Restaurant Fri Jul 27 2007

Uptown on the Up and Up

It's always a bummer when you plan a trip to a new "hot spot," only to walk up to the door and find a sign in the window telling you there's a private party going on inside and the general public won't be allowed in for another 3 hours. No matter, though, since this particular stretch of Broadway just north of Lawrence has become "quite the destination" all of a sudden, and several other dining (and drinking) options quickly presented themselves. The one we chose was Fiesta Mexicana, with it's tidy fenced-in patch of sidewalk and bizarrely tall set of tables and chairs. We weren't expecting a whole lot from the place, so we were delightfully surprised by the pitcher of margaritas, which wasn't a bad deal for $23. We got almost 2 full rounds (8 drinks) out of the fat-bellied clay pitcher and decided we'd have to come back on Tuesday, when the same pitcher purportedly goes on special for only $15.

The taco salad I ordered was uninspiring, save for the tender shredded chicken that filled the tortilla bowl the salad came in. The chicken was so good, in fact, that I didn't have time to wonder what exactly made this dish a salad, since there were no actual vegetables to be found.

Though Uptown is currently suffering from a sort of an identity crisis, I'm happy to revel in the strange mix of people, places, and attitudes that are drawn to the area. It's different, (mostly) uncrowded, with a loyal fan base. Now if only these hot new Uptown up-starts would stop holding private parties...

- Dana