(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

I can only imagine that somewhere in Taco John's offices, a committee was formed to one up Taco Bell's latest onslaught of spicy offerings. The Bell might have started the war with Fiery Doritos® Loco Tacos, but Taco John's isn't one to back down. This is about to go thermonuclear.

Taco John's weapon of choice? The Flamin' Hot® Cheetos® Burrito. 

This is everything you'd hope it would be. I mean, «hope» is a relative term here, but you know… It's what you'd expect it to be: A standard Taco John's burrito (or so I assume, as I have never had one) topped with Flamin' Hot® Cheetos®. They even threw a bunch of jalapeños into the mix, just for that extra flamin' hotness(®).

And a beauty it is, just like advertised…

… sort of… Anyway!

So, what does the burrito have going for it? Preciously little, really. On one hand, the Flamin' Hot® Cheetos® did maintain their crunchiness. That's something. And when paired with the jalapeños, you do end up with a spicy end product.

That's not to say there's anything outside of heat happening here, though. A spicy crunch is well and good, but that's all there is. Surprising, isn't it?

Should the Flamin' Hot® Cheetos® Burrito exist? Hell yes! Not for any of us to eat, but for the entertainment value. Seeing the Bell and Taco John's duking it out with crazier and crazier concoctions is magical. 

Taco Time: your move.

Nineteen. That's the number of burgers featured on Waddell's menu, which surely must be some sort of record. Nineteen. Seriously.

Mind you, many of them are somewhat questionable. If the menu description reads «Demolished! by Guy Fierie», I'm fairly sure it's safe to give it a miss.

The Cougar Gold, however, is not shabby at all. It ranks somewhere below the current favorites, Manito and Wisconsinburger, on the list. In that sense, it actually trumps some local mainstays, like Churchill's.

While some -- many, really -- burgers rely on the stash to do most of the talking, Waddell's has sensibly made sure the patties hold their own. You are served two of them (or one if you go with the «Meow Meow» option), nicely seasoned, though not entirely to order. Our medium-rares were somewhere on the north side of medium.

Still, the flavors made up for it, so whatever.

A nice touch is the slice of ham shelved between the patties. This makes for something a little bit different than the standard bacon-burger, particularly texture wise. It does, of course, add to the flavor, too.

But, really, in the end it's all about the actual cheese. Well, maybe not all, but Cougar Gold ranks high up on our chart of favorite cheddars. (Yes, we have one.) It's a perfect burger cheese: sharp, but not overpowering. It plays very well with the seasoning in the patties, and the mayo just kind of binds it all together.

A good potpourri of flavors, in other words. The buns might not set the world on fire, but at least they hold the whole thing together, without adding much to the palette.

Overall, then, this was definitely a good experience, almost surprisingly so. For those keeping score, our ranking now reads:

1. Manito Tap House
2. Wisconsinburger
3. Waddell's
4. Churchill's
5. Post St Ale House

Photo courtesy of the Great Burger Chase’s official photography studio, Erick Doxey Photography.

Well, look at this, more breweries are coming on our way. (The world reacts by not being particularly surprised.) So, what do we got?

First, Ponderosa Brewery, with Joe Potter's name on it -- you may or may not remember him from the past two #SpoBREWs -- is opening in the old Public Market building. This is, of course, the same spot where Young Buck Brewing (headed by fellow #SpoBREW alumnus Cameron) is opening.

Sounds like it could be quite the little brewing co-op going in down there. Plus both Joe and Cameron's beers did well in #SpoBREW, so be excited.

Also opening... somewhere, the location on the application looks to be a home address... is Empire Brewery. What will it be? Who knows! But there seems to be no end to all of these breweries popping up.

Finally, in an abnormally thematic round-up for us, No-Li is hosting their No Boundaries on the River festival this weekend. On Saturday, noon to four, you can taste twelve rare single-keg beers.

Avoid lines, as they say, by grabbing tickets right now.

First: Yes, we know the Liquor License Stalker has been down for a few days, but fret not. A bit of investigative reporting (or, as it is, URL manipulation) fixed it all up again, so feel free to stalk away. It's almost like the Liquor Control Board doesn't want us to steal borrow their data…

File this one under «things we should have done ages ago»: The Best of 2013 results have finally been updated in the reviews section.

Always dreamed about snorting alcohol, or being able to add it to water for consumption? Well, now the feds tell us it's OK. Consider us to be in your camp, if that dream was a nightmare for you…

And, hey, that's it for today.