Wine and dine to your heart's content in horn-of-plenty Spokane, Wash. - Los Angeles Times
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Wine and dine to your heart’s content in horn-of-plenty Spokane, Wash.

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Wineries, farm goodness, roaring river, active lifestyle and a compact, vibrant downtown … how does that sound for a getaway? Good, indeed. So much so that we high-tailed it last fall to Spokane, as in Washington, Expo ‘74, Gonzaga basketball. I was here at the end of a long golf road trip and had a vehicle, so my wife flew in from Santa Barbara. (Five airlines serve Spokane International from the Southland.) The tab: $161 a night, excluding tax and a $22 daily valet parking fee, at the Davenport Tower hotel; $28 for breakfast and $160 for dinner, including wine.

The bed

Marriott’s Autograph Collection has Spokane in a headlock, with four locations within blocks of one another in downtown. We chose the Davenport Tower (111 S. Post St., [800] 899-1482, www.lat.ms/1SsZZNf), a ritzy hotel with I-want-one-of-these-at-home beds, Frette linens, L’Occitane bath products and “Out of Africa” décor. The Safari Bar buzzes during happy hour and on game nights.

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The meal

Spokane is the capital of the Northwest’s version of California’s Central Valley, which means foodstuffs of every kind. Chaps, a period farmhouse set at the end of a small strip shopping center (4237 S. Cheney-Spokane Road; [509] 624-4182, www.chapsgirl.com), has a comfortable Americana-industrial feel. Sweet and savory is the ticket here for breakfast, with either a berry scone and artisan bacon combo or a 45-rpm-record-size cinnamon roll with a cheesy-eggy quesadilla. The Wandering Table (1242 W. Summit Parkway; [509] 443-4410, www.thewanderingtable.com), across the Spokane River from downtown in the Kendall Yards neighborhood, has a vibrant cocktail and small-plate/shared-plate scene. We tried the tasting menu, selected a price point for food ($25-$65 a person) and paired wines ($15-$40 a person), and let the chef take it from there. We chose $50 and $30, yielding nine courses (whether plated individually or to share), including a quartet of desserts and four wines, three from Washington state. Two courses featured chicharrón, which was odd, but that was the only blip.

The find

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Washington’s wine industry is riding the tail of a comet, with vineyard acreage and acclaim on the rise. Stride around downtown’s Cork District (www.visitspokane.com/cork-district), which features the tasting rooms of 15 wineries. Warm-locale varietals — notably Bordeaux — hold sway across Washington state. We hail from Pinot Noir/Chardonnay country, so this was a welcome change. Barrister Winery (1213 W. Railroad Ave.; [509] 465-3591, www.barristerwinery.com) is housed in a revamped warehouse in the Davenport Arts District. Get in on the ground floor, so to speak, and walk out with the 2012 Cabernet Franc ($31) and the non-vintage Rough Justice red blend ($22).

The lesson learned

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Although it’s easy to take in the Spokane River and its raging falls at Riverfront Park, we rented bicycles for a more expansive experience. The paved Centennial Trail (www.spokanecentennialtrail.org) extends 37 miles along the river to neighboring Idaho. We cruised for 20 miles up and back. Three-speed bikes can be rented for $10 an hour from MonkeyBoy Bicycles (1206 W. Summit Parkway; [509] 863-9272, www.monkeyboybicycles.com) in Kendall Yards. Spoke ‘N Sport (212 N. Division St.; [509] 838-8842, www.spokensportinc.net), near the convention center, offers multi-speed hybrid cruisers ($30 a day) and road bikes ($50 a day). Both shops provide helmets and quick access to the Centennial Trail.

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