(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

So here we have a strange little Mexican place which actually could be quite good was it not for some... less than awesome teething issues. At least we hope they're teething issues. Otherwise Taqueria la Flor de Michoacan might just sit right on top of Spokane's upper echelon of bad service.

That's not to say the service isn't friendly, because it truly is. The real issue lies in what has have to have been the longest wait we have had to sit through in a good long time. And there is no hyperbole in that statement.

Let's do some simple math:

After sitting down it took about fifteen minutes for someone to take our order. After that we waited forty-five -- 45 -- minutes for the first person to get half of their dish. Five minutes later they got their second half. The last dish arrived an additional five minutes later.

I'm all good with a bit of a wait, but that is beyond acceptable for a simple meal in a near empty restaurant. Which is really too bad, as the food itself was quite good.

The carnitas taco, for example, had just a little char to the meat, and topped with the usual suspects. The salsas on the side were both perfectly spicy. This was a good baseline taco, and that's all we need.

On the other hand, the quesadilla de maiz was a bit of a letdown. It came served in a flour tortilla, one we suspect came from the grocery store. The cheese was good, as was the lengua. Perfectly prepared, just wrapped in the wrong type of tortilla.

Thankfully the huarache fared a lot better. The masa base was definitely homemade, and the chicken had been nicely marinated. Again it had a good char to it too. The tamale held an equally good standard; not dry at all, and again the masa was tasty.

There are enough things that's right about Flor de Michoacan for us to still be excited about it. Yet the wait was beyond acceptable. Eating a simple -- good, but simple -- meal should not cross over an hour.

It probably would be worth giving the place another shot, but we'll also give them a good wait before we head back. Kind of like they did when serving our food.

Well hey, we got a few openings coming, some of them of the Mexican variety.

First, Miguel's Mexican Restaurant and Tequileria is opening in the old Vin Rouge building, furthering what could be a tequileria trend here in Spokane. You know, just a few years after the rest of the world. But hey, we'll take it!

Take this one as an unconfirmed, word of mouth opening, but apparently another Mexican restaurant has opened in the strip mall just west of SCC. A special prize to anyone who can confirm this. (No, there is no prize.) Update: It is confirmed!

Then there's a spot called Wisconsinburger set to open at an unknown address. We've never had a Wisconsin style «butter burger» but they are apparently good, so we're somewhat excited about this.

Interestingly enough, the spot will be operated by Lantern LLC which, as tweeted by Inland Northwest Business Watch, has nothing to do with the Lantern. The restaurant the Lantern that is. Very odd. And kind of a dumb name, seeing it already exists. Update: Apparently Lantern LLC is the old Lantern owners. Just to make it more confusing.

And just to be clear to those who came here searching for the «Defense of Marriage Act»: We are talking about the coffee roaster DOMA here.

So with that aside...

You obviously love yourself some DOMA, having voted them «Best Coffee Roaster» and all. One of the more interesting projects they are partaking in right now is called «Grow Ahead» which for all intents and purposes is an organization that financially backs coffee growers through crowd sourcing.

The basic idea is pretty simple: You become a part of the supply chain by making a $25+ loan which helps finance a container of coffee. When the container arrives in the US the lender can choose to have the (interest free and guaranteed) loan repaid, or reinvest it in another container.

It's a win-win situation, really. The farmers get the financial backing through the various Grow Ahead-partnered organizations buying their coffee, without the growers having to take up conventional loans.

That's a very broad overview: Grow Ahead has a boat load of good information on how it works down to the smallest detail.

And DOMA is, of course, part of it. The first container they partnered with Grow Ahead for is coming from Apecaform in Guatemala. 

It's a cool project, and Grow Ahead is an interesting organization. Letting us be able to be part of funding the growers is a great thing in itself; having a sort of ownership of the coffee you drink makes it even better.

Happy farmers make happy coffee, and that benefits all of us. We encourage anyone who likes coffee to lend them some money.

You know, it just isn't December without a mention of the Abyss. Reviewing it is pointless -- it's about as good of a beer you'll taste this year. The one and probably only surprise, actually, is how different the tap version is to the bottled one this year. It's quite a bit better on tap, though some aging will probably do the bottles some good.

Anyway!

Faithful readers might remember last year's «Abyssycle» where we charted out a theory on the lifespan of the Abyssi.

This year, after a lot of research and interviews, we can with smiles on our faces and love in our hearts prove once and for all that the theory was, indeed, correct. Takes a gander, if you so like, at our new-ish and improved-ish «Abyssycle».

The lifespan is relatively simple:

At release: The flavor is wonderfully deep and nuanced. It's one you can sit and taste for hours and still pick up on new hints of wonderfulness. The only real downfall is that it's somewhat thin. 

Year one: How this happens we don't know, but this is the Abyss's weakest point in the lifespan. The thin mouthfeel persists, yet the flavor has kind of disappeared. Again, this is a mystery to us, and it certainly is scary to crack a bottle open and be hit with disappointment. Will its slide into mediocrity persist?

Year two: The answer is a resounding no. Two years in and the flavor is even deeper than what it was at release. The mouthfeel is that of tasty, tasty tar. It is likely one of the better beer experiences you'll ever have.

Year two and a few months: This is when things start to fade, ever so gradually. It's actually a bit of a disappointment to taste this about two and a half years in. Not that it goes bad, it just isn't what it used to be. It's better than what it was a year in, but a certain murkiness will make its presence.

Three years in: It's hard to say anything conclusive, but the '10 certainly lost a lot of its luster. That may change with the '11, but odds are slim from what we've been told.

In the end though, you do want to get some bottles of the '13 for both tasting and cellaring. Obviously. And you equally want to go out and try the Abyss on tap. You will be a richer person for it.