Restaurant Wars

Ladies and gentlemen, the food event of the year is finally HERE!!!Restaurant Wars has 18 of the top restaurants in the Inland Northwest are ready to battle it out for the top spot through an intense competition at Avista Stadium from 2-10pm on September 30th.

This culinary throw-down in its second year, and the new venue looks to be a wonderful opportunity to expand the number of participants and make sure lines stay short to try ALL of the food from these incredible restaurants. You may even find your new favorite restaurant. For the same price as going to Denny’s, you can enjoy a locally made, locally owned restaurant’s unique, delicious fare.

I had the opportunity to chat with Kris Kilduff (who runs the event), and he was incredibly excited to share exclusive details about the event this year. His goal is that this event will introduce you to some local restaurant and help you find your new favorite place to eat.

First of all, it is going to be HUGE. He expanded availability to include 3,000 tickets, and there are three different categories: Meat, Vegetarian and Gastropub. If you look at the restaurants included this year, this particular lineup is truly impressive. Clover, Zona Blanca, Chaps, Wandering Table and Casper Fry are among the contenders, and all have a loyal following. Even some favorites from North Idaho including 41 South and Timber Gastropub are making an appearance. For a full lineup, click HERE. 

Admission is free to see all of the action, and tasting tickets are only 17.00. That includes food from 6 restaurants in one category, and you’ll get one plate of food per restaurant. For less than $3 per plate, you get to sample some of the best our area has to offer, all in one location! If you want all three categories,  It’s an incredible value for an event of this magnitude. There will also be a vendor fair and a beer garden with nine local breweries and one cidery on tap.

Vegetarians and vegans can get in on the fun, too! They have a meatless offering (with a vegan option), which Kilduff says is full of the most innovative dishes in the event. Pro tip: He described one of the items on the menu (kept a secret until the event), and I can assure you, this category will be the one you don’t want to miss!

There will be three professional chefs and three local bloggers to judge the entries for a winner in each category - Executive Chef Stefhanie Meyers of Pend d’Oreille Winery, Executive Chef Scott Miller of Seasons of Coeur d’Alene, and Executive Chef Steve Leonard of Wrigley Field round out the professionals. Local bloggers are Sarah Carleton of Gather and Savor, and Erin Peterson of Plately, who are co-founders of the Spokane Culinary Arts Guild, and Chandler Baird of Spokane Eats.

If you do only one thing outside of watching Netflix this weekend, you definitely want to attend this event. Don’t miss it! Get your tickets HERE.

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The Spokane Culinary Arts Guild works to establish an integrated social and professional network across Washington and Idaho where local food enthusiasts, chefs, farms and restaurant professionals can connect, collaborate and find the resources they need to thrive within local food webs that stimulate stronger local economies, encourage social equity and sustain our natural resources. It is our mission to recognize exceptional restaurants and industry partners in our region, and acknowledge superior business practices, concepts and achievements in our local community.