(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

Exactly how we missed out on Roll Story opening -- three months ago, apparently -- is kind of a mystery. Maybe we were in some state of denial, thinking Sprint's five customers would keep that store in business? The Sprint store is at least gone now, and this sushi-to-go spot has taken its place.

I'd be lying if I said our minds were blown here, mind you, and the "Best Sushi Ever!" proclamation on the menu is a bit of a hyperbole.

There is a fairly large selection of rolls and bento boxes at Roll Story, with most items seemingly a dollar or two above baseline Spokane prices. In their defense, the rolls might just be a bit larger than average also.

We tried the "Rainbow Roll" which was kind of edible, but not much more. It's not exactly an original complaint to blame iffy tasting fish here in landlocked Spokane, yet, sadly, that was this roll's downfall. The salmon had that rubbery texture to it, with a vaguely metallic flavor toward the end. Not awesome, but almost decent when compared to a shrimp a day past its prime. Really, when shrimp is starting to go off it goes quickly, and it was clear this one was well out of its starting block.

Granted, none of this was so far off that it would make anyone sick, but should I really have to issue such a disclaimer? The imitation crab was what one would expect, if nothing else, and the rice was pretty average.

We do, again, live in a landlocked area, and seafood can be a bit of a hit or miss in most places. You might hit Roll Story on a day when their fish is fresher than it was during our visit, who knows? Sadly our one roll was enough to turn us off, as we don't like to mess around with old fish.

There are sushi places we've had more luck with than others in town, and next time we'd probably head down the street for some Sushi Yama should we be craving sushi while driving down Division.

We already knew Fraiche was closing -- last thing we heard it was to be turned into a tapas bar, but who knows what's going on with that -- but were surprised to see the Spokesman report of Rex's closing too. We can with some certainty say they made the spiciest meal we have ever tasted, whatever your opinion may or may not have been about the burger place, one that crippled many a Spiceawar contestant.

What's really bumming us out, though, is seeing Brews on Washington go. The spot was just that... A spot. A good spot, one where the glorious Team SpoCOOL won the inaugural trivia contest. Good times, and sadly they have come to an end.

You have until closing Saturday to go down there and say your farewells. Draft beers are $3; bottled beers $2 off; glasses of wine $5; bottles $18.

Some places are shutting down, some are opening. That's the circle of life, and hakuna matata, and all that -- just a bummer when the places closing actually were good.

We like, nay, love the AeroPress here at Team SpoCOOL, and we're pretty OK with warm weather too. Sometimes two plus two equals four, and the thought of making iced AeroPress coffee came to mind. We think you should try it too, because, really, why wouldn't you?

Using a couple of sources -- most seem to have found its inspiration from CoffeeGeek -- we came up with a condensed, six step guide on how to make one hell of a good cup of iced AeroPress:

1. Dump about twice the amount of ground coffee you'd usually use into the cylinder. We went with CoffeeGeek's 30 gram recommendation.
2. Grab the water off the stove just before it boils, and pour in five time as much water as the coffee you used. 150 ml in this case.
3. Give the coffee a good stir -- we went for 45 seconds -- and let it sit for another half a minute or so, giving it the occassional stir.
4. Press the coffee over a cup filled with ice. 
5. Top with coconut milk to get that summer feeling going. Or use any other sweetener like milk or cream. Or nothing.
6. Stir well, and get ready for enjoyment.

Consider that the simple way of doing it. A real coffee geek should probably follow (surprise, surprise) CoffeeGeek's more detailed steps.

It's also worth trying this using the inverted method.

You've read the riveting part one and two, and here is the third chapter of the saga we like to call "#SpoBREW2 Teams: An Abridged Tale".

Hops R Us: Famous not just for competing in both #SpoBREW and SpoBREWING for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, but infamous for actually not brewing hoppy beers. Hops R Us is making a third grab for the throne, and this time they're serious about it.

Smashing Hopheads: The second team to feature a Norwegian makes them the second team with a clearly superior flair. We sampled their wares during a reconnaissance mission, and our impression was one of shock and, indeed, awe. We might just have a contender here.

IDHOPS: Hailing from the dark Idaho tundras, we can only assume IDHOPS makes beer to be able to survive the cold winters. (We're not above stereotyping.) This is actually last year's Captain Hook team, which placed 10th with both the brewers and the judges. Consistent, certainly, but we assume the one man team is aiming for gold this year.

Whickerbill Studios: Little is known about Whickerbill Studios -- do they even exist?! What is a Whickerbill?! Well, we searched, and Urban Dictionary had its thing to say. There's... little to add to that; thankfully the bottles will be delivered unlabeled.