(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

Let's talk restrooms for a while, because why not? We have already looked at Kim's restaurant, but that is, of course, only part of the puzzle.

So, the restroom. Not bad, not bad at all. I mean, this isn't the most exciting restroom you'll ever visit. It's certainly an experience low on frills, yet it is still an experience worth having, particularly if you are OK with something more utilitarian.

The interiors? Very basic. One might call them spartan, though "minimalistic" could also be applied if one feels a bit more generous. Either way, the interiors do not take away from the restroom's main purpose, and the only real distraction here is a picture on the wall.

More important is the scent; some kind of... smelly... thing adds a pleasant, relaxing layer to the restroom. It's not overpowering, but it has a good floral presence that gives the impression of a certain cleanliness. 

And the restroom is clean; spotless, in fact. Oh, it might be a bit intimidating to walk through a dark store room to get there, but once you're in, everything feels just OK.

This isn't an exciting restroom, then, but it does the job well. It's clean, it smells good... Yep, definitely a restroom you can visit without hesitation.

Way back when -- or two years ago as it is -- in a rare-ish (but not really) moment of laziness we posted a press release from Full Circle. Having since tried a few farm-to-table service, we've come around to giving Full Circle a shot, and really, this is probably the one that has worked out the best for us so far.

So what do we have? It all works pretty much as you'd expect: You sign up for a box, the size of your choosing. It's all done through a well-functioning website, where you choose to either have the box dropped off at your door or at one of the designated drop-off spots. Nothing overly shocking there. (Other than the website, which is pretty cool.)

The customizability, too, is impressive. You can add pretty much anything you can imagine to the box, from pasta to chocolate to tofu. Again, it's all made really simple through the website. In that sense you can probably get around of ever going to the store again if you really wish. But more about that in a second.

How local are the wares you receive? Well, it sort of depends on your definition. A lot -- most -- is from the west side of the state, and some comes from California. That's not to say other things don't come from closer quarters, like Quillisascut, but if you are set on just getting stuff from a hundred mile radius, then you probably want to look elsewhere.

Two things about the latter, though: We have looked at services that are more local, and, sadly, a lot of what we saw in the boxes tended to remind us of something we'd find at the bottom of the bins in Safeway.

Furthermore, and this comes back to never going back to the store ever again, we've found that supplementing the boxes make a lot of sense. Go to your favorite market, and pick up steaks from the Rocky Ridges of the world or whatever. Then you can, as an added bonus, feel superior about yourself.

We've been very happy with the quality of everything we've received from Full Circle. The ease of using the website is a bonus -- a big one at that -- and the variety of what you can put in your bin is impressive. We definitely recommend at least having a look at it.

Check out Full Circle's website for more.

A lot of froyo places have popped up over the past few years, but none have been quite as good as the one once located on North Monroe. We can't remember the name of it; nor does that matter. It has been gone for a long time now, and the location was recently taken over by Gerardo's.

It reminds us a bit of Atilano's, Gerardo's. It's a casual Mexican spot with a drive-through and all, and the menu has a good mix of handheld foods and combo plates. The main difference is Atilano's more north-of-the-border style. Gerardo's is probably closer to "authentic" Mexican, whatever that actually means or counts for.

And as with Atilano's, Gerardo's has seen a bit of a rocky start. There is some promise here, but it has a ways to go before we would add it to our rotation.

The toastada and taco combo plate, for example, is really not what it should be. Here we have a substantial lack of flavor which, granted, can be spiced up with a selection from the salsa bar, but come on...

The taco is served in a hard shell -- not Taco Bell style mind you -- and while it's a bit greasy, it's not too bad in its own right, with a serious crunch and all. The shredded beef has less going for it, and shredded lettuce seems to dominate the taco. I'm not sure if this is to create an illusion of something that is stuffed or not, but there you go.

The toastada is similar -- just a bunch of lettuce with a bit of beans smeared on for good measure. Again, the beans themselves really don't taste like much, and... Well, you get the picture. The plate isn't downright bad, but it could have been so much more.

Then there's the torta. We're not overly familiar with milanesa -- basically a breaded cutlet -- but overall the sandwich fared better. Granted, the milanesa was, again, rather flavorless, but the bread used for the torta was very good. Fresh tasting and flavorful. The guacamole, too, was fresh, if a bit bland.

Yes, there is a pattern here.

Finally, the accompanying shoestring fries weren't bad at all. Fries might not normally be why you'd visit a Mexican spot, but then, if they're good, they're good.

Overall, though, Gerardo's is just a bit eh. It's not horrible, just forgettable. Would we go back? Probably, if only to see if they have improved, which I think they potentially could.

As it is, Gerardo's reminds me of the early days of Atilano's. That's not really a good thing.

And we do miss that froyo place.

From the somewhat bizarre department... Actually, it's more than somewhat bizarre... No-Li has received federal approval for a new beer classification: "Spokane Style". Yes, federal approval. We tend to agree with No-Li on that not being a small feat.

What is "Spokane Style" then? Simply put, the beer has to be brewed with regional ingredients here in Spokane, and then packaged locally by Spokane residents. No-Li obviously already does all of this, and we're curious to see if other local breweries can call their wares "Spokane Style" too. More information is available on No-Li's website. 

Are you a fan of Sushi Track? Well, stop that right now, as Kinja Japanese Restaurant is apparently moving into its former space. Kinja can be found elsewhere in Washington, so... There's that. I got nothing.

And, as a public service announcement: Veraci will be a the Hop Shop today, 5 pm, and you probably want to be there too.