Coeur d'Alene is a beautiful getaway for Seattleites. Located on Lake Coeur d'Alene and about 30 miles from Spokane, the area sees 174 sunny days each year and the average summer temps remain in the 80s (that's comparable to Seattle's supposed 150 sunny days and average summer temps in the low 70s according to Wikipedia). We spent this past weekend in CDA and the temps never dropped below 82. Perfect beach weather.
Here's your weekend guide for CDA, which is mostly a restaurant guide. I also included my favorite spots in Spokane since it's a great stopover on the way in and out of town, and only a short drive from Coeur d'Alene.
Coeur d'Alene
Where to Eat
The Wellness Bar is marketed as the grab-and-go go-to for Vegans and health-conscious folks who live in or visit CDA. With a wide variety of smoothies, toasts, and bowls, The Wellness Bar is perfect for a light meal or snack. I enjoyed a smoothie and a pitaya bowl, and my friend ordered the avocado toast twice and noted how the addition of a layer of coconut oil on the toast makes a difference to the depth of flavor. I highly recommend The Wellness Bar and wish that the company would open one in the Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland area! With prices lower than places like Jujubeet and Jamba Juice, The Wellness Bar is good for both your body and your wallet!
Crafted is the hotspot in downtown CDA. Located on the opposite end of the one street "main drag" of CDA from the resort, Crafted is part eatery, part bar, and part gamestop hangout complete with corn hole. Open until 2 am every night, it's a great spot to linger post-dinner with great people watching.
I was surprised at the number of vegan options on Crafted's new plant-based menu page. I had wanted to try the One Way from Harbor Grace which featured a crispy garbanzo bean cake, creme fraiche, and balsamic glaze with some pickled veggies, but they sold out before we placed our order. Instead, I ordered a salad and the chef surprised me and added a garbanzo bean cake atop my salad. The cake was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside and I would most definitely order it again. We shared a hummus platter at the table and enjoyed glasses of rose which, to our surprise, came with an extra little carafe. Quite the deal - two for one!
We had excellent service despite that we arrived at peak time on a Saturday night. Though we waited for a table (no reservations), we were happy that the patio had emptied quite a bit by the time we were seated. If we had stayed another night, we would have returned to Crafted for a second meal - always the sign of a good review.
Despite the funny name, this casual eatery is a plant eater's dream. With many options for vegan items, and the cheapest menu prices I have seen in a long time, everyone will be happy with dinner, including the person paying the bill.
Located a short drive from downtown CDA (8 minutes, to be exact), this restaurant is like an upscale Chipotle. Tex-Mex style with things like tacos on the menu, there are also larger dishes like the lemon grilled tofu plate which I enjoyed with spicy fried brussels sprouts. The sweet potato fries are excellent. They have a large outdoor patio that's shaded and glasses of champagne for $4. What's not to love?!
Where to Stay
We stayed at the Coeur d'Alene Resort. Although it is touted as the nicest hotel in CDA and easily the largest, it is not where I would stay again. The hotel is oddly laid out and very outdated. The Blu infinity pool and surrounding beach areas were the highlights of the accommodations, but to get there from the hotel, guests have to take a 1990s-era van shuttle or wait in line for a speed boat "ferry". Midday on a Saturday, there was a 3-boat line on the dock with only one boat running, though there were two boats. The pool menu left something to be desired and the rooms are pretty awful. In short, while the time spent at the pool and beach were nothing short of relaxing and lovely, and you can get a lovely sunset cocktail at Whispers, the hotel's outdoor bar, I would never choose to stay at this resort again. I'm not one for Air B&B's, but that's the route I'd go if we were to return to CDA.
Whisper's Bar at the CDA Resort
Where to Run
The Centennial Trail that stretches all the way through Spokane is a great scenic spot for a run. Runners can pick up the trail in front of the CDA Resort and run for miles on a relatively flat paved trail. It starts in a somewhat shaded area along the lake but then turns inland. On an 85 degree day, the trail is pretty hot by mid-morning, so I'd suggest getting a run in early. We ran an out and back and did a total of around 6 miles, though it would be easy to run any length of trail, even a full or half marathon!
Spokane
Where to Eat
This is my favorite spot for dine-in dinners in Spokane, though in the world of Covid, we opted for takeaway. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly, and they are happy to talk you through options for each menu item. You can't go wrong with any dish - everything on the menu is vegan - but I highly recommend the ginger cauliflower wings and the fried brussels sprouts. I also ordered a salad with a vegan chevre that was so close to the real thing that I checked twice to make sure the herbed "cheese" I was enjoying was, in fact, vegan. Best of all, they made carry out service so easy. Our dinner was still hot and fresh when we arrived at my Mother-in-Law's house and we enjoyed our Rut dinner out on her patio.
Boots is a vegan bakery and cafe in Spokane, just a few blocks from the Riverfront Park and Davenport Grand. For a tiny eatery, Boots has quite a bit of indoor seating and even a small covered patio. Boots is a bakery meets cafe - think mini deli counter for vegans. Their vegan sausage with fennel was one of my favorite dishes. The same can be said for the Brussels sprouts which came sauteed and crispy with walnuts, figs, and a hint of dijon. They offer one, two, or three dish plates for a fair price. I recommend ordering a three-dish plate for a full meal... and getting more for takeaway! Their baked goods are nothing short of perfection.
Atticus, the cute cafe on the backside of Boo Radley's toys, gifts, and card shop, is named after (you guessed it!) a To Kill A Mockingbird character. The coffeeshop has plentiful indoor and outdoor seating and offers a number of alternative milks and syrup flavors. They also sell baked goods from Boots (mentioned above). The peanut butter chocolate chip cookie pairs perfectly with an almond milk latte.
Where to Stay
This is by far my favorite hotel in Spokane. Modern in design, it is always clean and the rooms are spacious... and many have views of the surrounding city. We are often upgraded to a penthouse room on the top floor with a large living room. However, we have stayed on lower floors and each room has a fantastically large walk in shower and well-lit, clean bathroom. Those are musts for hotels in my book. Though it was closed due to Covid, the gym has state-of-the-art equipment and large floor-to-ceiling windows. The Starbucks cafe in the lower floor is the perfect place to grab coffee first thing in the morning. If you visit the Dav, make sure you pick up some of their famous vegan peanut brittle. It is a melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter treat that you will never believe is made without butter. Best of all, the hotel is dog friendly!
Where to Run
The same trail that connects through Coeur d'Alene snakes its way through Spokane. We picked the trail up at Kendall Yards and ran West along the trail for several miles and then turned back, ran past Kendall Yards, across the bridge, and along the riverfront until we hit The Davenport. The trail is hillier here than in CDA, so expect a good glutes and hamstrings workout. Starting and stopping in Kendall Yards means that you can grab a post-run breakfast or coffee at one of the cute restaurants along the Kendall Yards strip.