The Wine Knows

This economy has taken its toll on another favorite restaurant. This time, it's Pearl's on Pearl in downtown Ellensburg, Wash.

Ron and Cinda Kohler will close the restaurant Feb. 28 after eight years of combining fantastic cuisine, regional wines, live music and comfortable surroundings into a successful venture.

Walla Walla Wine News is reporting that 26 Brix is closing its doors.

Eric Degerman, Wine Press Northwest managing editor, also serves as unofficial food editor, as he researches and writes our quarterly Match Makers feature and annual Great Northwest Wine Lists Competition. He has filed this report on a disturbing trend in Boise.

The wine blogosphere has lit up today with the story about someone who created a fake restaurant in Italy, complete with a fake Web site and fake wine list (containing low-scoring wines from the Wine Spectator). This person then entered Wine Spectator's restaurant awards contest and won an award.

A guy in our office endured a faux pas a couple of weeks ago that I'm certain will make you squirm.

This guy - we'll call him "Joe" - doesn't know a lot about wine. He was in a very nice Thai restaurant with his girlfriend. This particular restaurant has a reputation for its great wine list.

I've heard a lot of folks talk about Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen in Walla Walla, Wash., for the past year or so, and I finally had the opportunity to have dinner there last week.

I was not disappointed.

The Toasted Oak restaurant and Wine Country Welcome Centre wine shop in downtown Oliver, B.C., is up for sale. No price is listed, but you can view the listing here.

Purple Cafe and Wine Bar has announced it will open three new restaurants in Bellevue. Owner Larry Kurofsky will open his fourth Purple Cafe at Bellevue Towers in November, followed by two other restaurants in January.

With entirely too little fanfare, the amazing Shoalwater Restaurant in little Seaview, Wash., served its final meal last weekend.

After 28 years in the historic Shelburne Inn on Washington's Long Beach Peninsula, owners Tony and Ann Kischner have closed the Shoalwater to focus on their new operation, the Bridgewater Bistro in nearby Astoria, Ore.

Sinclair Philip, the force behind the fabulous Sooke Harbour House, also is a national leader in Canada's Slow Food movement.

Eric Degerman, Wine Press Northwest managing editor, sat down recently with Philip to talk about the Sooke Harbour House, Slow Food and a number of other subjects. Watch the interview here: