Furniture that wears The luster of the years
Softly would glow within our glowing chamber ,
Flowers of rarest bloom Proffering their perfume
Mixed with the vague fragrances of amber ;
Gold ceilings would there be ,
When I arrived in Spokane , WA , I must admit I didn ’ t think any food experience would match what I had been exposed to in the many places I had the privilege to call home and wanted to experience again . Rarely have I been so delighted to be outrageously wrong !
Gander & Ryegrass is in the lineage of what my fellow French people like to call “ Bistronomie ,” the fusion of bistro and gastronomie ( French haute cuisine ), initiated fifteen-ish years ago by young French chefs whose cuisine could compete with any of the starred restaurants , but they refused the prohibitive pricing , the fluff , the tuxedoed staff , and the pressure that comes with not remembering which piece of silverware goes with which dish ! Following the newly born bistronomie standards , Gander & Ryegrass invites you on an exquisitely unexpected journey . It is relaxed , casual , and friendly , while offering Spokane ’ s best fine dining experience , a seemingly effortless experience . There are no codes , no scripts , no rehearsals , no strategy . It is hospitality in its purest expression . Let them take control , they ’ re inviting you on a journey , in unison with Baudelaire ’ s L ’ invitation au voyage :
Là , tout n ’ est qu ’ ordre et beauté , Luxe , calme et volupté .
Mirrors deep as the sea ,
The walls all in an Eastern splendor hung —
Nothing but should address The soul ’ s loneliness ,
Speaking her sweet and secret native tongue .
There , there is nothing else but grace and measure ,
Richness , quietness , and pleasure .
~ Charles Baudelaire ( translated by Richard Wilbur )
Exerpt from “ L ’ invitation au voyage ” original and translation : bookgeeksanonymous . wordpress . com / 2018 / 09 / 05 / linvitation-au-voyage-by-charlesbaudelaire-translated-by-richard-wilbur /
( There , there is nothing else but grace and measure , Richness , quietness , and pleasure .)
32 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE