Greasy pleasures

It’s late. Really late. I was ferrying my friends home when one shouted from the back seat, “I want a burrito!” As weary as I was, I wanted to tell him to shut his mouth and eat something when he got home but… I had a taste for some nachos, too. “Let”s go to the new place,” I shouted over the radio.

The new place, ABELARDO’S, is one of Spokane Valley’s few options for food at 2 am. The Cal-Mex restaurant, started by employees from the small California chain Adalberto’s, keeps its drive-thru open 24-7 and is always offering breakfast. All dishes are made to order so the drive-thru can take as long as 15 minutes.

The cuisine, which owners admit is based off Adalberto’s menu, is a mix of traditional Mexican recipes and fast food staples. For example, Adalberto’s “California” has melted shredded cheese, rice and traditional carne asada but Abelardo’s uses French fries instead of potato chunks.

After negotiations and bartering, we came up with something that resembled an order: two bean burritos ($1.99 each), a shrimp burrito ($3.89), two chicken tacos ($1.89 each), an order of super nachos ($6.29) and extra hot sauce. The final total was still under twenty bucks.

The shrimp burrito was the size of an energy drink and, if thrown with some might, it’d be heavy enough to take out a window. My chicken taco was an overstuffed half oval of grease and love. The slow cooked chicken dripped juice from the shell every time I took a bite.

The stand-out of the night was the super nachos. The house-fried corn ship was topped with refried beans, cheddar cheese, over half a pound of carne asada, a cilantro-heavy homemade salsa, sour cream and guacamole. It was not only a formidable midnight snack but made for a good breakfast the next morning.

Abelardo’s is far from healthy (almost everything will leave a puddle of grease on its wrapper), but in the middle of the night, who cares? — SAM STOWERS

Abelardo’s at 11519 E. Sprague Avenue in Spokane Valley is open 24 hours a day, Mon-Sun. Inside seating is available from 6 am to midnight. Call 924-7485.