(SpoCOOL) A Spokane Blog

I always found it sort of odd when a restaurant piles the adjectives onto their menu items. Post Street Ale House is a good -- or, as it is, bad -- example of this, with their best ever cheeseburger. I get it. Playful. But, to me, it is just a promise that you know will go unfulfilled.

Our experiences with the downtown spot have been less than stellar in the past. It's somewhat of a stretch to call yourself an ale house when you serve beer in frosted glasses. Either way, good on Post Street for having Red Chair on nitro, if nothing else.

But, I digress. The burger, the best ever cheeseburger. An unfulfilled promise indeed, although it was at least somewhat better than I had feared.

This was actually the first burger we've seen on this great chase that 100% properly came to order: Two medium-rares, one medium. Good job on that.

We were told the patties were made off-site (you know, the way Gordon Ramsay hated it, until he started doing so himself) which I suppose isn't the end of the world. They weren't particularly flavorful, mind you, and the «Ale House sauce» ended up doing most of the talking.

Actually, possibly the best part of the burger were the pickles, and I don't mean that in a snarky way. They were quite tasty, and I'm usually not a pickle kind of guy.

So, not a bad burger, or at least not until you get to the bun.

I've said it before: the bun can make or break a burger, and for Post Street it all went downhill here. The baseline test was, as always, a comparison with Franz's, one that Post Street failed. I can only assume the buns come from Sysco or whatever. Flavorless, dull, almost stale. A complete letdown.

And therefore I have a hard time recommending this $10.50 (add a buck for bacon) burger. It was pretty average, if the bun wasn't in place. If you're forced to hang at Post Street Ale House, this is a safer bet than some of their other choices.

It's not the best ever cheeseburger, then, and not one that places high on this Great Burger Chase of ours.

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

I usually start these posts with some variation on «there hasn't been much movement in the chart», but this time… This time there's been movement, like that of Cheryl's colon-cleanse-car-wash incident.

You're welcome!

As for the list, here are who you've voted in as your favorite spots. Want to make your voice heard? Go vote yourself! 

1. Manito Tap House (2)
2. Casper Fry (1)
3. Santé Restaurant & Charcuterie (-)
4. South Perry Pizza (-)
5. Saranac Public House (12)
6. The Flying Goat (-)
7. Central Food (5)
8. Jones Radiator (14)
9. Veraci Pizza (11)
10. De Leon Foods (6)
11. Main Market Co-op (20)
12. Atticus Coffee & Gifts (10)
13. Coeur Coffee (-)
14. Bon Bon Lounge (9)
15. Wild Sage Bistro (19)
16. Atilano's (17)
17. Huckleberry's (16)
18. Italia Trattoria (-)
19. Mizuna (15)
20. Bennidito's Pizza (8)

Manito, Casper Fry, and Santé are, as always, neck and neck, with the tap house nudging to #1 after a wave of :-)s.

Saranac, meanwhile, made a major jump from #12 to #5, and Jones hit #8. Apparently people are into beer this month.

Really, all around we saw movement. Which is a good thing. Having a scene where people have a lot of opinion is positive for all of us.

Well, it's not too different from the previous years, and that's fine. Stone's Imperial Russian Stout has always been a favorite, and as we haven't talked about it in a few years, we figured it was time to celebrate its greatness again.

Everything here is as it should be: the pitch black pour and the tan head greet you with a warm embrace, stroking your hair, telling you how beauty is about more than a bag flowing in the wind. Beauty, it seems, is what you're about to imbibe.

Notes of roast and anise dance on the nose, playing hacky sack with the chocolate and coffee. The flavor reflects all of this, making for a deep, flavorful 10.5% ABV ride.

Yada, yada, yada. You already knew all of that. The flavors haven't really changed much over the years. There is one thing, though, that has improved, and I am happily surprised that it has.

My main issue with the previous IRSs has been the mouthfeel -- great as the flavors might have been, the mouthfeel really didn't measure up. Not a huge deal, I know, but I like my imperial stouts thick.

And this year Stone really has hit that home better than they did over the previous years. It will still need to be aged to reach its optimal level, of course, but I was surprised exactly how thick the 2014 felt, right off the bat.

That sets this year's edition apart for me. It's tasty as always -- no surprise there -- but this (to some) minor detail makes a difference.

Of course, the price of the beer has steadily increased, too. I'm not quite cynical enough to blame Stone for that, but we're close to what I'd consider to be a pretty steep point. Something to keep in mind.

It's worth it, though. The Imperial Russian Stout is a great beer. Go drink it, and be appropriately happy.

«Miguels [sic] now open»

Had I taken notice and had I remembered what I already knew, I would have given Miguel's a miss. Driving by Fiesta Mexicana's sign, our experience with Miguel's all of a sudden just made sense. Those patented stylings of Fiesta Mexicana making their way into our food... Of course the two places shared owners.

So, for the sake of stating the obvious here: Miguel's might have a slightly different menu than Fiesta Mexicana, but all in all, it's all the same. Place two dishes from each menu next to eachother, and there's no way you'd notice any difference. In fact, mix the two, and it'd be one big plate of sameness.

I could go into details about above dish -- arroz con pollo, which also is their signature dish -- but why bother? It's a mess, like something from a frozen TV dinner. 

To add insult to injury, you can't get a decent horchata here either: it's a complete watered down rip-off. I mean, really. If you can't get the horchata right, there isn't much hope.

So, there you have it. Short and sweet. Another Spokane Mexican spot that's way on the bottom of mediocre, borderlining awful. The only reason I can think of going there, is for the hundred tequilas, but the jury is still out if any of those are worthwhile.

The food certainly is not worth much. Stay in the car until you hit Michoacana -- it might be a trek, but it sure the hell will make you happier than Miguel's does.