(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

Our relationship with Mizuna has been rocky as of late. Over the last year they served up a gnocchi best forgotten about, and service during a lunch was bad enough that it bordered on being funny. So we kinda gave up on Mizuna, at least for a while.

Recently, though, things have looked up again, enough so we feel Mizuna has redeemed itself back to being a part of the upper echelon of Spokane dining. Who knows if this impression will last, but we feel rather optimistic that it will.

For our last visit we started out with the fritto misto, here consisting of deep fried vegetables. The dish was surprisingly light, meaning not over- or undercooked, and the accompanying aioli made for an excellent dipping sauce.

Mizuna has always made a good soup -- that has been the case even during our rocky period -- and the kale with pancetta soup here had a nice, spring-y flavor to it.  It wasn't a flavor bomb, and we were OK with that.

For our entree we tried the sirloin and prosciutto burger. Much talk has been made of what the best burger in Spokane is (many make a case for Churchill's and that's a very fair case to make), and we'd definitely throw this one into the running. Perfectly cooked at medium rare (and they didn't ask for doneness preference, which I, personally, think is the correct way of doing it) and also topped with aioli over the prosciutto and greens.

In a sense it was a simple burger in terms of assembly, yet each part combined into something with a lot of depth. It was more like eating a steak on a bun, a bun which incidentally was what burgers should be served on. The burger has failed if you can't eat the bun by itself, and here you could clearly eat it like you would a piece of bread.

Hopefully Mizuna's bumpy ride is over. The food was excellent, as was the service, and we're ready to start loving on Mizuna like we once did. 

A remake of the Danish crime series, Forbrydelsen (literally translates to The Crime), The Killing managed to stay interesting until the last episode of the first season when they... Well, it'd be unfair to say they jumped the shark, but they came close.

Season two kicked off a few weeks back, and they're still trying to make up for messing up the storyline. Sitting through it now might well be more tolerable with the addition of this drinking game: 

Take a shot whenever Sarah is on her way to leave for California and then turns around. Do a second one if it pisses off here fiance.

Drink every time a scene clearly is not filmed in Seattle.

Imbibe whenever a character wears something that's just too stereotypically Pacific Northwest. Take a second shot when you realize the portrayal is actually accurate. Finish with a third one when it hits you just how depressing that is.

Drink when somebody utters a racist comment. Do a follow-up drink if a racist action follows the comment.

Throw one back whenever Sarah's son is being a brat.

Take a shot every time Sarah suspects Holder of being a crooked cop.

Take a sip whenever they arrest the wrong killer.

Drink whenever you think "I don't really care who killed Rosie Larsen." Finish the bottle when it reminds you how much you miss Twin Peaks.

Liquor License Stalker reveals Northern Lights is getting a new name: No-Li Brewhouse. Cue the "no lie" pun here. There have been some (pretty crazy) rumors out there about Northern Lights being sold, so it's interesting to see Mark Irvin's name on the application, albeit with new co-applicants.

Speaking of liquor licenses, Swagat Indian Cuisine will be opening in the Valley on 14415 E Sprague. Fingers crossed it's South Indian cuisine, though that might be vaguely optimistic.

We noticed a video camera at Sante's Eating Ethically panel debate, and hopefully the video will make its way to the web. It was a good event with everyone being very respectful, despite some earlier predictions. Thumbs up to Craig Goodwin, SCC's Peter Tobin, Lazy R's Beth Robinette, and Sante's Jeremy Hansen for the job they did as panelists. (Oh, and the food was amazing.)

We've given Atilano's a few chances over the years. A rather disastrous first meeting gave way to a better second experience after a change in ownership. These days Atilano's is a regular in our rotation, so apparently things have changed for the better. What has improved?

First, let's be perfectly clear what Atilano's is and what it isn't. This is mainly a burrito shop, a burrito shop where sour cream is featured liberally throughout the rather large menu. This means Atilano's might not be your thing if you're one of those annoying purists.

For the rest of us, the burritos here are simply good. Be it the fajitas burrito -- always fresh tasting -- or the incredibly hearty and heavy Atilano's Burrito, you'll be able to find something decent here. And for being such a large menu, each item actually feels surprisingly different. We're not just talking a base stuffing with a new addition for each burrito; every one has a unique individual flavor.

And of course, if you prefer going sans tortilla, you can get the stuffing served on a plate. (In a sense, this might be what makes the menu so large -- a large portion of items are on there both as a burrito and as a plate.)

Atilano's isn't our favorite Mexican spot in town -- Guerrero, Michoacana, Tumbras, and De Leon can duke it out over that -- but it's pretty much unbeatable as far as a fast burrito late at night goes.

Original June 17th, 2010 review

This is take two for Atilano's, a place I decided to give a second chance after a change in ownership.

I don't know if the kitchen has changed or not, but I have an inkling that it has. Atilano's Gone is the flavorless bland food of yore, and in its place you will find what the owners label true "San Diego Mexican." To me it seems like they've succeeded.

The menu is still longer than a Stephen King novel, and that's OK with me. As far as I'm concerned this is "good food done fast" -- the drive-through is still there -- and it's kind of fun to have a vast strange selection. Particularly seeing the competition up the street from the Inlander reader's second "best late-night food," Taco Bell. By our last check, Atilano's still is open until midnight.

The important part here, though, is that the food now is both good and reasonable. For $4 I tried a chile relleno burrito, and it was very good. Stuffed with Mexican cheese and a nice spicy pepper, as well as rice and beans, it might not give De Leon or Tumbras a run for their money, but it was still good Mexican-style comfort food. It was also rather large, so hey, bang for the buck and all that.

A comeback story is always good, and Atilano's has definitely come back from being dull. Hopefully you didn't have an excuse to go to Taco Bell before, but if you did, there's no longer any reason to go there. In terms of late-night drive-through Mexican, Atilano's is quite good.