Spokane Food Blog

Located at the Liberty Lake Farmer’s Market on Saturdays (and, apparently, in the South Perry district the rest of the week) is Jalapeno Jeaven and its jovial owner, Lenny. I stopped by early (if 9 am indeed is early) in the morning, when I was decidedly ready for the “HOT!” breakfast burrito. And it was hot. And it was good.

Now while Jalapeno Jeaven does claim to be “authentic Mexican,” the food feels decidedly a few miles north of the border, both in size and style. This is not somewhere you would go for a true Mexican taco (we have De Leon for that.) If you can live with that fact, then the egg/cheese/meat-stuffed burrito will make for a good breakfast that is spicy enough to wake you up and quite probably cure a hangover.

Jalapeno Jeaven is good eats for anybody who’s not a purist.

The hints were many. Taco Sawbve was located a block from State Line Showgirls. The menu had Polish sausage on it. The lady in the truck didn’t look like she had ever been outside of North Idaho.

Yet I gave it a shot. And guess what? Not only was the taco the worst I ever had, Taco Sawbve officially provided me with the worst food I have ever tasted. Ever. Ever! Ever!

Wrapped in a flour tortilla which was undoubtedly bought from Safeway, the shredded beef (the other choice was ground beef) was not marinated, nor did it have any spices mixed in it. Lime juice? No. Onions? Ah ah. Salsa? Nope. Guacamole? Forget about it. Even the old American stand-by, the sour cream, was missing. Lettuce and tomatoes are well and good, but come on…

Taco Sawbve is located at 6676 W Seltice Way in Post Falls.

Orlando’s Mexican Food is, despite the looks of it, a taco truck in disguise. While you might expect a regular restaurant when entering, you will actually just get a kiosk like storefront.

The tacos, despite the promising hole-in-the wall setting, are not that great. They’re too big, and there’s way too much stash on them. I like chunky guacamole as much as the next guy, but come on, let’s not drench the taco in it. The tortillas are kind of eh too, slightly reminiscent of the day-olds from Super 1.

Give Orlando’s a miss. There are worse places out there, but really, why settle for “eh”?

9878 N. Government Way in Hayden.

I recently saw a local personality complain that our area lacked good Mexican restaurants. Then in the same breath he proclaimed Taco Bell to be “awesome.” This with a straight face. He apparently should either start reading Project Taco Truck or stop talking crap.

Anyway!

Tacos el Mariachi is located in a parking lot in Hillyard. Their tacos might not be quite up there with De Leon, but the carne asadas have a great flavor to them, and the (optional) salsa complements the tacos just fine. Why they decided to include iceberg lettuce is anybody’s guess, but it doesn’t really take away from the taste. Just seems a bit superfluous.

The stars of the show, however, are the rice and beans. I’m not sure what they to do them, but it kind of feels like the rice might be re-fried, and then mixed with the beans. It’s difficult to say, but the result is really good at least.

And seeing that you get three tacos with rice and beans for $5, you do in fact have a winner on your hands with Tacos el Mariachi.

Update: Now find El Mariachi on Hamilton St, just north of Mission.

I have in best Peggy Hill style credited Tacos Tumbras for starting the authentic taco revolution in Spokane, an innovation that quickly spawned imitation. Imitation so good, it could be argued it surpassed the original innovator. And yes, I am looking at De Leon, which enjoys two brick and mortar locations.

In my mind this is why Tumbras recently opened a shop in an actual building on Sprague; trucks are great and flexible until three feet of snow hits the ground and you realize you’re not in California (or indeed Mexico) anymore.

Anyway, truck or building, Tumbras still dish up some of the best tacos in town. A couple of corn tortillas topped with some asada meat and freshly squeezed lime juice might sound simple, but the flavor rush you get from it is anything but. Simplicity isn’t bad in other words.

Yet if you want to graduate to the harder stuff, there is always the condiments bar. Pickled onions, peppers, carrots, beets, and other vegetables and salsas let you spice up the tacos to whatever level you prefer. This is what makes the traditional taco great; the combination of vegetables you use with the core ingredients can drastically alter the dining experience, all to your liking. And at Tacos Tumbras the experience is always great.

I’m not sure whether Tumbras is the best Mexican place in Spokane anymore, but the fact we can actually have that debate is a nice step forward for the town. I’ll be back anyway, as the tacos are delicious.

Tumbras brick and mortar shop can be found at 9420 E Sprague Ave in the Valley. The truck is on Division, just up the North Hill on an east side parking lot.

The best restrooms that have happened to anybody ever. They’re so clean you could eat in there, and after seeing the classy interior you will likely want to! In fact, you probably should, just to honor the great job the cleaning staff has done here.

As for the actual facilities, the stalls all have floor-to-ceiling walls and doors, which gives you that extra privacy. And forget about paper towels and hot-air hand dryers, here you get actual towels to dry your hands. All of this is, of course, enjoyed in the luxurious Davenport setting. I wouldn’t be surprised if business meetings were held in some of these stalls.

Man! Awesome!

I will admit that I felt like kind of a poser using Cafe Marron’s facilities. You know when you walk into a restroom thinking “there’s no way I’m good enough for this place,” and start panicking? That was my initial reaction. Would I be able to figure out the sink? What if couldn’t find the handle for the flush?

My mind was soon put to ease, however. The designer of these facilities had obviously taken both style and comfort in to consideration.

The slightly faux rustic look is calming, and the delicate dimmed lighting really allows for some thinking to take place while one is conducting business. This definitely has the feel of vintage European bathrooms, a “vibe” which really has become a favorite of mine. Florescent light and waterless urinals might work in a strictly utilitarian sense, but sometimes I just want to enjoy that little something extra. And Cafe Marron has just that; that certain je ne sais quoi.

These are Grade A facilities in other words. Highly recommended.

Ferrante’s isn’t just a brilliant restaurant, it also has one of the area’s best restrooms! We’re not talking just cleanliness here, it has the kind of interior that makes you want to sit and eat the pizza there. (That could possibly also save you some time.) In fact, the bathroom looks more Italian than the actual restaurant, and could also rival its size. This isn’t a reststall, it is definitely a restroom!

Should you be on the South Hill, and in search of a fine facility, then this is the place to go. One of my favorites.