LUPE TAQUERIA

He says:
It was a sad day in Atlanta when the U Restaurants Group closed Cuerno earlier this year. It was a vibrant Spanish restaurant with delicious tapas and a warm, handsome interior. In fact, it might have been the best eatery in Midtown. Unfortunately it didn’t survive the economic downturn. U Restaurants recently opened Lupe in its place, and while it’s not as good as Cuerno, I can see it being more successful. Why? It’s pretty simple, really. Lupe is much cheaper. And it serves tacos. In times like these, that’s as sure a bet as you can ask for.

She says:
One thing that hasn’t changed is that it’s still a gorgeous restaurant. Sadly, Cuerno’s remarkable life-size bull sculpture, which was pieced together from colorful scraps of metal, has been removed. But otherwise, the small interior is the same: dimly lit, with smooth lines and rich dark colors. A surfeit of candles gives the place a romantic feel. Aside from the considerable noise level, Lupe is a great date spot.

A testament to this is their menu for two. For $25, you get an order of queso dip, 6 tacos (3 per person), and dessert. You might be able to find cheaper tacos at Tacqueria del Sol, but you’re not going to get this kind of ambiance or quality of food. Poblano peppers give the queso a bit of a kick, and the dip comes with freshly made (and still warm!) tortilla chips. The tacos also come wrapped in homemade corn tortillas. Of the three I tried – chicken, portabella mushroom, and shrimp – my favorite was the mushroom, which also included corn, poblano peppers, and cotija cheese. The flavors of all three tacos were far more complex than what you usually find at a taqueria, and the ingredients were noticeably fresh.

He says:
Uptown Girl had better luck with her choices. Of my three tacos, the lengua was the most disappointing; a well-prepared beef tongue should have a soft, silky texture, and Lupe’s definitely did not. The barbacoa de chivo taco was only slightly better. I expected the slow-braised goat meat to fall in the tender, slide-off-the-bone category, and once again it was tougher than it should have been. It also tasted more like bland beef than goat. The slow-cooked pork of the cochinita pivil was the best by default. Sadly the tomatillo salsa and jalapenos on all three of these tacos masked the meats’ flavors instead of heightening them. In the future I need to pay more attention to the sauces since they tend to dominate the platters.

She says:
The only disappointing thing for me was the dessert, an orange soda float, which I felt was a total throwaway. But for just $25 for a filling dinner for two, I wasn’t complaining.

We say:
Judging from the lively crowds since its opening, Lupe has a better chance at survival than Cuerno ever did. Considering that it’s cheap, close to our house, and serves above average tacos, we’ll be back.




Lupe Taqueria
905 Juniper, Atlanta, GA 30309
http://www.sottosottorestaurant.com/

DYNAMIC DISH

He says:
Oh, Dynamic Dish, I’d like to love you. I really would. You’ve gotten so much great press in the local papers and magazines. Everyone says you’re the best vegetarian restaurant in town. Your menu changes daily based on what’s in season. You use fresh, local, organic ingredients. Your décor is bright and airy, like a farmhouse in the Midwest. You have a charming, no-frills website. We should be completely in love right now.

But, you know, it’s just not working out.

Maybe it’s your wacky schedule. We tried to visit you multiple times in the past but have been cruelly turned away. After all, you’re only open for dinner three nights a week. And you know I don’t work close enough to Edgewood Avenue to see you for lunch. The long distance thing is difficult.

Maybe it’s your service. When we last visited you, there were only eight other people in the restaurant. But it took forever to get our water glasses filled. Questions about the tea list went unanswered. Check-ins were infrequent. I really wish you would pay more attention to me.

Maybe it’s the menu. Everything looks delicious. It really does. We were excited for tasty vegetarian dishes. It’s so hard to find the good ones in Atlanta. Alas, it was not meant to be…

She says:
Things started out pretty well... When that bowl of ginger pumpkin soup (which the server happily split for us) came out, I felt that fluttering in my stomach that only comes with a new crush. What a splendid, creamy soup! The zing of the ginger and the crunch of the toasted pepita garnish had me grinning like a fool! I admit, my interest was piqued.

Then I tried the Flammkuchen. It sounded rustic and hardy, but what came out was a delicate flat bread pizza covered with carmelized onions, fennel, and a smattering of cheddar. It was a nice dish, but I have to admit I was a little bored.

Which is nothing compared to the way our vegan friend was feeling, being forced to order salad. Salad!! That’s the ultimate insult, the fallback dish when no other options are available. The tempeh burger with vegan eggplant remoulade seemed like a possibility, but the burger was made with egg. Why? Why even bother offering a vegan remoulade when a vegan can’t eat the burger? It’s like false advertising. And then, like a slap in the face, the only vegan dessert – a sweet little chocolate cupcake just begging to make our friend a happy man – disappeared before we finished our dinner.

He says:
For better or worse, I kept hanging around. My trout was wonderful – fresh and flaky with a clear, smoky flavor. It paired wondrously with the horseradish cream and Georgia watercress. The earthiness of the potato salad gave the dish some needed heft. Its dishes like this that made me think we had a future.

But then our other, non-vegan friend had the tempeh burger. It was fine, but unfortunately it sat on a desiccated bun.

Oh, dear. You do so much so well and yet get the little things wrong. Maybe we can try this again in a few years, when you’ve had some time mature. I hope we can still be friends.

We say:
It’s not you, it’s us. Well, maybe it’s a little bit you.




Dynamic Dish
427 Edgewood Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30312
http://www.dynamicdish.net/