Sushi.com

Agedashi tofu
Ok. Get over the name. Yes, it's the dumbest name of all time for a restaurant. But forget about it, because Sushi.com is the best sushi place in Spokane.

Right off the bat I should explain my sushi snobbery. There's an American tendency to screw up good food from other countries. The jalapeno-popperization of sushi is a perfect example. I'm not into sushi that's been injected with cream cheese and/or deep fried.

That's not sushi to me. That's like calling deep-fried mozzarella sticks "Italian." Generally speaking, Spokane has a big old hard-on for injected, californiaized, and fried "sushi."

Salmon skin roll - aka "Alaska" roll
Sushi.com will make sushi-poppers with the best of them, but unlike the majority of sushi places in town, Sushi.com has the basics (e.g., "normal" or "traditional" sushi) dialed in.

Right off the second bat I should mention that I'm no sushi connoisseur either. I just like fresh raw fish. It's really really easy to tell when fish is not fresh. Cause it smells like fish. I cut my sushi teeth at a place in Bellevue called Kiku's. I worked down the street from Kikus and went there at least a couple times a week for years. So that's the benchmark. Good or bad. I'd like to think it's good, since the great sushi and sashimi and Japanese "comfort food" that I had while visiting Japan was very familiar to the food at Kikus. So there!

So. I dig Sushi.com. I dig the people that work there. And given that just about all of the front-house staff and sushi chefs have been there since the beginning, I think they must be doing something well. And I dig their fish. I've tried every sushi place in town, Sushi.com is my favorite.

Your basic salmon sushi. Hard to beat this.
I wish they had more traditional Japanese comfort food there (katsu curry, tonkatsu, etc), but they've got lots of fun appetizers and plenty of non-beef/chicken/pork options.

Some of my favorites:
- Alaska roll. Funny name for a salmon skin roll. It's done well, with nice crispy broiled skin and it's dirt cheap. I'm pretty sure it's just under $5.

- Agadashi tofu. Nicely fried tofu with dipping sauce. Under $5 also.

- Seaweed salad. Standard, but yummy. Also cheap.

- Oysters on the half shell are rad when they have them. Super clean, drizzled with a touch of rice wine vinegar and finished with a dab of rooster chili sauce. These guys really sparkle. When those aren't available, I go for the baked oysters.

- Aji sushi - also a special. Aji is mackerel with a light vinegar sauce. Served sahimi style. In my experience, this is a good touch stone to sushi places. If you order it, don't do the soy/wasabi deal -- it's ready to eat!

- Salmon sushi. Always fresh, yummy, and perfect.

- Maddie loves the kid chicken terriyaki plate: aside from the chicken, it has a potsticker, some tempura, rice, salad. It's around $7.

Sparkling oysters. Blurry picture.
I love a great spider roll when I'm out with friends and these guys have a passable spider roll, but it's no award winner.

All in all, Sushi.com is a favorite for this family.

Neato Burrito

Neato is one of a small handful of places in the downtown region where I like to eat for quick and cheap good food.

Good bike parking: the restaurant is all window, so you can lean your bike on the window and gaze upon it as you dine. You can also lock to a railing which is in view.

The music usually annoys me, but I sometimes think that's kind of the point. The folks working the counter are typically good eggs: local kids in between life adventures.

Tim and Patty own this place and they're worthy of a post on their own at some point. Like many, I first met Tim when he was working the entire restaurant at Benidittos v2. He was a pain in the ass surly bastard but he was the second most efficient food server I'd ever witnessed. Over the years, I've gotten to know him just a tiny bit and I'm really impressed by his resourcefulness, work ethic, and general goodness as a father and local citizen type.

Anyway. I dig the tofu filling at Neato. The burrito is a perfect tofu application. The Neato tofu literally looks like puke, so it's a damn good thing that it comes wrapped in a burrito.

My standard Neato burrito: flour tortilla, brown rice, black beans, tofu, cheese, corn salsa, habanero salsa. Each bite gets a dash of Valencia hot sauce. I think it's about $7 for the burrito.

Water solution here is good: big-ass plastic cups with serve-your-self thing.

Tim and Patty always have interesting beer on tap, though I've been there a couple times when there was not an IPA, which I find distressing. They always waste at least one tap on some cheap-o hipster crap beer du jour. But that's their bread and butter, so you can't exactly fault them for that.

Just recently they've added a coffee/pastry morning thing. I've had one vegan chocolate cup cake that was off-the-charts great, but otherwise, I'm not prepared to comment.