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I have been waiting for this place to open. I had just gotten to like the Teriyaki restaurant that was here and then one day when we stopped for lunch, there was a sign on the door saying that they were closed, they did say however that they would soon be opening as Sushi Track, a new restaurant.
The location is 7458 N Division St... across from the north-side Costco store. There are several other restaurants in this shopping center, so there must be a lot of people in the area who like to eat! I know I do... and I am learning about sushi..
I had heard of Sushi Track (Kaiten.. aka conveyor belt) type of restaurants before, Seattle, Portland Area... big cities like that have them. Certainly these are popular in places like Japan and China too... but Spokane? Wow. This could really put us on the map!
Curious me, has been stopping by frequently to check out the progress and see when they were actually opening. It's been hard to get information.... and I missed day one, and two and three.. but who is counting?
I was happy when while passing by to see what was happening there, I saw the signage; "Grand Opening." I soon found myself inside and I must say, it was quite nice. Another adjective I can think of is fascinating. I think that I kinda like it.
I think sushi is beautiful... artistic... and very intriguing. While I was dining, the lady next to me ordered a hand roll and wow... I wish I could have taken a picture of it! I loved the way it was served.
I love the sushi boats too. You can see the sushi boats back by the chefs counter. These are amazing to see come to your table when they are full of wonderful things to eat.
What is it like to eat here?
Well... the atmosphere is pleasant, even with the track going. One man commented to the waitress that he really like the music, which was the Beatles' songs.. done Japanese style. I liked the the idea that is was oriental music, even if the songs were by those English boys of yesterday.
To give you a bit of a perspective of what eating here is like, I will say that it is like this:
There you are.... sitting at your booth or at the lunch counter, just watching the sushi pass by...... picking whatever you like to eat as it passes on the track. There are signs to tell you what you are about to eat too.... and everything is covered. Well most everything....Most of the food that goes past is ... you probably guessed, sushi, but there are other things, like Rangoon and Dim Sum, things like that... and spring rolls too. You know the price of the item on the track by the color of the dish and they have a chart to help you remember how much each one is. The gentleman to my left and his friend had about seven plates stacked up. Obviously they thought the sushi was pretty good.
In the far end of the restaurant is the sushi chef who not only made food but happily greeted people as they came in The place was quite busy,, not overcrowded, just busy and the sushi was a sight to see. I opted for the California roll and I ordered from the menu too....
. I order4ed the vegetable tempura... consisting of potato, sweet potato, mushroom, broccoli, and carrot which came with a green salad. (Not pictured here.)
Sushi... it's not just food, it's an experience, and eating at the new Sushi Track restaurant is too. It's food on the go for people on the go...and if you pick your sushi right it's not only delicious, but nutritious too.
Click here for a money saving coupon. This is a "buy one get one free" teriyaki dinner. Of course you have to purchase a teriyaki dinner and two drinks, but you get a second dinner if you print out the coupon and bring it with you . Do this before the coupon expires!
And if you click here you can watch an entertaining "sushi's eye view" of a conveyor type restaurant that I think is kinda fun.
I was excited when I found such a lengthy review of this new restaurant. However I was soon disappointed to see that you did not actually eat any sushi. Why bother reviewing a place when you don't eat their signature food?
ReplyDeleteA California roll is not sushi. I'd like to know if the raw fish was fresh. If they do a lot of heavy cream cheese rolls and deep fried, American style sushi or if they stick to traditional rolls made with excellent fish.
Also, how was the tempura? You never said if it was good or not. Was it greasy? Too much breading? I don't see the traditional dipping sauce either.
Thanks: A Spokane Foodie
I love your comment...
ReplyDeleteI am not a food expert and I do not pretend to be one either. I am but a regular person on food adventures in Spokane, visiting Spokane restaurants and telling other people what they are like... what they offer and what I like about the places that I go. Believe me when I tell you they are all quite interesting and unique.
Not being a sushi expert, how would I know if the fish was "fresh" or how this or that was to be made and if they made it right or wrong? I can tell you though that it is very fun to have a place like this in Spokane. I know these chefs were specially trained in Florida to make good sushi Perhaps you can go there, eat your favorite sushi, and tell me what YOU, think. I would love to hear what it is that you would recommend!
I appreciate that everyone has different tastes, likes and dislikes, good day and bad days too. What I like you might not like, but the restaurant can still be a good restaurant for us both. Me? I like California rolls... even if they are not raw fish.
Sushi, by the way, is not equivalent to "raw fish." Sushi means seasoned... and sometimes the rice, (what the sushi actually refers to ) is seasoned with raw fish. (Raw fish by itself;f is sashimi) So there are all kinds of sushi... In the case of the California roll it is rice seasoned with cooked fish, avacado and carrot. Some sushi is seasoned with Raw fish, while others is not.
So, when I do a review like this, I just expect a restaurant to have great offerings on their menu. Restaurants must also deliver what they advertise and do their best in both service and cleanliness. Food should be good and the experince too. I love restaurant that are clean and food freshness... I just expect it. I am not at a restaurant to make them uncomfortable or to feel like they are being compared to others, just to the enjoy the experience of dining out in Spokane at their particular restaurant and to enjoy sharing that experience with others in my blog and give my readers ideas of places to go and foods to eat. I do however have my personal favorites.
The food experts is you as well as me... but I like to focus more on the opportunity to see and taste the fruits of the labor of chefs and restaurant owners, servers and waiters who work hard at what they do and often strive to be the best that they can be and make your time and money worth their while.
I have never eaten raw fish.. not yet. I have eaten fish eggs, and I had a Dynamite Roll at Ginger's on the South Hill once, but I think that was cooked. I was not brave enought to try it as I sat there by myself.
Back to the subjkect of Sushi Track...
I want to explore more about the fabulous world of sushi sometime... but there are so many kinds I honestly do not quite know where to begin, or even what raw fish I would want to eat. I like "vegetarian" sushi, I must admit. The California rolls is for me, a second choice. In areas of undersea food adventures, Geo is much more exploratory than me... but I am slowly acclimating, trying new things, and it is mostly his fault.
As for my tempura, how was it? Well, since you asked, I have only eaten tempura once before and I thought that it was quite good, not greasy, (served on a paper doily to exhibit that fact I am sure, as you can see.... ) but that it would have been better, in my opinion, if it was sliced more thin; the vegetable pieces were quite thick and large. It was beautifully served, and it did come with a dipping sauce too as you expected, and a small salad. The bill for my tempura, salad, water, and two pieces of California roll was about $10.00. Not what I would call "cheap," but it was good.
If you go to Sushi Track, come back and tell me what you eat and what you think.
I went to this place as well, but I was not really happy with their food. I could notice that their raw fishes was not fresh at all. It was frozen and melted several times. I found something on the tempura. I guess they dropped it once in their kitchen before they served it to me. In addition, their russian server was so annoying since she kept talking to us and she didn't know about the sushi at all. It is absolutely an interesting place to go once, but that's it. I like the one on 2nd ave.
ReplyDeleteRestaurants are very concerned with serving good food and I find it hard to believe that any restaurant that was new, and serving raw fish would not be certain that the fish was "fresh" when served to the costumer. IF this is your concern, maybe you can take it up with the manager...
ReplyDeleteAlso, restaurants do not make the habit of serving food that has been dropped... do they?
and if you think there was something in your food, you should report that to them too.
ReplyDeleteDon't know if anyone will check back but thought i would chime in since i have a lot of experience with working in sushi restaurants and am very familiar with Spokane's sushi scene.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, there is only one place in Spokane if you want "fresh" sushi, aka never been frozen, sashimi grade cuts. That is Sushi Yama on 3rd Ave, and their sister restaurant Bak Chun in airway heights, that's two but whatever.
As far as this place in comparison to other places (raw, sushi.com, okane, etc.) who go through the sole distributor of sushi cuts (ocean beauty) I would say their quality and available selection is sub par. Also, for a kaiten style restaurant their prices are pretty ridiculous, 4.00 for a 2 piece nigiri of something average and 2.50 for a spicy tuna. Don't get me wrong I have eaten there a couple times simply for the location and they are nice people who have the best teriyaki in town.
When the corporate owned Kaiten place in Riverpark Square opens up they will have to adjust their pricing and model possibly or they will have an empty restaurant because the chain that is coming has excellent selection and ridiculous prices. Last time i went to their restaurant in Bellevue I ate 11 plates of pure magic and had a beer for $20. Hope this helps.
-M@
More thoughts from me~
ReplyDeleteI am quite amazed that so many readers want to comment on this restaurant and the sushi scene in Spokane. I am honored that they want to comment via this blog. I take no responsibility for their comments, but I honor them.... as such is the beauty of "free speech," something greatly honored here in America.
Speaking of freedom, obviously, sushi is something people like to eat... and obviously, there is competition. You know, everyone wants to be known for having "the best" sushi in Spokane. I like this, to me, it demonstrates the beauty in free enterprise.
Ultimately, the customer will decide what restaurant is the best, because they will be th ones to put their money where their mouth is. Location, atmosphere, quality of food, quality of service, cleanliness, price... these all matter to the customer, and as such, the individual customer will have the last say.
If you love sushi, try them all!
Interesting comments.
ReplyDeleteI recently went here with my husband and loved it. The sushi was almost bite-size for me, which is a huge plus in my world. I also loved the flavor and texture of everything I tried (more than I can say for some other area sushi places). We had about 12 plates between us. We thought the total price was really reasonable, the staff was friendly, and we are definitely going to return.
On another note, I don't know how to differentiate between raw and previously frozen fish on my sushi. So that's not quite as important to me. I actually found this blog while I was reading about the different parasites that raw, unfrozen salmon can carry. So for that matter, I hope my salmon WAS previously frozen!
Finally, I think the blog author's comments in return have been spot-on and really respectful, and I admire that.