Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Fiesta del Mar is now a limited time engagement

Woe is me, the best Mexican restaurant this side of the Mexican border now has a limited lifetime in Mountain View, its home for the last 16 years. Normally, I would not be so up in arms about a restaurant closing, but this little place has always made us feel at home, has the most polite and friendly servers and clientelle, unlimited home-made salsa & chips, and delicious hearty entrees that cause a Pavlovian reaction just thinking about them - and this restaurant has done nothing wrong!


A friend of mine noted that this is just capitalism at work, and that my objectivist college background should enable me to see past the loss of this fine establishment, and rejoice in the redevelopment of this into office space. While that may be true, I just can't get past how this closure seems inherently unfair. The business itself is thriving! Customers come from as far away as Dublin & San Francisco on a regular basis. Even when visiting on a Tuesday night, an hour long wait is not unusual. The staff will happily make you a pitcher of margaritas to bide your time until a table opens up, where they will promptly serve you - all the while engaging you in conversation or teaching you some Spanish, if you're so inclined.


This would be different if the business was failing and someone was coming into Mountain View to revitalize this space, but that's not the case. As a resident of this fine city, I think it's imperative that we try to keep local flair and flavor, to continue to bring visitors and revenue into the city.


I'm not sure what I can do, but I hope to figure it out soon - any advice?

No comments:

Post a Comment