Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of occasional travel columns by Issaquah residents Fred and Mardi Nystrom. Fred & Mardi Nystrom have called Issaquah home for close to 25 years. Their current travel guidebooks, “Special Places of Washington,” and “The Great Wineries of Washington” can be found in bookstores or purchased online at www.specialplaces.com.
When people in Spokane say “I’ll meet you at the fireplace,” they mean the one at the Davenport Hotel in the heart of the city. Lit by hotelier Louis Davenport in 1914 when the hotel first opened, the fireplace had been constantly kept burning until the hotel closed in 1985.
In 2002, present-day owners Walt and Karen Worthy reopened the hotel and re-lit the fireplace as a tribute to Louis Davenport’s standards of hospitality. A romance story from the start, Walt and Karen dated at the Davenport Hotel in 1970. Never did they dream they would one day buy it, restore it and operate it. It is their only hotel, and it is luxurious. So much so that it was selected by Conde Nast as a “Top 100” and “Gold List” hotel.
A member of Historic Hotels of America, the Davenport served as home to seven sitting U.S. presidents and numerous celebrities, including Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Cher, Jerry Seinfeld and Neil Diamond. Today, it’s recognized as a peer to the top hotels in the world — a remarkable achievement considering the short time it’s been re-opened.
Florentine in style, the hotel was the largest and finest commission of the architect Kirtland Cutter. While the lobby is reminiscent of an Italian piazza (complete with a central fountain and pillared streetlights), my favorite room is the Hall of the Doges. Inspired by the Palace of the Doges in Venice, it was rescued intact from the original Davenport’s restaurant and re-positioned in the new Davenport Hotel.
While suites include fireplaces, all rooms are luxurious and offer city views and/or South Hill views, private baths, fine linens and custom made Davenport pillow top mattresses. Many also feature hand-painted original oils. The room décor is European classic in the hotel, and international travel in the newly opened tower.
Our favorite room is the presidential suite, with a balcony affording southwesterly views of Sunset Hill and the South Hill. Other suites we can recommend are the governors suite, davenport suite, cutter suite, parlor suite and honeymoon suite (and it’s not just for newlyweds).
With three different venues for eating, Mardi and I are continually finding new favorite dishes. The Palm Court Grill open for breakfast, lunch and dinner is all about fresh seafood, with an extensive wine list and homemade desserts (my weakness is their hot fudge sundae sprinkled with homemade soft peanut brittle). But a must-have is the signature Crab Louie, named “King Louis Salad” for the original hotel owner. And yes, this king of salads originated in this very hotel!
In the tower, the Safari Room Fresh Grill offers a full menu for all three meals and also serves a late night menu. For music and after dinner drinks, the Peacock Room is lively and fun.
Voted Spokane’s “Best place to have a drink,” one of their excellent martinis is the perfect end to an afternoon of shopping at nearby River Park Square or strolling along Riverfront Park. And if your stay includes a Sunday, Mardi and I highly recommend the Champagne Sunday brunch in the hotel.
Winemaking at Arbor Crest, a family affair
Born into a family that had farmed the land in Washington state for more than a century, brothers Harold and David Mielke realized in the late 70s that the land had enormous potential to grow grapes for producing world class wines. Their dream became a reality in 1982 when they — along with Harold’s wife Marcia — established Arbor Crest Wine Cellars as the 29th winery in Washington state.
Two years later, the Mielke family purchased the Riblet Estate and relocated the winery to the estate’s Cliff House, a National Historic Landmark built in the Florentine-style in 1924. Perched on cliffs overlooking the Spokane River 450 feet below, the Cliff House today allows guests to enjoy majestic views of the Spokane area while experiencing the beauty of Arbor Crest’s critically acclaimed wines.
Arbor Crest’s winemaker, Kristina Mielke-van Loben Sels, is a second-generation winemaker. Daughter of Harold and Marcia, she graduated from the University of California Davis in fermentation science. After seven years as the associate winemaker of Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery of Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County, Calif., she and her husband Jim (an experienced viticulturist) joined the Arbor Crest Wine Cellars staff.
Kristina’s goal is to capture the power of the fruit and the purity of the vineyards with balance and style. It’s a goal she achieves, according to Scott and Kara Cook, owners of Ambrosia Bistro and Wine Bar, who say they feature Arbor Crest wines because “it is a local winery producing world-class wines and Kristina’s style — being balanced and approachable — pairs beautifully with the cuisine at Ambrosia.”
Using grapes grown in the Columbia Valley, Red Mountain and Wahluke Slope, Arbor Crest produces a wide variety of wines. Named by Wine Spectator as one of the “Top 50 Producers Every Wine Lover Should Know,” Arbor Crest Wine Cellars is best known for its Sauvignon Blanc and its red blend called DIONYSUS, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Arbor Crest Wine Cellars is a 75-acre estate landscaped with beautiful gardens surrounding the estate landmarks—including a gazebo, croquet court and famed life-size checkerboard that faces the swimming pool.
The architectural style of the current tasting room blends with the ambience of the landscape, which is very reminiscent of a villa estate in Tuscany. The tasting room, constructed in 2003, is modeled after the 1924 Cliff House.
Arbor Crest Wine Cellars offers tours of the Cliff House during Mother’s Day weekend as well as the November holiday wine fest. Private tours of the Cliff House can be pre-arranged other times during the year, and include wine tasting plus a gourmet lunch.
Wine tasting is available daily, and guests will learn the true portrayal of the superior-quality of Arbor Crest wines that are part of the Washington wine industry. Plus, if you’re visiting in summer you might catch their weekly concerts that showcase local musicians. Come August, Arbor Crest Wine Cellar also hosts a Classic Car Show and Art & Glass Fest, which pair well with their art of winemaking.
If you go
Davenport Hotel and Tower, 10 S. Post St., Spokane, WA 99201.
Hosts: Walt and Karen Worthy, owners
Phone: 509-455-8888
Toll Free: 800-899-1482
E-mail: info@thedavenporthotel.com
Website: www.thedavenporthotel.com
Rooms: 283 in hotel and 328 in new tower
Rates: $219–$2,500
Directions to Arbor Crest Wine Cellars, east from Spokane and west from Coeur d’ Alene: Take I-90 to the Argonne Exit 287. Travel north on Argonne and cross the Spokane River. Turn right on Upriver Drive. Proceed one mile on Upriver Drive and turn left onto Fruithill Road. Make a sharp right turn at the top of the hill. You are now on Arbor Crest’s private drive.
