(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

Seeing the world will be ending in a few hours, we're planning on digging ourselves down in our bunker, and we won't pop our heads out until after Christmas. Of course, there probably won't be an internet anymore at that point, but that's neither here nor there.

To tide you over, here are some things that will make the wait bearable:

• Grab breakfast at Central Food. The breakfast burger is excellent.
• The baked goods at Taste are always good; we really like the gluten free harvest muffin.
• Coffee at Coeur is of course a must.
• Manito has really stepped it up with service, beer selection, and food.
• And finally, Adam Ant's first video in seventeen years, "Cool Zombie", will make its debut tomorrow! I mean, holy crap, right?! Make sure to check it out.

Make this Christmas weekend a SpoCOOL Christmas Weekend!

First the Spokesman reports the "Bulldog" -- which apparently was called University Bar & Grill, who knew? -- has closed, then the Inlander tells us Perry St Cafe has shut its doors. We can't say we've frequented either establishment, but closures like these are obviously not good for any of us.

On the flip side we have The Bartlett and their Indiegogo campaign to open a mid-size, all-ages concert venue downtown. They are halfway to their goal -- the campaign will be funded even if the December 21st goal isn't reached -- and we encourage everybody to at least make a small contribution to them.

I'm not entirely sure how the conversation got turned onto bagel dogs, but I'm fairly certain this guy brought it up. It kind of just took on a life of its own from there. We heard wondrous stories about this... thing... and how it was served in Olympia and Anchorage, but not Spokane.

After a bit of research, and with help from Matt on Twitter, we finally managed to track it down at the Ultimate Bagel. This filled us with mixed emotions. Ultimate Bagel doesn't exactly bowl us over with excitement, but still... The tales of bagel dogs had been grand enough for us to forget about their less than stellar bagels, and give them one more chance.

And you know... Their bagel dogs weren't too bad. Basic, certainly, and the bagel wasn't very bagel-y, but the end result was still quite good in its charming simplicity.

The sausage came wrapped in bagel-style breading, as we had expected, and when cut in half there was just enough space to stuff in the accompanying condiments. Granted, only having ketchup, mustard, and relish at hand was a bit of a letdown after yarns of all the crazy stuff people have gotten other places, but whatever.

Oh, and the sausage was actually pretty decent. I suppose I had expected something vaguely Oscar Meyer-ish, but this was a step or two above the baseline.

We get the allure of the bagel dog, and we'd really like to see a spot like Saranac or Manito try their hands on it. We think they could makes some pretty spectacular bagel dogs. As for now, a stop by the Ultimate Bagel should at least give you a taste of what the hype is all about.

"This is the type of place I'd go to pick up men... Though not the good kind." - Anonymous, paraphrased.

Spokane is having a love affair with the letter "z", and is not shy about using it as a replacement for an "s" or two in its restaurant names. Bowl'z Bitez & Spiritz -- yes, that is a rarely seen possessive "z" -- has taken this to a somewhat unheard of level, with an unprecedented three replacements. That is pretty special.

But you know, I actually cannot bring myself to be too snarky about Bowl'z Bitez & Spiritz. Not because the place is good... Trust me, it is anything but, yet the people who worked there were really friendly, and I can't help but think they really meant well. And I'm sure there are those who will really like Bowl'z Bitez & Spiritz, though I sincerely doubt that includes you.

Should you happen to stop by, I would recommend skipping dinner. And probably drinks too. All the food here are supposed to be served in bowlz, but they really aren't bowlz, unless you count those high edged plates you get in a school cafeteria as being bowlz. Either way: What you get in said bowlz is just... I mean, wow. Just very, very sad.

We left most of the tasting to the rest of the party, all of who seemed somewhat miffed to be pulled into an evening at Bowl'z. A taste of the shrimp po boy -- I'm pretty sure they called it a shrimp bowl boy -- was enough for me. This was pretty grotesque, and I'd be willing to bet the cold, slimey, stringy shrimp came from a can and... No, just don't eat there. Multiple people can testify to it.

In that sense, I guess the lesson learned is the more unnecessary Z's, the higher the red flag is raised.

Other than the food, the beer selection is... spartan... and the ambiance was not made better by either the hobo chugging his PBR behind us or Peaches's "Fuck the Pain Away" blasting from the jukebox. (This is a classy joint!)

But really, the staff was very nice. I actually feel badly for not liking the place. There's just nothing here I could think of recommending, unless Jell-O shots and Irish car bombs are your thing. As it isn't for us, we can't really think of much reason to ever stop by again.