It's a Mexican/Southwestern eatery so we started things off with the house chips and salsa, natch, but at Lopez these standard starters are better than most. The salsa is thick and sweet, with a generous portion of cilantro and just enough garlic to let you know it's there, but not over power your taste buds for the rest of the evening. And to wash it all down? Margaritas, of course! If you come to Lopez looking for that green slush they sling at most Mexican joints you've come to the wrong place. Lopez makes their Margaritas themselves the proper way, no overly acidic or too tart mixes here, and serves them on the rocks with a salted rim.
After a drink and some chips and some time to talk to the friends we'd invited it was business time. Like the chips and salsa and the Margaritas the menu at Lopez is a cut above your everyday Mexican fare, exploring the usual south-of-the-border items and expanding upon or deconstructing them. For example, taking off on the enchilada my mom's friend ordered the Mexican lasagna, filled with pulled chicken, chorizo, and spinach this lasagna subs in tortillas for the traditional noodles and oaxaca for the usual Italian blend. All this is held together by an amazing charred tomato sauce that would put your Italian grandma's to shame.
As for me, I opted for the Grilled Duck Burrito. I received a generously sized burrito filled pulled duck, sauteed mushrooms and spinach, and oazaca cheese. This was topped with a handful of colorful field greens and came sitting atop what Lopez calls "pineapple mojo," a salsa verde sweetened with pineapple. As delicious as it was filling, I happily polished off the other half for lunch this afternoon. The gaminess of the duck mixed with the richness of the mushrooms and cheese nicely, and all was complimented by the sweetness of the pineapple in the salsa and the bitterness of the spinach, the only thing this dish really needed was a boost on the Scoville scale. I know, I know, not all Mexican food is spicy, but damnit the stuff I like usually is.
While Lopez is easily in the top three Mexican restaurants I've ever been to, it's not an every-day-eatery--that means it's pricey--but a great celebration destination. Plus it's in a great neighborhood, just a block away from the Cedar-Lee Theater and all the great bars in that area, but, hey, you got good Margaritas you don't need to drink anywhere else.
My only complaint: no caipirinhas http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink2632.html
Next: The Thurman!
My first stop was a Cleveland Heights staple: Tommy’s. Easily one of the best restaurants in the Cleveland area, if not Ohio, Tommy’s does it so simply it’s almost elegant. At its heart Tommy’s is a diner with a hippy twist. While they happily offer a delicious burger, fries, and milkshake the real magic at Tommy’s is in the veggie dishes that dominate the menu. Page one of the menu is a laundry list of salads topped and concocted in almost every conceivable way, this is followed by numerous, delicious falafel sandwiches, spinach pies, grilled cheeses, and one of the best vegetarian chili’s I’ve ever had.
Hunger satiated I left for the Cedar Lee and the 7:15 showing of Away We Go starring John Krasinksi (Burt) and Maya Rudolph (Verona) as a young couple expecting their first child and trying to find their place and path in life. Brilliantly written by memoirist and editor Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, Away is a beautiful balance between subtly hilarious and beautifully touching. Burt and Verona’s report is quick witted and funny without seeming gimmicky or overwrought, it is movie dialogue but it’s not ham-fisted or absurd, recalling some of the best moments of Seinfeld in its ability to capture realistic conversation on film. And the humor is real, too, the film is devoid of over the top jokes and slapstick in favor of silly inside jokes the audience has been cued into and the daily absurdities at which we all must laugh.
