Agreed - the Elk is great as far as atmosphere (especially in the summer when the patio is open), and the Viking probably has the best micro-brew selection in town but is more of a whole-in-the-wall kinda bar.
But if you're downtown, the Blue Spark is worth a stop as well... cool little bar with excellent draft selections.
The flying goat is a pretty cool place to get a beer.. It's in a bit of a weird location, almost residential, but the people are friendly and the beer selection is good. I hear that there's a new place called Jones Radiator? Anyone been there yet? We are having our next homebrew club meeting there.
The beer is great over at Northern Light Brewing and the food is pretty good, but I have had some poor service there in the past. I've found if you sit at the bar though, you get taken care of pretty quickly.
Last I was in Spokane I had a really good time at a place called Scotty's Bar and Grill. The people were really welcoming (being from NJ and all). I drank too much to remember what they had on tap at the time =)
I just had a chance to check out Jones Radiator a few nights ago, and I gotta say, that place is pretty cool. Not very big, but an excellent selection of tasty craft beer, and a nice atmosphere.