(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

We mentioned it on Twitter a few days back, but it bears repeating: the space formerly occupied by Savory will, by all accounts, be empty no more. JTWW -- and we assume the name will change -- has applied for a liquor license, so we can only assume something will happen there sooner rather than later. Makes sense really, what with the locations and current interiors and all. 

Rumors were flying around that Savory closed because of exuberant monthly costs, so hopefully JTWW will have more luck.

Oh, and if you, like us, also stalk restaurants through their liquor licenses, you will be glad to know we have made it a bit simpler for you. Clicking an address now takes you to its map entry, just in case you need to dig a little deeper.

This was helpful when we were trying to figure out where the charmingly named "Shamalamadingdong" would be located. Turns out the (apparently) old Ugly Bettie's is on its way out, with a clearly defined "SPIRITS/BR/WN REST LOUNGE -; CATERING" spot coming in. What does "Shamalamadingdong" mean? Urban Dictionary holds the answer.

Manito will be tapping Firestone's Parabola '12 and '13 next week for American Craft Beer Week. Really, stop by and try them. You will not regret it.

Finally, a sacrifice had to be made to make the aforementioned addresses clickable. The Craigslist Stalker had to go. Maintaining its code just ended up being a chore, and with us being lazy and all... Well you know how those things go.

So, No-Li's Mosaic. This is an odd one, in the sense that it shouldn't exist. I mean, seriously, No-Li doesn't list it on its website. Google searches bring up next to nothing. BeerAdvocate seems to refuse it is out there... It is out there, though, and it's loving it. Really, it's not that hard to find, at least on tap. Does it exist in bottle? Who knows?!

Lack of marketing taken aside, the Mosaic certainly stands on its own two feet, and is a pretty perfect pale for late spring and early summer. I'd rank it close to Jet Star as far as No-Li's most recent offerings go.

It pours like a pale -- shocking, right?! -- with a somewhat lightly-saturated orange color, and a good white head. Not much more to say; it is what it is, and what the Mosaic is, is good looking.

Sniff, and you are gentlemanly greeted by a balanced mix of citrus and hops. A sort of dry, malty backbone flanks it nicely. In some sense I guess it's almost IPA like, though I suppose that isn't that abnormal or anything.

Either way, a sip really just affirms the notes you get from the nose. The citrus might not be as dominant as in Elysian's Superfuzz, nor do I think that was what No-Li was going for. Point being: The mix of the citrus and hops is clearly there, dominating without being overpowering. It is instantly refreshing, yet dry enough to not feel watered down.

The Mosaic -- and I don't care if I'm repeating myself -- is a perfect ale for the season. I assume it is fairly light on the ABV, and it can easily be sipped in the sun. I'm impressed. No-Li clearly wants to become a player in the beer industry, something they're well on their way of achieving.

We found the Mosaic at Saranac, and I'm pretty sure it was spotted at Central too. You can, if nothing else, hit up No-Li's restaurant-tap-house-whatever-they-consider-themselves to try it. I can easily see the Mosaic finding a place in our summer rotation, and you probably should consider placing it in yours too.

Well, interesting times ahead. Amidst some very loose rumors of restaurant-opening, evil tongues are spreading some not-quite-as-loose rumors of the downtown Melting Pot being on the verge of closing. We don't know if the potential closing is related to the spot's hard to find entrance, or it's the simple result of the Melting Pot being Melting Pot. Should the rumor be true, though, we're sure the closing will shatter many a high school prom date.

The #SpoBREW Classic date is set for September 21st, so consider this your "save the date" notice. We will start team sign-up after we have the new-ish rules and all set up. Speaking of, the not-a-committee will be talking more about this soon. We probably have enough people helping out already, but send us a mail -- team@spocool.com -- if you feel you have something to contribute and should partake in the discussion.

Formerly-known-as "Zagz Liquor Store" (or so we hope) has opened, or rather moved to 1101 N Division. It looks a bit... sketchy.

The links section now actually works, showing dates and site titles and all. We welcome it to 2006. If you were reading it, you'd already know the Son of Spokane has been profiled by the Doxey.

So Hop Jack's might not set the world on fire, but how about their restrooms? Surely their restrooms must hold a higher standard, what with being in a brand new strip mall and all.

This, alas, is just not the case. The restrooms are in no way better than the restaurant, or at least the men's room is not. I have been made aware of a better ladies's room.

Back to the men's facilities. There are, basically, two major problems here:

First, the location. I mean, I cannot remember ever having an issue with how a restroom was placed, but Hop Jack's layout is just not well thought out. You walk from the dining area through a very short corrido, and the entrance is located right at the end. "What's the problem with that?", you might ask. Think about it... The diners can look straight into the restroom, a restroom where the urinals are located in an open view from the door. The urinals can be seen from the dining area.

This problem affects everyone. The diners have to look at somebody doing his business, while he has to be subjected to the humiliation of being seen.

That right there is reason for disqualification in my mind.

Yet, just to rub it in your face, the handle on the urinal was broken during my visit. I mean, really? How many months has Hop Jack's been around? Rule number one when opening a restaurant: invest in proper restroom equipment.

This was just a letdown. Hop Jack's men's facilities are bottom of the barrel. We can in no way recommend them.