Comments on: Lupe Taqueria Restaurant Review – Midtown, Atlanta, GA [First Impressions]

By: Foodknowhow

Foodknowhow — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:20:35 +0000

Not a great idea to review a restaurant in its’ first month, let alone the first week. Like it or not, restaurants are manufacturing facilities/assembly lines, and as with most manufacturing facilities, efficiencies are gained over time.

That said, there seemed to be a lapse in management during foodiebuddha’s experience. Proactive management/service should have caught the less than stellar food experience, especially in a new restaurant trying to establish a reputation, and take actions to make the experience whole.

As foodiebuddha pointed out, he still had to pay full price for an experience/product that was sub-par.

I look forward to trying Lupe shortly. Hopefully, we will finally get the much vaunted Mexican experience in Midtown.

By: Pdiddy

Pdiddy — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:43:41 +0000

I went last Friday and it was pretty good. Nothing spectacular, but not bad at all. Maybe a 7.5 out of 10. I really enjoyed their salsa, and the cocktail I had was very well made. Prices were not bad at all – we took advantage of a $25 special that was an appetizer, two taco plates and a desert. Cocktails were a tad expensive even for midtown, at $8 – $10 each. We had excellent service.

By: foodiebuddha

foodiebuddha — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:20:00 +0000

Hi Jane,
There’s no stick up my ass – the restaurant opened … took people’s money – and put out a very bad meal … and that’s what i said in my review. I also pointed out that it was a first impression of a restaurant that just opened. They certainly will get a return visit … but i’m not going to compromise the integrity of my posts (or my opinions) for anything or anyone.

We had a bad meal there … and it was an expensive one at that … step up to the plate or get out out of the stadium. There’s no axe to grind or anything of the sort. Meanwhile, glad you enjoyed it … and that’s why I approved this comment (as I do with all comments that I can vet). People will see your words up against mine and will have an opportunity to see what’s what.

By: Jane

Jane — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:00:49 +0000

****** READ ME FIRST******

Wow… I have had dinner at this restaurant twice, once during the friends and family week and as a regular patron tonight. Your review was like the mumblings of an imbicle with nothing to do. The food was fresh.. and exactly what was described on the menu. My first experience was day 3 of their opening and I did not expect a perfect presentation but I was surprised by how great the quality of the food was and quite happy with my overall experience that night. So, I gave the restaurant a month to do what restaurants do…. tweak the menu.. fire bad staff.. you know…. what they do. I have to say, tonight I was greeted warmly, seated, made the most fabulous martini.. served what I ordered in just the right amount of time.

Tonight I tried something new. I ordered the mixed plate of tacos which is 3 tacos and 2 side dishes of your choice. I had 2 ribeye tacos and one shrimp taco with sides of refried beans and poblano coleslaw. I can’t express how pleasantly surprised I was with the taste of grilled ribeye in my tacos. The shrimp taco, although delicious, was a little too spicy for my taste. My Latino friend, however, ate it up and ordered another one because he loved it so much.

Riccardo, the owner, came to our table to ask what we thought of the meal. We told him very sincerely that we enjoyed the food immensely and would bring friends in very soon.

So, foodiebuddha, I’m so glad you’re not reviewing my hair, my shirt, my life…as I would be a complete failure. But in the real world, I have awesome hair, a lovely shirt, and my life rocks. Because it does not depend on destroying hardworking legitimate business owners who truly are doing everything in their power to make me happy. I say this because I was given a survey tonight to judge everything from service to food quality to value. I have to say that I gave them solid 5 stars down the line.

In my opinion, I think you should give Lupe another try but maybe you should take the stick out of your ass first. This restaurant is not advertising that they are the best Mexican restaurant in America but merely an excellent choice in Atlanta. And I agree.

By: stranger

stranger — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:10:42 +0000

your restaurant has not officially arrived until it has been reviewed by foodiebuddha.

keep up the bashing, i love it

By: foodiebuddha

foodiebuddha — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:03:16 +0000

Good to know. I think part of my problem with the dish is that I was expecting sweet … similar to when you pick up a glass of vodka thinking its water. I made a notation already about the error. Best of luck and I will give you guys another visit in a bit.

By: Riccardo Ullio

Riccardo Ullio — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:49:21 +0000

The poblano you had was made with cincho cheese, it was misspelled on the menu. The cheese is very gamey, and the response has been hot or cold: some people love it, some are disgusted by it, probably because they do not expect it. In any case the point is mute because we ran out of it, and cannot source any more of it. The piece we were using was given to our chef by a mexican woman that brought it from Mexico herself.

We are now making the relleno with queso fresco, a fresh cheese that has a consistency between tofu and mozzarella. I like the spongy texture and the fact that it does not melt into goo when the poblano is braised. However, it is also different from people’s expectations, so we will see what our customers tell us. When executing a well known dish in a novel way, expectations and innovation create an interesting mix.

By: foodiebuddha

foodiebuddha — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:40:37 +0000

Hi Riccardo,
Thanks for chiming in. While I’m not here to argue or discuss the survey, I will tell you that a number of people have told me in person and via this blog that they have had mediocre to very bad experiences. I have also heard positive things, but the disappointments to date have far outweighted the positives. Whatever the case, I have always found you to be a gracious host and hope for the best. Regardless of whatever one disappointed blogger thinks (that being me), the turnstiles will be the ultimate tale of the tape.

I would love some clarification on the execution of the poblano if you have the time. I will agree that the atmosphere is great and that there is a lot of potential in the service.

Keep on trucking, I’ll be back at some point and will gladly report the experience to others. Hope it goes better than this one!

Cheers,
FB

By: Riccardo Ullio

Riccardo Ullio — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:11:20 +0000

I want to thank you for your feedback.

So far the responses from our guests has been very positive. We are asking them to rate the food, value, service and atmosphere as poor/average/good/excellent, and quantify them with a score of 1 being poor, 4 excellent.

In the first week, 187 people responded to the anonymous survey. Here are the average ratings:

FOOD : 3.34/4

VALUE : 3.43/4

SERVICE : 3.70/4

ATMOSPHERE : 3.49/4

The most common suggestion was to be able to mix and match tacos and to have more choices of sides. We are implementing these changes this week.

By: Paulguy

Paulguy — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:17:37 +0000

Please point out who lauded it and proclaimed it the best there ever was? I don’t think the real food CRITICS have posted their reviews.

It’s a real shame that blogging has caught on. The reality TV trend knows no bounds. Eventually nothing will be credible.

But seriously, what is your exact history in the business? I didn’t see the specifics listed in your “about me” section, perhaps I missed it. If you detailed that history, perhaps it would lend more credibility to your opinion.