If you thought a plate of spaghetti had nothing new to offer, it’s time to get acquainted with bucatini, spaghetti’s beefier cousin. Besides being thicker and offering a more pleasing chew, bucatini boasts a thin hollow space inside which allows sauces to permeate the noodle. It’s the “stuffed crust pizza” of the pasta world.

Synergy brought this bigger, better noodle to the Steam Plant in Spokane, Washington with its inventive turn on pasta carbonara which debuted during the restaurant’s January 22^nd opening. The bucatini noodles soak up an intensely flavorful sauce studded with house-smoked salmon, and topped with salmon roe for a pop of brine. Hand-shaved Parmesan, lemon zest, and dill sprigs complete the dish, which echoes the boldness of Steam Plant’s architecture and local guest’s affinity for salmon. Synergy’s culinary team is adept at turning a current trend into a compelling dish that reflects our client’s concept while wowing restaurant guests.

Where fire once produced steam power for the city of Spokane, it’s now igniting a restaurant renaissance in the heart of Eastern Washington State.

The Steam Plant, the defining architectural symbol of downtown Spokane, was granted a second life in 1996 when it was transformed into a multi-use space featuring a brewery and restaurant. After several years of profitability struggles with the restaurant, parent company Avista enlisted the services of Synergy Restaurant Consultants to breathe new life into the dining and beverage concept.

After conducting a comprehensive assessment of kitchen operations, food quality, and marketing efforts, Synergy assembled a multidisciplinary team of experts in branding, menu innovation and development, kitchen design, recruitment, and beverage strategies. The open kitchen reflects the industrial history of the Steam Plant space by showcasing a wood-fired pizza oven and grill/rotisserie. Other state-of-the-art cooking platforms incorporated into the new design include a smoker oven, combi-oven, blast chiller, and sous vide.

The flavors of flame and smoke permeate the reimagined menu of unique in-house preparations, such as smoked local salmon, short rib pastrami, and cast-iron baked cornbread. Synergy’s culinary team reimagined perennial favorites into signature menu items designed to reclaim loyal guests and attract new visitors. Menu highlights include a grilled Caesar salad, slow-cooked beef ribs, beer batter fish and chips, and banana cream pie. The new beverage menu features several local wines, as well as cocktails inspired by regional flavors.

In preparation for the restaurant’s relaunch, Synergy mobilized a team of front- and back-of-house trainers to prepare new hires to handle the expected rush of guests fueled by local and social media coverage. The restaurant reopened on January 22 to a flood of expectant locals and visitors who raved about the redesigned space and menu items. Synergy’s platform of high quality, innovative food and warm hospitality propelled the Steam Plant toward a financially successful and operationally smooth opening, and established the restaurant as the best new dining concept in Spokane.

We encourage you to come in and see (and taste) first-hand the incredible changes that have been made. Watch chefs work culinary magic via the open-view kitchen and savor the new menu in an elegant, vintage setting. Please take a look at the photos from this memorable event.

Steam Plant Kitchen + Brewery
159 S. Lincoln
Spokane, Washington

Hours
Monday – Thursday: 11:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday: 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.
Sunday: 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
steamplantspokane.com