Pentagon Bistro & Martini Bar — Restaurant in Liberty Lake

We recently held a bridal shower in the upstairs banquet room of the Pentagon restaurant. We reserved the spot for 24 guests many months in advance. The manager offered a printed menu specific to our event and a choice of which menu items we chose to offer. Three weeks prior to the event I confirmed the number of guests and the menu items. I requested the prices be left off the menu. I did ask the manager if I could view the menu prior to the event. I was told I could see it after it was printed. It was printed at 6:00 pm the evening before the luncheon. I noticed that items were left off the menu and was told menus were printed and if the guests needed to know anything, the server could tell them. The next day we arrived 2 hours before the event to decorate (approved in advance) and noticed the tables were set for 20 guests. Upon speaking with the manager, I was told the room was set for 24. I asked her to take another look and see we were one table and 4 place settings short. She told us that they were there the night before and she basically accused us of removing them. The manager went on to tell us she had no more tables and was very abrupt. We were very surprised at her behavior. I tried to speak with her privately and told her that maybe we got off on the wrong foot somehow. She was very curt. I then told her I have arranged a number of events in the past and was surprised at how unprofessional she was being. I was told by the manager, "Did it occur to you that you are the one being unprofessional." I just turned and walked away. The ONE server we had for all of our guests was wonderful! Obviously, she couldn't handle the entire group so we ended up clearing plates and pouring wine to help out. The manager did help bring up the lunches. The food was a big disappointment. My future daughter-in-law was excited about the location because they like the food normally. On this particular day, the chicken dishes were so dry that not one person ate more than a few bites. The risotto was nothing more than white rice. Such a disappointment. I understand we never know what people are going through in their lives, but I have to say our dealings with the Pentagon manager were unfortunate. I have tried to contact the owner numerous times and no response. There is absolutely no way I could recommend this establishment...

Last night my friend and I had the opportunity to try the Pentagon Bistro & Martini in Liberty Lake. I would definitely recommend calling ahead and making a reservation. The place was very busy for a Wednesday evening at 6 PM.

The wait wasn’t too bad though. We ended up waiting about 20 minutes for a table.

We both ordered appetizers. Their Brussel Sprouts and their Button Mushrooms.

The Brussel Sprouts were roasted and then coated in a sticky-sweet teriyaki-like sauce. The menu described the sauce as “spicy yet savory.” The sauce was definitely more sweet than spicy or savory.

The mushrooms were okay. You definitely get a lot of them. They are all small mushrooms, which is nice.

Between the appetizers and the entrees, we were bought out a very underwhelming presentation of bread. The bread was in a basket, set atop a single packet of butter. Yes, a packet of butter!

Our entrees each included a Caesar salad. I liked it, the dressing wasn’t a creamy dressing , more oil based. It was also covered in a lot of shaved Parmesan. I liked that aspect but my friend isn’t a huge fan of Parmesan, so it wasn’t her favorite.

For entrees, my friend went with her favorite, Chilean Sea Bass. It was served with thin asparagus spears (which she and I both prefer) and potato croquettes, which tasted a lot like a loaded baked potato in small pancake shapes. As for the Sea Bass, she said she liked the way it was grilled and the seasoning on the outside was good. The actual fish was a little mushy. This is her go-to at a lot of places, so I trust her opinion on the fish.

As for me, I tried something I have never had anywhere so have nothing for comparison. I ordered the Cioppino. I have to say that it was outstanding! The broth had a delicious and robust tomato and basil flavor. It was loaded with lots of fish and served with a couple pieces of bread. I don’t eat a lot of bread, but if I did, I think they could really improve on that aspect.

Their martinis are reasonably priced ($11 or $9 during happy hour), with several options. I had their Dirty Monica, which was a dirty vodka martini.

If we go back, it’ll be for happy hour to try more of their shareable items or one of...

Service was amazing! Once I knew if I was supposed to seat myself or wait to be seated (no sign), the service was attentive, courteous and went out of their way to take care of my table. Atmosphere was nice. Music was a little loud. But I LOVED there was no tv in site of the dining area. 😍

The food was… weird. Sweet potato fries were a sweet potato version of a Ruffles potato chip, but not crunchy. Some edges were crunchy, some middles were crunchy while others were chewy throughout. They weren’t seasoned. They was served with a decent cheese but seemed like a strange thing to serve with potato fries. I ordered the Shannon Spinach Salad and added chicken. Giant mistake! The salad (minus the chicken) is listed to be fresh spinach, cranberries, walnuts, shaved Parmesan and topped with a cinnamon balsamic vinaigrette. That is what I got but there were only 3-4 small shavings of Parmesan and they put red onions and tomatoes on the salad as well. Tomatoes and red onions should never go on a salad with cranberries. Two different flavor profiles. The chicken tasted great but the seasoning was NOT a good pairing with the salad flavor profile. The chicken was SO strong, it made the salad inedible. Far too much garlic to be put on the salad. And, yes, I know this place and the White House are well known (for good reasons!) for the strong garlic. It would have been great on a savory salad, but not on a sweet salad. I hope to try them again and will order something safe (a pasta dish).

The menu was odd as well. Too many different foods (burgers, Italian forward salads and pasta dishes, seafood, French onion soup, Indian curry pizza). Know what you’re good at and stick with that!!! I don’t want to get curry at the same place where I can get a good burger or pasta dish- that’s weird. Also, your drink menu should not be larger than your food menu, so much so that the customer has to search for the food menu only to guess they only got three drink menus.

I hope to try it again soon, it’s not too close to me but I want to give them...