Abe G.
Yelp
Is this joint Mexican or American? With University of Texas memorabilia hanging alongside pictures of Pancho Villa, it's kind of hard to tell which cuisine I will be eating this indistinct morning. Only by recollecting childhood memories travelling the Southwestern United States, was I able to grasp the restaurants food offerings.
When travelling to Albuquerque, Amarillo, or Denver restaurants serving Mexican & American foods to road-weary travellers are quite common. These restaurants tend to be diners, located at gas stations, fusing classic American dishes with local Mexican cooking. Green-Chile burritos, nachos, and omelets are staples.
In Spring Branch, Texas La Plaza is a common Mexican-American restaurant.
With my mind now at peace, I order the Omelet Plate - Omelet, side of potatoes, and 2 slices of toast ($5.99) with a Coffee ($1.89) from an older petite waitress.
After a few minutes, a rude heavyset waitress brings me the coffee, complimentary chips, and salsa then proceeds to chat with other patrons about her hair. The watery salsa does not save the stale chips.
Looking around this place requires significant renovation, possibly demolition. According to sign on the wall the restaurant has been open since the mid-sixties; it looks every day its age. The walls are dingy, the ceiling tiles are yellow and the tables are a mix-n-match set. Not one to shy away from a "greasy spoon" my only complaint is the ceiling fan. For the life of me, I could not understand why the blades are missing.
Fifteen minutes later, the older waitress serves a oil-soaked pancake-style omelet. No problem figuring the potatoes would soak up the grease. Big problem, the potatoes are diced so small each scoop with the fork feels like eating chick-peas. Keeping true to its American roots, no tortillas, instead the plate comes with toast. Guess what? The packaged jelly does not save the stale toast.
I don't even bother finishing, getting up to pay. With all the employees in the back out of sight, there is nobody to charge for the meal as I stand at the register. The urge to walk-out without paying did come to mind but I patiently wait until the rude heavyset waitress who is not at all happy comes out of her cave to collect the money. I pay promising never to return.
I truly wanted to like this place because it fit the bill for everything I look at for eating breakfast. The neighborhood, the street, the location were all on target. Yet it failed on so many basic levels, I felt dismayed driving away. La Plaza Mexican Restaurant needs an identity, a theme, something that ties the place together where new visitors might better understand it. At a bare minimum please do not serve stale chips and toast. If nothing else, provide friendlier service, sometimes this is all it takes.
