I shall begin with optimism. The TV show “Happy Days”, which directly inspired the term “Jump The Shark”, stayed on the air SEVEN YEARS AFTER the infamous Shark Jumping scene. So I am saying, there is still hope in my heart.
George and I used to eat at what was then called Lopez y Gonzalez quite often while I was at John Carroll in the mid to late 90’s. Probably too much for our income at the time, but that’s a different story. It was great for birthdays, anniversaries, or just when we had a craving for REALLY great, up-scale-ish Tex Mex cuisine. We went there on my 21st birthday, ordering a lovely bottle of white that launched my love affair with wine. Once we realized how much we were eating out, and once we acquired our own kitchen, we cut back our visits to birthdays, anniversaries, and half-price tequila Thursdays ;-D
Over the years the menu has changed. That’s normal. But it has always changed for the better, in our humble opinion. Those of you who live in the area, you may recall that it closed for a bit, much to the lament of the regulars. When they re-opened as Lopez Bar & Grill just a block away, they crowds descended! It was smaller, but still had a really fun atmosphere. And if you can get a table, what a terrific little patio! Sure you were in a parking lot right up against busy Lee Road, but when you sat out there you would have never known. Good screening, great lighting…I felt like I was on vacation.
When it came time this Sunday night for us to decide on where to go for our 12th Anniversary dinner, we realized we had not been to Lopez since summer of 2010. We must go!!! Now it is Lopez Southwest Kitchen. OK!
First off, where is the hostess? Hmmm….
waiting…
waiting…
waiting…
OK seated! Waitress?
waiting…
waiting…
waiting…
Waiting really became the theme of the night. Even to the point where we gave up trying to pay the waitress, and paid at the bar. Important to note, the place was only half occupied at best.
So the menu! Ah…the menu…completely overcome with dishes that seemed to be DYING to impress me…lobster everything, needless name dropping (Food Network Michael Symon Favorite!), and the table next to us ordered duck confit (must have been a special b/c I didn’t see it on the menu, but duck confit??). Lopez has never boasted pure, authentic Mexican. I think I said Tex Mex Cuisine…on the higher-end scale of things. Which is great! So I expect there to be fancy plating, experimental ingredients, cultural fusion…absolutely. But this just felt, well, amateur and snobby.
And a big contrast to our last visit, which yes had fusion and experimental bits. But they sounded exciting, and were daring us to try them. They were pretty and fancy, but NOT pretentious. Most importantly, they were delicious.
Since we were mostly turned off by the newer menu items, we went ahead and ordered some old favorites.
- Queso Fundido
- Northern Style Quesadilla
- Fajitas with Chicken and Southwest Spice Rub
- My plate was missing their delicious Mexican Style rice. That’s OK. Just filler.
- The black beans have come in several tasty formats before, but never overcooked, sticky-dry and bland like this.
- The tomatillo sauce used to be complex and rather spicy. The new tomatillo sauce was something I can make better at home.
- The small bowl of fresh pico de gallo relish was replaced by a small bowl of the salsa that came with the chips. Tasty, but disappointing to have a repeat.
- The spice rub was spot on, but the chicken was overcooked.
- The tortillas I swear used to be hand-made. These tasted like Olde El Paso.
- I think I had three strips of onion, and maybe a slice or two of grilled pepper…more please!
en