Palouse Dreams ("The Inlander", 8/6/09)

On the Palouse, the wheat is high this time of year, and the rolling fields shimmer in the height-of-summer heat. But wheat is not what draws us south from Spokane on this blisteringly warm Saturday; we’ve come in search of one restaurant inspired by the Slow Food movement, and another serving classical French cuisine in an elegant yet comfortable atmosphere.

We’ve come to dine in Moscow.

Really. The one in Idaho. Farm town, home to the Vandals. Earthy, artsy Moscow.

First stop is the Red Door, a restaurant founded a decade ago on the Slow Food vision of simple, creative dinners highlighting local flavors. Weekend brunch is a new addition. Despite the heat, we chose a sidewalk table, but rather than coffee we tried the sparkling grapefruit juice ($3) — a tall glass the color of a late-summer sunset, and as refreshing as it was beautiful. Treats from the bar, including a mimosa, Bloody Mary and wines by the glass, are also available.

A complimentary basket of fresh-baked scones comes with the meal. The classic current scones have the flavor and texture of an extra-rich buttermilk biscuit and are served with butter and house-made berry preserves.

Among entrées, the BLT with avocado, the elk taco and the Dungeness crab po’ boy ($10-$13) sounded tempting, but those will have to wait for another visit. My dining partner chose the smoked salmon broiled egg ($10.50), served with a small salad of baby greens. Layers of spinach and Swiss cheese with shallots were topped with smoked wild Alaskan salmon and the egg in this well-balanced dish — the egg yolk, still runny, was a lovely golden-yellow color, a hue that only comes from true farm-fresh eggs. The salmon was mild, not salty, with a good, strong kick of wood smoke.

I chose the farmers market special omelet ($10) — a dish that changes weekly. (With the Saturday farmers market nearby, the Red Door has easy access to an abundance of local produce.) This week, morels — with shallots and Swiss — were the stars, adding a delicious earthiness to the not-too-big omelet. A little side salad of baby arugula leaves, also from the market, was tender and not too spicy, with slivers of sweet red pepper for contrast.

Service was comfortable and confident, even though we arrived within the last hour of brunch service. Now that we’ve tried brunch at the Red Door, we want to return for dinner on another day.