(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

Did you know there are roughly around twenty—that’s 20—variations of Cheetos in North America? Browsing the aisles, I can’t help but wonder what the difference really is between “Cheddar Jalapeno,” “Flamin’ Hot Cheese,” or, indeed, “Flamin’ Hot Cheese Lime.” Anyway. I did pick up a “Cheddar Jalapeno” and what do you know, there is some differences to be traced here…

... in that both the “Flamin’ Hot” versions are clearly superior. Hey, it surprised me, I figured it’d basically be the same thing. Thing is, though, that the “Flamin’ Hot” varieties seem to be rolled in some… red, hot, unholy, cheese powder… I don’t know, but I think that might be the technical term for it. “Cheddar Jalapeõ,” meanwhile, just tastes like regular Cheetos, sprinkled with some sort of jalapeno like powder. It’s not particularly spicy, and you’d probably be better off buying some Cheetos and spice them up yourself.

For spicy Cheetos, go with the “Flamin’ Hot” variations, which can almost burn your tongue off if you have too many. Go with the lime version if you want a bit of zest.

So it’s that time of year. The time when the Spokane Food Blog Editorial Board™ (SFBEB™ for short) takes off for a week, to do some heavy food-style Tripping, and when we won’t post until next year. Yes, that’s a week without us, and it’s horrible, we know. We leave you, however, with the inaugural SFB Best of ‘08 list. Have a good rest of ‘08!

The SPECIAL stuff…

Best Mexican place you had forgotten about because of De Leon
Hey, we’re not pointing any fingers, we love De Leon. But let’s not forget there are other Mexican places in Spokane that are quite excellent, and they don’t receive the love they deserve. Take Taqueria Guerrero, which is sort of the Toto to De Leon’s Steely Dan. Sure Steely Dan is the king, but who can not see the greatness of “Africa”? Guerrero might, in fact, one-up De Leon in some aspects. It’s certainly more affordable, their tortas are the best in the region, and their vegetarian burritos are great even for carnivores. Give Guerrero a shot. They’re awesome.

Best place a carnivore can be in heaven while holding hands with a vegetarian
Mizuna might be what jumps into most people’s minds here, but there is a great alternative, and a charcuterie at that. That Sante is so versatile might surprise some, but give it a chance and you will be impressed. You can enjoy a trio of cold-cuts with the “Butchers Board” while your vegetarian friend can dig into tofu baked in phyllo. The latter is, in fact, amazing. Truly fantastic. Everybody should run to Sante—it’s definitely Spokane’s best new restaurant of ‘08.

The place that literally made “Hershey” a cuss word
Literally! We love OMO and want to marry it. Run over right now and try the eggnog truffle or the caramel. Or anything else they have. OMO = love.

Best Spokane food blog
You’re reading it! But also go and look at the bottom of the site for a bunch of links we recommend, From the Back Kitchen to Burger, Revised.

Dessert you really need to try before you die
The pumpkin bread pudding from Latah Bistro. It’s on the menu right now, so stop reading this and go try some.

Grocery store you will love
OK, so it won’t (nor should it) stop you from going to Huckleberry’s or Fresh Abundance or even Safeway, but the Grocery Outlet is always interesting. Go in, browse the aisles, and you’ll find stuff you didn’t think existed. But apparently it does.

The standard stuff…

Best restaurant… Mizuna
Best local beer… Northern Lights
Best espresso… Lindaman’s
Best Mexican… De Leon
Best Korean… Kim’s Korean Restaurant
Best pesto… The Barn on Trezzi Farm
Best subs… Sub Division
Best restaurant that burned down… Churchill’s :(
Best pizza… Ferrante’s
Best vodka… 44 Degrees North Mountain Huckleberry

I’m sure you, like most of us, have that friend who always knows what’s happening around town. Want to know what restaurant or bar you’ll be checking out three months from now? That’s the person you ask.

Well, now you can be that person. Think about it! Your friends will flock around you and worship you because of your knowledge of anything and everything opening around town. You can, for example, dazzle them by informing about the brand new Cum Inn. No. I’m not making that up. It’s opening in the Valley.

“But Remi, how can we do this,” you might ask. Simple. Any Liquor License Application is posted on-line. And while it has been kind of eh trying to access it before, we have now made it that much simpler with our Liquor License Stalker. Currently in beta, the list updates live when a new application is submitted to the Liquor Board.

Go check it out, and let us know how it works. Yes, we are that nice to you.

Slimy vegetables make me feel like a failure. I know I sound like a stupid cow, but seriously. Every time I see a goopy onion, wrinkled carrot or black potato in my fridge, it's like a slap in the face. It makes me ashamed to say I'm a vegetarian, much less claim that I cook my own food. I just"? never seem to eat all my vegetables before they go bad.

This, my friends, makes me angry. First, rotten vegetables stink. Whether they’re inside your fridge, garbage, or compost, the slightest whiff is bound to cause fainting, dry-heaving, vomiting or all of the above. Secondly, I hate to be wasteful. I already feel guilty for living in America, living in a fuel-based economy and participating in capitalism. The last thing I need is a rotten eggplant on my conscious.

Finally, I hate to waste money. I'm lucky I can afford to buy expensive organic produce (I cut corners elsewhere), so why do I essentially throw my money away? I mean, it's not like the economy or job market will help me out once I've thrown out all my spoiled food. So what you ask, or don't ask, is the cultrate? Two things.

I don't finish my vegetables because a: processed food like salsa and tortilla chips lurk about my cupboards and b: hiding food in the so-called "vegetable door"? of my fridge makes me forget that I have it. Case solved. I'll burn my cupboards and tear apart my fridge. If only the president-elects' stimulus proposal for the economy could work this easily.