Ha' Penny Mexican Coffee

We had a bit of time to kill before the Library! downtown opened in Boise so we decided to go to Ha Penny  for lunch.  I ordered a Burger,  Janae got the Shephard Pie,  Sydney got the Mac and Cheese and I was debating whether to get the Mexican Coffee.    It was supposed to be the ultimate right?  I am really trying all of the other ones in town and at other places so that I can come here and have the best one right?  The one with a sugar rimed glass with a float of bacardi 151,  served flaming.  At least according to the waiter we talked to a month or so ago,  he said he trained all of the staff on them.  Anyway,  I decided to go for it, so I told the waiter I hear you have a great Mexican coffee and he said that they werent really known for them like the Irish Coffee.  That should have been my first sign that he was not one of the staff trained in the drink of all drinks.  I ordered one any way and he went back to put together a mediocre Mexican Coffee.  The drink was sweeter than others,   with almost no Tequila flavor at all.  it was a stronger, more bitter coffee flavor with a bunch of Kahlua'  i think there was just a small amount of Irish Cream too based on the color,  but not enough even for my delicate palate to taste.  It was not sugar rimmed,  it was not flaming,  it did not have any rum in it at all from what I can tell.    The only redeeming quality had nothing to do with the flavor but rather the cool look that the whipped cream topping gave to the drink as layers floated to the bottom.

I was thoroughly disappointed,  we ordered an Irish Coffee even before the Mexican Coffee was gone, just to bring up my spirits.  I liked the Irish Coffee better,  It was certainly a more distinctive drink with more tastes.  It was made with whiskey and I think I like the 'bite' of the harsher alcohol.  In the Mexican Coffee figure this is provided by the Tequila and the Rum,  both of which were missing from this.
Even though I was disappointed,  I will be back to order it from the person who originally started this.  If they can not provide what I have been hoping for then I  will... uh...  I will just  uh,   I will just have to look for another drink.

Mexican Coffee at Tablerock Brewpub

Janae asked me to go shopping with her at Winco on Saturday and I said sure and we decided to stop at Tablerock for the Buffalo Bites (we agree that they are the best Boneless Buffalo Wings in Boise).  I ordered a Mexican Coffee just to see what they could do.  The waiter said sure,  but I could tell he didn't know what I was talking about.  He served in in the typical Bar Coffee glass but it was very pale and before even trying it I could tell he went really heavy on the Irish Cream.  After tasting it I was not impressed at all,  I could not taste any tequila at all and I had to ask how he made it.   Obviously he did not know that the person he was talking to was reviewing his drink since he replied by saying the worst thing I could hear "Yeah,  the bartender had to look it up too."  as though I didn't know either.  As the French would say I thought "Pfffft!!".  But after going back to check on it with the bartender he explained that they had put Irish Cream, Kahlua and Coffee in it,  which is how you make an Irish Coffee.  
My evaluation:  don't get a Mexican Coffee here again.  They probably do real good with a Rum and Coke though.
The Buffalo Bites were great though.

Mexican Coffee at Lock Stock and Barrel/Water and smoke at Cowgirls

On the day after Valentine's day Janae and I went to Lock Stock and Barrel with Todd and Maria and Drake and Eleesha.  We walked right in to a 6 person curved booth that was a tiny bit cramped in the corner but fit everyone very well as long as the oversized cupboard door menus were off the table. We ordered drinks; wine for the ladies, beer for Drake, a Jack and Coke for Todd and a McCall oatmeal stout for me, The beer was very heavy and chocolatey and took a while for me to get into it without food but the unpersonable waiter with the un memorable name took long enough that I had finished it before my cedar plank salmon showed up. (Salad bar and bacon wrapped scalloped devoured). In one of the waiters hurried passes I ordered a Mexican Coffee. He had no questions about what it was and gave me a curt "sure".  The drink came out quickly in a clear irish glass bar coffee mug, which appears to be the standard serving glass for warm coffee drinks from the bar.   The look was pretty much identical to the one I got from Jalepeno's however the flavor of the coffee was stronger with less alcohol and I could taste both tequila and Kailua in it.  It went down easy and quick, most likely because of the lack of alcohol but maybe also because the oatmeal stout was so strong.  Quick: good company, average drinks and mediocre service, if I ended up back at lock stock and barrel sometime. I would order a different drink.

Somehow we decided to go to cowgirls in Kuna for some dancing.  I ordered and drank a beer of some kind and finished Janae's corona, which was like water. Then I finished the night with a watered down rum and coke and some dancing to some pop song on a dance floor of less than beautiful women that would have even seemed out of place even at The Balcony.  I coughed out more smoke the next day than I drank alcohol at cowgirls. This was a last in a life time visit to cowgirls for me

Mexican Coffee - Jalepeno's

Janae and I took the kids to Jalapeno's   Sam drove and we both got margaritas (her's blended and mine on the rocks)  Eddy brought two blended and even though I told him I would drink it anyway so it did not go to waste he convinced me he would get me the rocks drink by saying he would have something to drink later himself.   Our drinks were gone before our fried jalapeno's showed up and well before dinner,  but once dinner showed up we asked about a Mexican Coffee.  Eddy said,  oh yes we have those,  we put a tiny bit of coffee and a bit of coffee tequila and some Kahlua in there,  we put whipped cream on top and a bit of cinnamon.

Well,   we were impressed,  not only had the waiter heard of it,  he knew all about it.  (The waiter was Mexican himself which may or may not have had anything to do with his knowledge on it since we have not done the research yet on the drink to know whether it is actually indigenous to Mexico)  We immediately ordered one and he brought it out and we enjoyed it quite a bit,  it had a much richer flavor it seemed like even a stinger Kalua flavor than On The Border.  Eddy checked on us later and we told him we have somehow gone on a quest for a good one and Jalepeno was on the top,   he told us about the Coffee flavored patron tequila and even brought out the bottle to show us,  I had never seen black tequila before.  It was kind of gross looking..... but it tasted so good.

We talked about tequila,   mexico,  English classes here in Boise   our trip to Spain and trouble in his home state of Ixtapa near Acapulco for about 15 minutes.  It was a wonderful dinner and a highly recommended Mexican Coffee.

Mexican Coffee - On the Border

Janae and I wnt to On The Border with Drake and Eleesha to enjoy some margaritas and mexican food.  Janae again had to remind me about the Mexican Coffee.  In my usual manner I grilled the waitress about it,  and she was only vaguely familiar with it,  she wanted to know if I knew how to make it,  but I told her I only want one if they have a way of making one,  I dont want them to make something I could make I want to see their specialty and try that.  She said okay and went off and another waitress / hostess that was sort of hovering / passing by a couple minutes later came by and asked "That Mexican Coffee is with Tequila and Kalua,  right?"  I said "yes,  but go ahead and make it the way you know it should be made".  I did not have a lot of confidence that it would be good and the waitress assured me it would not be on fire.
It came out and was certainly better than the one at Goodwood,  It seemed to have a stronger Tequila / Kalua flavor.  Also it had the benefit of following a strong Margarita, off the rocks (an invention of mine for the night where I asked for a margarita on the rocks,  with no ice,  which is basically like mixing Mrs Ts warm margarita mix with warm tequila,  not good,  but the drink was larger since it was not cut with ice,  so ANY drink was probably better).

Anyway,  On The Border,  you did okay but your questions and uncertainty on the Mexican Coffee help me understand that I have not found a great Mexican Coffee,  most certainly not the best.

Mexican Coffee at Goodwood Barbecue

Today Janae and I went to Goodwood Barbecue without the kids; they gave us some angry stares since they wanted to go too, but we made it out without them.  I was telling Janae about the Ha' Penny conversation earlier in the day and about how I think we should have Mexican Coffee there sometime.  When the server came around asking if we wanted drinks I ordered a beer but didn't think about the Mexican Coffee until Janae reminded me,  which launched a very drawn out ordering process.  When the server stopped by to see if we needed anything,  I asked if they had Mexican Coffee,  he said probably but that he was not familiar with it so I asked if he could check with the bar then to find out.  He came back and said that they did and I asked if they lit the rim on fire and he said that they do not do any drinks like that and I said "how much is it though?" and he had to go back and find out.  he came back and told me (now I can't remember how much it was though) but I said okay,  and then he went and ordered it,   and later brought it out.  I tasted it,  and it was a coffee,  with a tiny bit of tequila and a tiny bit of kalua probably,   but it was nothing special.  This was my first Mexican Coffee and I was not impressed.

Strike one for Mexican Coffee in general,  but a much bigger strike for Goodwood Barbeque for not knowing how to sell a specialty drink.

The Mexican Coffee Conversation - Ha' Penny

Today I took my office out to lunch on our semi-weekly Friday Matraex lunch to Ha' Penny Irish pub.  Some of us never drink,  and the ones that occasionally drink weren't ordering drinks since we still has a few hours of work left in us,  but the Ha' Penny server was still trying to sell us some drinks.   I asked him a few questions and he became convinced that a "Mexican Coffee"would be a good warm drink for us to have.  He did a real good job on selling it,  talking about how it was a warm drink with coffee,  tequila and kalua with a Bacardi 151 and sugar rimed cup served flaming.   I really wanted one and decided that I would be having one of those soon.