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It happens to everyone at least once in a lifetime. That favorite restaurant, that family staple, that proverbial place where everyone knows your name suddenly evolves away from you. Maybe there is a death; a change of ownership, possibly that cock fight that was going on in the basement came to the attention of the health inspector with unanticipated outcomes; but changes are made without consulting you first. One day you go into WALT'S GRILL(1), a favorite of yours, to get that wonderful grilled ham and cheese on rye with a side of potato salad and a pickle spear and you are brought to an uncomfortable suspicion that you have walked into the wrong building. Where there once was a thick wood table with that super thick varnish that lets you look down into the table, now you are shown to a small square table with a black tablecloth and a bright white piece of paper placed diagonally on the black, black tablecloth. There is a floral centerpiece on the table with Freesia, baby's breath and a piece of fern right where the condiment tray with two kinds of hot sauce, salt, pepper sweet and low and that shaker of red pepper flakes should be. Where is the dartboard, where is the wall with pictures of the family? Where is the giant picture of a bullfighter with the predominant color being orange? Looking down I see that the linoleum tiles have been covered with a light airy carpet with a multi-colored abstract design. In a bit of a fog I sit. Confused, I look around and see almost nothing that confirms that I am in Walt's Grill. Oh sure, the room is the same size and yes the kitchen was right there. But where is the 1970's sheet paneling, where are the round pedestal tables with different color tops? A male waiter comes over and I notice that all the waiters are wearing the same thing. They have black pants a white shirt and a thin black tie. Even the women are dressed the same way. Uniforms in Walt's? I am more used to skinny high school girls wearing whatever is "Hot" on that particular week with garish makeup and raccoon eyes. He handed me a huge menu with long yellow paper inserts with all the offerings. I didn't see any of the omelets; the Friday Fish Fry Festival is gone. The pork chop sandwich is gone. I look at the menu and see that I am sitting in "THE WALT": a Gasto-Fusion Bistro. I look up at my waiter and ask, "Do you still have the grilled ham and cheese"? He says, "We have something that I am sure will satisfy your ham craving." It is the Croque Monsieur with a thinly shaved wild boar ham, smoked in the Ozarks by Ezek "Smokey" Dewlap stacked on an artisanal dark caraway rye bread with a savory Swiss Gruyere. I say, "A what kind of bread"? He looks haughty and says, "Dark Caraway Rye: earthy and aromatic, this traditional German Dark Caraway rye is perfect for sandwiches or breakfast toast. Flavored with both whole toasted caraway seeds and ground caraway, this dense and hearty favorite will satisfy even the most discriminate connoisseurs. The Croque Monsieur comes with Haricot vert in lime butter. To give a bit of sweet balance we serve a sliced pear, toasted pecans from Groves, Texas and feta tossed with reduced fat raspberry vinaigrette and dusted with Banda Island Nutmeg. I dully nodded my head and my waiter whirled and was gone. I just kept thinking, "He didn't have an order pad...or a pen." My order came and everything was good. In a sense maybe better than that grilled ham and cheese I came in for. I didn't get "Verts", whatever they are. I did get some nicely steamed green beans with butter and a wedge of lime. I kept looking for the "Verts". Maybe they forgot to bring it out; maybe it was some exotic spice on my sandwich. If those verts were haricotted then I don't know how to haricot. We are slowly loosing touch with the Mexican restaurant we have been going to for 20 years. They are evolving to be more mainstream. We are not. We have been trying different places. There are a few promising places and a half dozen won’t ever make anyone’s list. We found Casa Patron by accident looking for another place. What the heck, we gave it a try. The nachos were good and the salsa was well within the acceptable range. I like my salsa a bit chunkier than they offer but the taste is piquant and spicy without being overwhelming. Everything we have tried has been good and the things I sampled from my dining partners were also good. The first time I went to the restaurant I ordered the “Brochetas de Camarones ($14.99). Essentially, the dish is skewers with grilled shrimp, tomato, onion and peppers and served on white rice with a side of grilled asparagus. I have mentioned before that ordering asparagus can be a risk. I had nothing to fear as they were fresh and tender. The second time I had the Chile Relleno with two cheese My wife had the vegetable Fajitas, ($11.29) both times and they smelled and tasted great. My Grandson had the Taco plate, ($10.99). Again, he liked it and he reported that it holds up to any of the other taco salads he has had. He has been raised in a Hispanic household and he is a creditable judge of Mexican dishes and quality. I trust his judgment.
I went back a third time specifically for a menu item named "Hawaiana". On the menu it looked interesting, but not something I would usually try. Then on the second visit a table next to us ordered it. When it was served it looked great. Then the rich smell of grilled pineapple, shrimp, scallops, onion and pepper wafted over to us. It is described as: It was outstanding. If you order this item you are going to have enough left for a robust lunch the nest day. Our quest is not over. We continue to seek a Mexican Restaurant that fits our family sensibilities and honors the core attributes possessed by a common man’s cuisine and made with local ingredients by local people. It should have the tradition of the ingredients but we are not averse to some flair and originality. The crepe wrapped Chile Rellenos would be a good example of flair. ____________________________________________________________ (1) Walt's Grill is completely fictitious. It is not based on any real place, person, event or historical artifact. It is not about any person living or dead. For recreational use only. The author is not responsible for any damages compensatory, direct, incidental, consequential or otherwise resulting from any defect, error or failure to operate a musical instrument in a generally accepted safe manner. So play safe. The same holds for THE WALT: A Gasto-Fusion Bistro.
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