Authentic Latin American restaurants can feel few and far between in the Inland Northwest. Cantarito Mexican Restaurant in Spokane's Indian Trail neighborhood opened in November,.
T
he motto at Feast World Kitchen is Less fear, more falafel, yet Jordanian-born chef and Chef Program Director Maisa Abudayha wants people to know there s more than just
falafel to the cuisine of the eastern Mediterranean (more accurately the Levant, which includes Jordan and neighboring regions).
Shushbarak, for example, is lamb dumplings in Greek yogurt. She makes
sajieh with spicy strips of beef and peppers. And
fattet dajej is a rich layering of crispy pita bread, rice, chicken, and creamy sesame
tahini. Abudayha has made all these entrees and more for Feast World, a Spokane-based nonprofit started by Ross Carper and former Inland Curry owner Daniel Todd, who had dual interests in food and fellowship.
As 2020 reaches a close, restaurants are in a perilous place. The current indoor dining ban in Washington has several more days to go until Jan. 4 and a potential return to limited dine-in seating. Takeout-only sales, paired with limited outdoor seating in the heart of winter, have not been enough for the majority of local, independent eateries to make it out of the red after nine months of pandemic-hindered activity. The list of restaurants in the Inland Northwest that permanently closed this year in connection with the pandemic is likely to grow, and already includes Geno s Pub, Paper & Cup, Fleur de Sel Creperie, Tomato Street in River Park Square (the North Side location remains open), River Rock Taphouse and Cheap Shots bar.