Durango's : A Restaurant's Requiem

A friend, my wife, and I attempted to go out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant on Saturday night.  We drove into the strip center and there was no sign of life.  I got out of the car, peered in the window and saw that all of the furnishings had been removed.  Durango's was dead. 

We've been going to eat there for about 20 years.

It was run by one set of folks for the first few years.  The owner then got out of the business and sold to the least friendly waiter on staff.  He wasn't unfriendly, just the least friendly.  The food continued to be good and the prices were good. 

I'm amazed that they stayed in business as long as they did, as it was very rarely crowded.  The busies they ever were was the weekend the Houston Chronicle featured them in their dining guide.  They had a line out the door.  We chose to skip eating there that night .

House margaritas ranged from $0.99 to $2.99 over the years (and always had a nice amount of tequila in them), and my favorite dish (Combination #1) was $9.95 (cheese enchilada, tamale, rice, beans, beef taco, chalupa, guacamole and a tostada)

The chips and salsa were highlights.  The chips were thin and light and the salsa was freshly made and not cooked.  You never knew how spicy the salsa was going to be because they might throw in a little extra heat on any given day.

Our favorite waiter quit about a year ago when he had a disagreement with the daytime manager.  He was able to find another job even though he has a questionable immigration status.

So long, Durango's, I miss you already.

Now we have to find a replacement.......................