Inlander Restaurant Week has come and gone three times since I joined the publication in 2023, and it’s safe to say this year’s feast was bigger than I’ve ever sampled before.
Each year, the Inlander’s editorial team kicks off the event with a team dinner, and then we all try to find another three-course meal to feature. However, the 2026 event happened to begin the same weekend we celebrated my dad’s 50th birthday, so it only made sense to add two more dinners to the list.
On Friday, Feb. 27, my family met at Griffin Tavern Kitchen & Taphouse ($35), the restaurant on the corner of Monroe Street and First Avenue adjacent to its downstairs sibling, Gilded Unicorn. The place was mostly filled with Restaurant Week diners looking for a British pub bite to go with the pints they poured themselves — the Griffin also operates Spokane’s sole self-serve beer wall.
For the first course, I tried the British curry rub wings, which came with a side of ranch and celery sticks. The appetizer consisted of just three flavor-packed wings, which at first seemed like too few, but as I later struggled to down my dessert, I was happy with the portion size. The wings went perfectly with the Tom & Huck, a solid huckleberry mule…