LA FONDA LA FONDA ON MAIN WHO CARES ABOUT A YUPPIE "MEXICAN CONCEPT" RESTAURANT! I WANT REAL MEXICAN FOOD! SAN ANTONIO, Texas

   I HAVE HAD FAMILY IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS MOST OF MY LIFE.
  
    IT IS THE CAPITAL CITY OF EXCELLENT, AUTHENTIC MEXICAN ( TEX-MEX, AS WELL) FOOD IN TEXAS AND IT SETS THE STANDARDS FOR ELSEWHERE IN THE STATE.

     MY FAMILY USED TO GO TO LA FONDA RESTAURANT IN SAN ANTONIO,TEXAS FOR ALL OF OUR IMPORTANT OCCASIONS AND IT IS ONE OF THE OLDEST IN THE CITY AS WELL AS ONE OF THE MOST PROFITABLE. IT IS HARD WORK AND NOT EVERYONE CAN MAKE A SUCCESS BUT THIS PLACE DID IT AND HAD AFFORDABLE PRICES AND AUTHENTIC FOOD. YOU GOT YOUR MONEY'S WORTH.

      I KNOW THAT THINGS CHANGE OVER TIME.

      THE LAST TIME I WAS THERE WAS 1979 FOR MY GRANDMOTHER'S BIRTHDAY. WE SAT OUTSIDE IN FRONT AND ORDERED OUR FOOD AND ENJOYED THE TIME TOGETHER.

       FASTFORWARD TO 2010. MY SPOUSE AND I HAPPEN TO BE IN SAN ANTONIO AND WE HAVE SOME TIME AND I WANT TO SEE IF LA FONDA IS STILL IN BUSINESS AND IF IT IS STILL THE WONDERFUL PLACE I REMEMBER. YOU WOULD WALK PAST THE OUTDOOR SEATING AND THEN YOU WOULD GO INSIDE AND SEE THE STAND WHERE YOU PAY YOUR BILL AND IT WAS ALL DARK WOOD WHERE THERE WOULD BE MEXICAN CANDIES BEHIND THE DISPLAY GLASS AND AN AMBER LIGHT NEAR THE CASH REGISTER AND THERE WAS TRADITIONAL MEXICAN RUSTIC SEATING AND OLDER BILINGUAL WAITSTAFF WHO HAD BEEN THERE FOR YEARS AS HAD THEIR PARENTS --AND THEY WERE SO GOOD AT WHAT THEY DID, WE WOULD ALL CHIP IN AND LEAVE THEM A 50 PERCENT OF OUR TOTAL BILL FOR A TIP. AND WE WENT OFTEN. YOU ALSO HAD A CHOICE OF SHERBERT OR A HUGE PRALINE FOR DESSERT AFTER THE HUGE, EXCELLENT MEAL.

          THAT IS HOW I REMEMBER LA FONDA AND I WANTED MY SPOUSE TO SEE WHERE MY FAMILY USED TO EAT WHEN WE CELEBRATED.

           I THINK WE MAY HAVE GONE TO THE WRONG LOCATION  OF LA FONDA BECAUSE MY GRANDMOTHER LIVED ON BROADWAY STREET NEAR SAINT MARY'S AND THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF CHANGES IN THAT PART OF TOWN SINCE MY FOLKS LIVED THERE... I DID CALL AHEAD FOR RESERVATIONS BECAUSE I REMEMBER PEOPLE WAITING ALMOST A BLOCK LONG TO GET IN SO YOU ALWAYS HAD TO CALL AHEAD FOR RESERVATIONS SO YOU COULD GET A SEAT.

             WHEN WE GOT THERE, THERE WERE SIGNS WARNING YOU NOT TO LEAVE VALUABLES IN PLAIN SIGHT IN YOUR CAR AND THE RESTAURANT WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY THEFT OR DAMAGES. NICE TOUCH. I HAVE A 20 YEAR OLD CADILLAC NOT EVEN THE CHOLOS WANT TO STEAL.

               OUTDOOR SEATING AREA OUT FRONT IS GONE. GUESS THREY HAD TOO MANY YUPPIES WALK THE TAB OR TOO MANY HOMELESS PEOPLE AND ILLEGAL ALIENS BEGGING FOR FOOD.

                GO UP THE STAIRS WITH ARTHRITIS BECAUSE THE ONLY DISABLED ENTRANCE IS IN THE BACK WHERE THE GARBAGE IS TAKEN OUT. YUPPIES WITH THEIR CULT OF BODY FITNESS AND YOUTH SEEM TO BE THE PREFERRED CUSTOMERS NOW. IT WAS PAINFUL GOING UP THE VERY STEEP FRONT STAIR S I DO NOT REMEMBER AND INTO -- SEMI-DARKNESS.

                 THERE IS NOW A BAR WITH YUPPIE STYLE SEATING THAT RUNS NEARLY THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE FRONT OF THE RESTAURANT THAT SCREAMS FOR YOU TO HAVE A DRINK BEFORE YOU GET ANY FOOD. IT IS VERY ELEGANTLY DONE AND  REMINDS YOU OF A FILM OF THE OLD TROPICANA WORKING BAR IN PRE-CASTROP CUBA OR AN ELEGANT MEXICAN HOTEL ALA 1940S OR SO. IMPRESSIVE AND JUST A FEW ELBOW-PROPPED, WELL-DRESSED BORRACHOS INSIDE.

                  WE SEATED OURSELVES AND I NOTICED HOW DARK THE PLACE WAS AND HOW EUROPEAN AND SUBDUED AND SLIGHTLY DECO.  THE PATRONS WERE OLDER OR LOOKED LIKE COUNTRY CLUB CENTRAL CASTING KIND OF FOLKS AND THERE WERE A LOT OF EMPTY TABLES. INSTEAD OF THE TRIO THAT CAME TO SERENADE AT YOUR TABLE OR THE OCCASIONAL MARIACHIS, THERE WAS CANNED MUSIC --MARIACHIS-- WHICH WAS RATHER LOUD AND SAD BECAUSE THERE WAS ALMOST NO CONVERSATION AND LOTS AND LOTS OF EMPTY TABLES. WHAT I HEARD WAS NOT THE KIND OF MUSIC THAT GOES WELL WITH EMPTY TABLES AND THE LOW LIGHTS TOOK SOME GETTING USED TO.

                     THE LAST TIME I SAW LIGHTS THAT WERE ANYWHERE THAT LOW WAS AT A RESTAURANT IN DALLAS WHERE THEY DID NOT WANT YOU TO SEE THE ROACHES AND THE FACT THAT YOUR SPOUSE MIGHT BE IN A CORNER WITH THEIR LOVER OR MISTRESS OR WHAT.

                 NO MORE LINES THAT ARE A BLOCK LONG EITHER. SUN WAS TOO HOT. FROM THE LOOK O F ONE OF THE WAITSTAFF WHO WAS LEAVING, I ASCERTAINED THAT THERE HAD NOT BEEN ANY LINES THAT DAY AND MAYBE NOT FOR A LONG TIME.
THIS RESTAURANT HAD BEEN A LEGEND!

                   OUR WAITRESS WAS A CHARMING, ULTRA EFFICIENT GERMAN LADY AND WHEN WE WERE PRESENTED WITH THE MENU, I WANTED TO SPRINT FOR MY CAR. THESE ARE THE PRICES THAT COUNTRY CLUB AND MICHELIN TWO STARS RESTAURANTS CHARGE! FOR MEXICAN FOOD!?? IN THE HOME OF MEXICAN FOOD..AT LEAST IN TEXAS...THERE WAS A MEXICAN GUY I THINK HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE HEAD WAITER BUT HE MADE HIMSELF SCARCE. I GUESS THEY HAD TO HAVE AT LEAST ONE MEXICAN.  A WAY I JUDGE AN ETHNIC RESTAURANT BY IS HOW MANY PERSONS OF THAT ETHNIC GROUP ARE EATING IN THERE --FOR INSTANCE, IF I AM IN A CHINESE RESTAURANT AND SEE A LOT OF CHINESE PEOPLE IN THERE, I KNOW I AM TENDING TO GET THE REAL DEAL. SAME WITH MEXICAN FOOD....WAY TOO MUCH SILENCE AND WHEN THERE IS NOT, A LOT OF ENGLISH SPOKEN HERE.

                         A MEXICAN PATIO RESTAURANT AND THE PATIO IS INSIDE SURROUNDED BY WALLS. YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO WALK THAT TAB BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY OUT. NOT THAT IT MATTERS BUT WHAT HAS OUR WORD BECOME?

                           WE DECIDED WE WOULD ORDER SOMETHING BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN A WHILE SINCE I WAS IN SAN ANTONIO AND IT WAS TOO HOT OUTSIDE AND TOO FAR TO GO TO THE WESTSIDE TACO STANDS WHICH IS WHERE I WAS GOING TO GO. OPEN UP THE MENU FOR SOME "MEXICAN CONCEPT" CUISINE. HUH?
                             AS I RECALL, THE CHEAPEST ENTREE ON THE MENU WAS ABOUT $12 OR $13 AND I COULD SEE THAT THEIR LUNCH "SPECIAL " HAD BEEN $15 --SOME KIND OF EXOTIC LATIN AMERICAN FISH, I BELIEVE. THIS IS A MEXICAN RESTAURANT, PEOPLE --NO IT ISN'T, IT IS A MEXICAN CONCEPT CUISINE AND WE AR4E GOING TO GET RIPPED OFF BIG TIME. YOU CAN TELL BY THE WORDS CONCEPT AND CUISINE.

                              I AM APOLOGIZING TO MY SPOUSE AND WORRIED ABOUT MY WALLET NOW.THE ICE TEA IS IN SMALL GLASSES WITH A CITRUS SLICE AND A SPRIG OF MINT IN IT AND I THINK IT IS $5.00. I DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL. I THINK THEY WERE DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE ALCOHOL LESSENS THE WALLET IMPACT AS A RULE AND DRUNK PATRONS DO NOT REALLY TASTE OR SAVOR THE FOOD OR NOTICE ITS QUALITY SO ACUTELY --- OR LACK THEREOF. NEITHER ONE OF US DRINKS ALCOHOL SO WE ARE VERY AWARE OF WHAT WE WILL BE EATING...

                                 THE FOOD WAS MEDIOCRE AND I REALIZED THAT THE ENCHILADA I ATE MUST HAVE COME PRE-COOKED FROM THE SAME PLACE THAT TACO CABANA GETS THEIRS. IN FACT, MY WHOLE DINNER TASTED PRE-FAB AND FOR THAT, I COULD HAVE DONE IT MYSELF.  OR WE COULD HAVE EATEN AT A TACO CABANA WHICH SERVED DRECK AND IN A LOUD PUBLIC PLACE.

                                  THERE WAS AN OVERWHELMING SADNESS ABOUT THE PLACE, THE EXTENSIVE REMODELING, THE YUPPIE PRICES AND EUROPEAN ATMOSPHERE AND NOTHING AT ALL ABOUT THE ORIGINAL LA FONDA THAT I REMEMBERED. THE ONLY TAKE AWAY I GOT FRaOM THIS WAS EXTREMELY HIGH PRICES, I THINK OUR COMBINED TAB WAS $60-$70 for two entrees and two glasses of ice tea with three refills --in very small glasses.

                                    I will NEVER be back.

                                     IN EUROPE AND MANY PLACES IN MEXICO, THEY ALWAYS DISCREETLY DISPLAY THE MENU SO THAT PEOPLE HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW MUCH THE MEAL WILL COST. HERE, WE WENT IN AND WOULD HAVE BEEN HUMILIATED TO HAVE TO GET UP AND LEAVE --ESPECIALLY SINCE WE WERE ALREADY INSIDE AND IT IS HARD FOR ME TO MOVE WITH ARTHRITIS.

                                      IT WAS THE LACK OF QUALITY IN THE FOOD AND THE HIGH PRICES PLUS THE FACT THEY WERE TRYING TOO HARD TO APPEAL TO THE UPSCALE, TRENDY YUPPIE CROWD --- IN A MEXICAN FOOD RESTAURANT???? YUPPIES ARE MORE INTO FRENCH OR NOUVELLE CUISINE OR OTHER CONCEPTS.

                                       NOT THAT THERE AREN'T ELEGANT AND UPSCALE MEXICAN RESTAURANTS AND I DO NOT MIND PAYING THE TAB LIKE FOR BISTE4AK TAMPAQUENA  AND OTHER SPECIALITIES IF THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY ARE THERE.

                                        THIS PLACE IS DEFINITELY A HIGH-END, RENDY, UPSCALE, ALMOST BISTRO, ALMOST EUROPEAN AND ALMOST COUNTRY CLUB TYPE ATMOSPHERE. NOT WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER CASUAL AND DEFINITELY PRICEY, PRICEY, PRICEY. YOU PAY TO BE SEEN HERE AND MAYBE THE BAR IS GREAT BUT THIS IS NOT A FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANT ANYMORE.
                                        
                                           SOMETIMES CHANGE CAN BE A BAD THING.