant in the summer of 2015, The Blackbird Tavern + Kitchen. Like its sister restaurant, The Blackbird is a Certified Green Restaurant with a 4 Star rating. After nearly three years in business, The Blackbird is reinventing the atmosphere and cuisine to offer Spokane a truly traditional taste of the South. “We said from the start we wanted to change concepts every few years,” says Patrick. “[We] have the energy and expertise with our team that we want to take [The Blackbird] to another place and try something different.” With a love and passion for barbecue, both Patrick and Executive Chef Molly Patrick, a native of Macon, Georgia, the new menu will offer traditional smokehouse barbecue from the South (including brisket, pork, jackfruit, hot links, spare ribs, chicken and more), and wood-fired smokers will run at The Blackbird 24 hours a day. To complement the new menu, guests will still be treated to more than 150 rare and imported bottled beers, with the same standards for beer service as Manito. In addition, guests will walk into a louder, less formal, casual and fun restaurant. Patrick, who is a certified cicerone and publican, is in charge of the cellar as well as writing the beer menus at both locations. Beers are cellared at both locations as well as an off-site temperature-controlled cellar. “We have so many great beers—some of which we had to drive to the breweries to pick up. We also are cellaring a firkin (cask beer) from Great Britain that will be 10 years old on Manito Tap House’s 10th birthday. We can’t wait to crack that in four years!” “Our knowledgeable staff and our beer selection certainly sets the Manito Tap House apart. At both locations, we require all of our servers and bartenders to be Cicerone ®Certified Beer Servers. At the Blackbird, some of the things that help differentiate us are our cocktail program and our new woodfired Southern cuisine. Our bartenders infuse about 20 different liquors, anything from strawberries to cardamom.” He adds, “We’re most proud of the fact that we try to not cut corners, whether it’s with food or beer. Integrity is paramount to everything we do.” What are you waiting for? Head to Manito Tap House or The Blackbird Tavern + Kitchen for the best beer—and food—in town.
Manito Tap House South Hill 3011 S. Grand Blvd. 509.279.2671 ManitoTapHouse.com 120
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The Blackbird Tavern + Kitchen Downtown 905 N. Washington St. 509.381.2473 TheBlackbirdSpokane.com