Good-bye Matt's :(

I live in an area of Dallas called Lakewood. I immediately liked it when Robert and I found a place there about a year and a half ago. The historic Swiss avenue, the great bar scene, the fantastic restaurants and the near-by Whole Foods...something about it has a laid-back, authentic Austiny-type vibe that is lacking in the Uptown area where I spent my early years in Dallas. Please understand, I'm not bashing Uptown, I enjoyed Uptown to it's fullest while living there (unless I was clinically depressed) and still work over here and like it. Lakewood just fits me more now, especially since me is now an us. Lakewood fits us, Robert and I, we like it there.

A rumor was confirmed today about an iconic Lakewood Mexican restaurant, Matt's El Rancho. Matt's El Rancho will be turned into a Mi Cocina by mid-2012. Read about it here.

I've lived across the street from Mi Co while in Uptown and duh, I love it. It's a Dallas institution. I was taken there by one of my besties, Ashley, while still in college and determined that Mi Cocina=awesome. When I first moved to Dallas, Jenny, another bff, took me there on the Thursday of the first week of my "real" job and that's when I knew I'd survive in Dallas. (Even though, I was still drunk at work the next day.) Mambos, the Rico Salad, the tortilla soup...I could go on. Mi Co is great and filled with many great memories. 

BUT, saying that, I do have mixed feelings about it coming to Lakewood. It's almost like a McDonalds descending upon the the mom and pop restaurants. Though not quite, since Starbucks and Jack in the Box are awfully close in vicinity where the new Mi Co will go. The thing that is sad about having Mi Co instead of Matt's in Lakewood is that Matt's was different and it made Lakewood special. Every area in Dallas has a Mi Co and now Lakewood will be part of that list. Sigh. Change. Inevitable, but never easy.  Good thing the original Matt's El Rancho is a short drive away in Austin :)

I also have some fantastic memories at Matt's...

Hello, my New Mexican themed birthday dinner last year. I love my friends :)

(i was actually 27)

Thank you Matt's for being a venue for that wonderful celebratory dinner. And thank you to Sarah who planned that dinner that was supposed to be a surprise, but she told me about it. 

Another memory about Matt's will be that I fell really hard walking into Matt's 2 Friday's ago when Robert and I went on a date there. It hurt and I will remember that. I'm sure Robert will do because he saw it and had to help me get up. Not embarrassing at all. Then at dinner that night, I got salsa on my white pants and it stained them, causing me to buy new white pants. I will remember those pants and how I've managed to get every red wine stain off of them, but couldn't get the salsa out. Oh memories....

I definitely will make some more Lakewood Matt's memories before next year that will hopefully involve queso, ritas and friends. Ole!