Sushi Track

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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.)

When you are done eating the waitress will come and tally up the cost of your food plates or dinner that you ordered from the menu.  In my case it was both.

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.

Chapala

 Located on Hamilton Street in Spokane, (1801 N Hamilton St, to be exact,) this restaurant has been at this location for years.  It is near Gonzaga University and since we pass by often.  Well, tonight, we were in the mood for Mexican food, so we stopped by to see what was on their menu and how the restaurant has changed over the years.  We had been here long ago before it was painted bright yellow.




 

This is definately a colorful place, and I loved the murals painted on the walls...

The decorations were lively and festive.  With a separate lounge from the restaurant  you could tell that this was a place people come to have fun.  The sign outide says that they offer karaoke at 9:00 on Fridayand Saturday nights.  We were there on a Friday evening but it was only about 6:30, so we missed the karaoke fun.

 when we arrived we were seved the traditional chips and salsa.  THAT is the amazing thing about Mexican food eating... chips and salsa!  Yum.  The best part is that you can start eating as soon as you arrive hungy.  I love it.

Unfortunately for my taste the salsa was not very spicy, so I took the opportunity to ask if they had any other salsa, something with a little more kick.  They brought us a spicier salsa and some pico de gallo too.  Geo says that Pico de Gallo is to Mexican Food what Kim Chee is to Asian.  It was good.

 We ordered their daily special, which was two fish tacos with beans and rice for $10.95 and a combination dish from the menu... the one with the chile relleno and tamale... two of our favorites that we like to try.

The Chile relleno was good (this according the the chile relleno fiend himself... and the tamale was good too.  The best thing about the Chile Relleno was that it tasted freshly made as opposed to tasting like it was in the refridgerator too long, like some other places we have been. 

I thought the food was a little on the salty side, but it was good.   It gave me a new appreciation for eating Mexican food in Spokane, which kinda went by the wayside for a while after a couple of not so good Mexican food experiences in recent years. I do love Mexican food, especially good tamale, which I have decided, is pretty hard to find after you have had the best... which is, by the way, is in Phoenix Arizona.

What can I say....I love chips and salsa.... rice and beans....

I do love Mexican food, but quite frankly, a few times I have been places where it just wasn't very good.  However, I am learning that there really are some good Mexican food places and  I am beginning to get an appreciation for Mexican food, here in Spokane.I am just wondering where we should go next....

Safari Room

The Safari Room is part of the Davenport Hotel in downtown Spokane.  It is actually located in the Davenport Tower on the corner of  First and Post.  You can go there for breakfast, Lunch or Dinner.  We chose Dinner.

I was surprised to discover that the Safari Room, is not actually a room... it is the whole Tower lobby, and the whole lobby is decorated with wild African animal art.  you feel sort of like you are in a palace on the savanna.  Your adventure begins as you walk on the giraffe skin styled flooring and encounter the wild cheetah chairs.  There are wild things represented all through the place. 

The place is amazing.... and the food...  quite delicious.  I forgot to photo it until we had eaten it all.   I actually photographed our empty plates, but I will spare you the dirty dishes and just tell you we thoroughly enjoyed it

We didn't quite know what to order, but our lovely waitress graciously helped us choose.  She had no problem recommending that Geo try the ribs and I the shrimp and basil fettuccine.  Good choices for sure, and certainly good selections for us to try... but I suspect that everything on the menu has merit... after all, it was hard for us to choose.

We loved the elephants...  and they were everywhere.  Did I mention that there were animals all over the place?  There is even a taxidermy tiger. Now personally I am not too much into the taxidermy thing, but I do find it interesting to see what an animal looks like, up close and personal, sort of. 

We were offered a lovely selection of desserts on a dessert tree  There were tiny tastes of various treats... Key Lime Pie, Chocolate Mousse,  Cheesecake and our utmost favorite of the evening,, Creme Brulee..

The desserts are usually $2.00 each, but they were half price that night, so we splurged and tried them all.  If the prices at the Safari Room are a bit out of your budget but you still want to hit the downtown scene sometime,  remember, they have special deals from time to time.  Some of their specials even include accommodations overnight.   All you have to do is check their website, or call and ask about dining specials...which they do have, making a visit here quite affordable for the person who lives local,  particularly during "happy hour."

The Davenport Hotel has specials worth checking out from time to time as well... and of course there is always valet parking!


HEre are some animals in the lobby of the Tower...
a hippo and a rhino....

and I am not certain, but I think this pool of water is smiling. If it is, it must be because we had a lovely time at the Safari Room at the Davenport Hotel Tower!