Ferguson's Cafe

This is not just Ferguson's, it's the NEW Ferguson's, and those of us who loved the old Ferguson's restaurant are really happy! It's so reminiscent of the old place, and yet it's new!






It was fun to find this smiley faced balloon on the flower box as we were leaving.  I simply fluffed it a bit and took this photo.  It seemed appropriate that I found it right next to the OPEN sign, since eating here was a happy experience.

Ferguson's  re-opened on July 26th, 2010 and I tell ya, it's a lot like having the old place back, even under the new ownership.  Besides, I love visiting the various shops. 




When Ferguson's closed last January, it left a big void on Garland Street.   I have to say, I experienced the sadness personally when I went to the location for lunch one day only to arrive and find the windows covered with black plastic and a sign that read, " CLOSED."  It was downright depressing.

It had been only recently that I had discovered the place.  My son had taken me there for lunch and I thought I was on to something good.  Then I experience the CLOSED sign ordeal and then came the news that Ferguson's was not just CLOSED; they had gone out of business!  I had been to Garland street since that time, and I tell ya, it was just not he same without Ferguson's.

So, today, there I was, driving down Garland with a friend when she saw they were opened.  We were actually on our way to another restaurant.. but when were saw the OPEN sign, we unanimously decided to forgo our previous plans and head for a new destination... Ferguson's. 

Yep... It was just I remembered... with an upgrade.  It felt good to sit inside and look out on the passersby. One woman even came in to have a look around.  She knew Ferguson's way back "when."  After talking to us briefly, she turned and went back out on her merry way to catch a bus.  The new look had her approval.


Even though the place has had a remodel and has new owners it felt like the good old days. It's still breakfast and burgers on the menu.

It should.  This place does have a reputation... you might even say, its "historic". The owners do.

Spokane, I understand, is a great place for filming movies.  In fact, several famous ones have been filmed right here... well at the Ferguson's Cafe.    You can see the movie posters for these films on the wall.  They are: Benny and Joon; Vision Quest; and Why Would I Lie.

The music played in the restaurant kinda fits the theme.  Mostly tunes from the fifties and sixties, we enjoyed listening to some old Broadways songs from musicals...Beatles... Beach Boys, things like that.  Goes great with the motif.

 But on to more important stuff... like, "What did we eat?"

                                                                 
I had the
Tiny Tim and
a glass oforange juice.

 

My friend had the New York Omelette...













and a milkshake.






I was impressed when the server asked, "How would you like your milkshake?" 


I rarely order milkshakes, but apparently they will make them to your specifications... thick, thin...however you like them.  This one came with rainbow sprinkles.












Our impromptu stop at Ferguson's made for a great day on the town.

Now, you might think I fell out of the fifties when I say this... and I can assure you I didn't, but I do  love the lingo, and after eating here, I just have to say that Ferguson's has got to be one of the ginchiest places in town!

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....