Restaurant Focus - Clover Spokane

When you walk through the trellis and up the stairs to the stately front door of the once home, now restaurant Clover in U-District, you immediately feel like an honored guest. Throughout the walls, there are photos of the cozy bungalow and its inhabitants before it became a business, and awards line the walls - for good reason. The food and cocktail program here is among the best in Spokane.

It’s no coincidence that “love” is directly in the middle of the restaurant’s name, because the care and attention that is given to each dish and glass is immediately apparent. The staff is highly knowledgable about each and every dish, and their thorough descriptions really help in selecting the item menus that will delight every diner.

Dining here for the first time in over a year, we were floored by the changes made by Kory and his team. Our meal was exceptional from beginning to end. If you’re a Gordon Ramsey fan, you’ll definitely want to stop in here for the Beef Wellington. The medium-rare beef is incased in crisp pastry with duxelles (mushrooms) and paired with velvety potato puree and a ridiculously rich bourbon demi-glace. The Tastemaker team gave it a unanimous vote as their favorite menu item.⁣ Stop what you’re doing right now and make dinner plans for this one.

One of my personal favorites was the Matambre - don’t worry about pronouncing it, just point and wait for a mouth-wateringly rich, spicy dish to blow your mind. This dish is loaded with flank steak, spanish chorizo, anaheim chiles and pecorino cheese, roasted fingerling potatoes, chili glazed carrots and topped with a killer chimichurri that I could eat on anything. To add even more interest, they have a bacon cornbread on the plate, too. No one in Spokane has a dish like this on the menu.

The rest of the dishes were astounding as well, and it made it nearly impossible to pick. We loved Kory’s famous squash ravioli, which stood out because of the fresh pasta, fennel and bourbon apple cider butter sauce. Bryan’s juicy brined pork chop was stuffed with spinach, feta, apple and pistachio and served on a celery root apple gratin, and was another showstopper worthy of returning for.

That isn’t all that Clover is known for, though - as their bar program is a standout in the city. We are big fans of the Blackberry Thyme Bourbon Sour and The Smoking Gun cocktails. They use freshly pressed juices, unique infusions and if you’re not a fan of overly sweet, syrupy cocktails, but prefer well balanced, fascinating flavor profiles, you’ve just found a place that understands your needs.

If we look like we’re geeking out over their food, it’s because we are. You know a meal is exceptional when we have our phones out, and lights on (we always choose a quiet corner just in case, for this very reason). All of us can’t wait for an excuse to celebrate and go back again soon, but honestly, you don’t need a celebration to dine like this. Spending time here is a celebration in itself.

by Erin Peterson

Erin is a professional educator by day and a food blogger by night. She is a devoted wife, loving mother of three boys, and enjoys traveling around the region she calls home. Her hobbies include tending her cut flower garden, playing with her pet Corgi, drinking Washington wine, and thrifting for treasured vintage goods. You can follow her on Instagram here.