Mondays are the worst. You've read enough Garfield comic strips to realize this.
Getting home on Mondays means you're finally done with the day. But then you have to find something to eat for the family, and cooking after a slog through the workday is about the last thing you want to do. We've all got a little Garfield in us.
The Stork Market Cafe, located inside Bella Cova, a store and resource center for parents, wants to help out with your Mondays. Starting this month, the cafe is hosting Feed the Flock dinners on Monday nights.
The dinners are fixed-price and served family style with a set menu, says Tony Villa, who operates the business with his wife Heather, the lead singer of jazz combo 6 Foot Swing and a former Inlander advertising representative.
The first dinner on May 5 is — naturally — Mexican-themed, with tacos the highlighted item. Other cuisine Villa has planned includes pastas, casseroles, barbecue and other kid-friendly but high-quality meals.
"We want to provide a stress-free dinner on the first night of the week to make things go smoother. On a Monday, the last thing you want to do is get home and cook and then clean up for everyone," says Villa, a veteran of the Spokane restaurant scene since 1995. Most recently, he managed both the Safari Room and Post Street Ale House before turning his attention to his current project.
There are only 10 tables at the dinners, so reservations are required. Once you're there, Villa, a father of two, says the goal is to have a relaxing night while you and the kids use the play area, sing kid-oriented karaoke or watch a movie.
"Kids can run around, and Mom and Dad don't have to do the dishes, and the parents don't have to go apologize to a waiter at a restaurant if their kids are running around," he says. ♦
Feed the Flock Monday dinners at Stork Market Cafe • Every Monday at 6 pm • $40/family of four, $5/additional child, $15/additional adult • Reservations required • Stork Market Cafe • 905 N. Washington • 327-NEST
