Flavor country

You know all that talk about the Midwest being Flyover Country? Catchy, condescending, perfect for how us gat-damned coastal[ish] liberals feel about the heartland. But it’s incredibly unfair. And since a certain sandwich shop named JIMMY JOHN’S set up a franchise in our fair city, we’ve been thinking about asking Patty Murray to draft a non-binding Senate resolution to rename the Midwest “the United States of Jimmy John’s,” after our new favorite import.

After what seemed like an eternity with the space — sandwiched between Thomas Hammer and Chase Bank on the Main Street pedestrian mall and swaddled in unmistakably branded, floor-to-ceiling “Coming Soon” banners — the joint has opened, featuring two levels of eating space and, of course, the sandwiches ($5-$6), filled with Midwestern portions of meat, veggies and cheese, with the thoughtful option to add an “extra load” of meat ($1.50). If you can fit their delicious pickles ($1.15) in your mouth, well, you have an extraordinarily large mouth.

It’s hardly a scientific sample, but every time we walk by the Inland Northwest’s first installment of the Champaign, Illinois-based company, the place seems bustling, and when we go in, it smells and tastes like good old Jimmy John’s.

Naysayers might balk at a chain, but anything that increases choice, draws people to the core and gets them to walk around is cool by us. — LUKE BAUMGARTEN

Jimmy John’s, 601 W. Main Ave., is open Mon-Fri., 10:30 am-9 pm. Call 838-3278.

Tacos Tumbras

The bright splash of yellow-and-orange paint on an otherwise drab corner of Second and Cedar was a sure sign of good things to come. Apparently I’m not the only one who had eagerly anticipated the opening of TACOS TUMBRAS. The restaurant was buzzing with diners and take-out orders on its second day of business.

Carlos and Susana Zuniga know a thing or two about the restaurant business. Along with their son Ben, they own three taco trucks and a second Tacos Tumbras restaurant in Spokane Valley.
“It’s just like a Mexican taqueria,” Carlos says of the new space, where patrons can perch on red vinyl barstools overlooking the kitchen or slide into a booth. The sound of sizzling meat and the clang of spatulas on the flat-top grill attest to the freshness of the food.

If you are looking for adventurous Mexican food, the menu includes tongue and tripe tacos. But don’t worry if you don’t fall into this category — the extensive menu includes simple à la carte tacos for $1.50, fajita platters and combination meals with rice and beans topping out at $11.

You’ll find your favorite burritos and enchiladas as well as lesser-known items like the huarache (Mexican sandal). Imagine a warm, foot-shaped corn tortilla, topped with beans, tender, tasty beef, lettuce, tomatoes and cotija cheese. It was deliciously satisfying and fun to eat.

Then there are the sopes. Palm-sized round tortillas are fried to chewy-crunchy perfection and topped with carnitas — rich, juicy shredded pork. I stole as many bites as I could before my 4-year-old scolded me for eating off his plate. At $2.50 a pop, I can afford to order my own next time.

The Zunigas plan to open a Mexican market in the back of the restaurant and have applied for a liquor license with thoughts of opening a bar in the adjacent space. In a section of downtown saturated with fast food, Tacos Tumbras is a welcome change. — KIRSTEN HARRINGTON

Tacos Tumbras, 1325 W. Second Ave., is open Thu-Sat 11 am-2 am and Sun-Wed 11 am-9 pm. Call 456-8226.