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.

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.