I was driving down Northwest Expressway this morning and I noticed that Taco Cabana has closed for good. There where workers taking the signs down, has anyone else noticed if the other locations in OKC had closed.

I only know of a few left in OKC, 122nd and May, Reno and Macarthur, Norman and I thought there was one in MWC. I could be wrong.

I was driving down Northwest Expressway this morning and I noticed that Taco Cabana has closed for good. There where workers taking the signs down, has anyone else noticed if the other locations in OKC had closed.

I only know of a few left in OKC, 122nd and May, Reno and Macarthur, Norman and I thought there was one in MWC. I could be wrong.

Good food, but lousy service. We never could get an order right there. They would mess something up every time we went there. I wonder if North May is still open? I guess someone could call. Hint?

EDIT: I just called and North May said only NW Expressway was closing.

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Good riddance, the menu not bad, and I liked the setup... but every single time I went the service was horrible and the cleanliness (read 'lack of it') was downright filthy where they assembled the plates. A lot of milling around by employees during slow times and no cleaning going on. I got to where I couldn't stand to go in there and I suspect I'm not the only one. Dang shame too, it was fun (for awhile) to get the margaritas w/ the fast food.

Personally I'm sad to see them go. I love Taco Cabana and wish there were more around the metro. Sadly, they've slowly been closing them down over the last few years. They haven't even been in this market 10 years. Hopefully we'll keep a few for the long haul or it may look bad for other new chains wanting to enter the market. I sure wish they had the breakfast menu here in Oklahoma, it was great. They scrapped it years ago here in OKC though.

We go fairly often to the N. May location and have never had any problems. Doesn't ever seem too busy though. The one in Edmond closed 3 or 4 years ago.

They seem to do fine in other markets. I don't know what's hurting them here. Perhaps the additional competition from Taco Mayo and Taco Bueno, which are both regional.

I think that with all of the recent popularity of the Moe's and Qdoba's, etc., that they need to adapt and make a few changes. I am not much on the fast food, but my experience with the Cabana was good, although limited. I do like the fact that the serve beer and margaritas.

I doubt that Moe's and Qdoba had much to do with it. I was in Dallas last week and noticed that there were several places where Taco Cabana was across the street or in the same strip mall as a Chipotle or some other burrito chain that we don't have here (Burrito something... not sure what it is called).

Where would you rank Oklahoma City in the mexican restaurant scale?

For me I think that Okc is at the top. I travel regularly to Dallas and San Antonio, and I have not been impressed with the mexican food south of our border.

I hate the Mexican food here! It is the #1 thing I miss about Austin. The best mexican food and margaritas I've ever had! Has anyone ever had the infamous Purple Margarita at Baby A's in Austin???? Delicious.

I think the Mexican food here is pretty good. It isn't southern California, but pretty good.

I when to San Antonio with my wife back in May on our honeymoon. Her and I are both big fans of good mexican food and where looking forward to finding some good stuff close to the source. I did a little research before we went and located one the ones that the locals recommend. I was not impressed. Not to mention, I spend the entire night in bed with food poisoning afterwards (never a good thing on a honeymoon). Sometime after we returned we went to Ted's for dinner. Still the best I've ever had.

I always liked Taco Cabana...usually ate at the one on N. May and never had a problem. I can't figure out what happen to the rest.

Which San Antonio restaurant might that be?

Mi Tierra? Casa Rio?

My wife is not from Okc originally and she has family spread throughout the U.S. (dallas, san antonio, new york, minneapolis, denver, and kansas city). Whenever they come to visit okc, the first request is that we go out to dinner for mexican food.

The only better mexican food I have found is in New Mexico, and technically that's NEW Mexican food.

Which San Antonio restaurant might that be?

Mi Tierra? Casa Rio?

Those are what I was told were tourist restaurants. Supposedly everything at those places "comes from cans".

The places I was told to eat at were El Mirador and Rosarita's (off the paseo) of which we ate at the former. Case Rio's salsa looked kinda crappy when I walked by and I usually eat at La Margarita in El Mercado, althought I have heard Mi Tierra is better.

I remember when drive thru was open 24 hours a day. Man, I used to love stopping by for a Cabana Bowl while staying out late on a weekend. After coming back to OKC, I first noticed something was wrong when another restaurant (can't remember which one) was occupying the old Taco Cabana building on I-240; then I noticed they stopped staying open 24/7.

As for the Cabana on NW Expressway, it seems too far away from anything to really stay in business. I usually munch at the Cabana on N. May, and while it is dirty and severely lacking in customer service, I can't resist a Chicken Cabana Bowl for a lunch time meal. I also enjoy eating on the patio when the wind isn't gusting at 30+ MPH. Taco Cabana was one fast food chain I didn't mind seeing in OKC.

I noticed Don Pablo's on 240 has also closed. I guess the mexican food market is somewhat oversatuarated in OKC.

I cannot belive that Pancho's Buffet is still in business. The last time I ate their the food was lousy and the place was just flat out nasty inside.

Uh, oh. My dad will be saddened to hear the last Don Pablo's in the market has closed. It was one of his favorites.

That has to be a corporate issue. We can't lose every Don Pablo's location just because of oversaturation.

Those are what I was told were tourist restaurants. Supposedly everything at those places "comes from cans".

The places I was told to eat at were El Mirador and Rosarita's (off the paseo) of which we ate at the former. Case Rio's salsa looked kinda crappy when I walked by and I usually eat at La Margarita in El Mercado, althought I have heard Mi Tierra is better.
I have to defend Mi Tierra! My wife and I eat there every time we're in San Antonio and it is always fantastic!

We ate at Casa Rio a couple weeks ago and it was pretty good. Not my favorite but better that Poblano or Ricky's.

Has anyone else noticed that just about every local Mexican restaurant tastes nearly the same? Ted's is great, but it seems like Chelino's and all the other local Mexican restaurants are cheap knock-offs of Ted's. The salsa is just about identical. It's also great that the OKC Mexican restaurants give out free queso, but it is always watered-down and tasteless.

It would be great to get some Fresh Mex (SoCal) and NEW Mexican restaurants in OKC. I know everyone says "Oh great, just what we need... another Mexican restaurant." The fact is that we basically have a thousand of the same Mexican restaurant.

Taco San Pedro and Cantina Laredo are the only places that I have been that seem like they aren't faded carbon copies of Ted's.

I agree with you for the most part. I find Chelino's to be very different from Ted's, but I think most every Mexican restaurant is a rip off of either Chelino's or Teds.

Poblano = Ted's
Ricky's = Chelino's

I agree with you BFizzy, I've never even seen queso like that in any other city and every single restaurant here does it. The queso at Deep Deuce Grill is good and I like Abelo's queso too.

It would be great to get some Fresh Mex (SoCal) and NEW Mexican restaurants in OKC. I know everyone says "Oh great, just what we need... another Mexican restaurant." The fact is that we basically have a thousand of the same Mexican restaurant.


there used to be a new mexican restaurant on penn and memorial called something like "blue corn". or something to that effect. didnt last long, though. i didnt care to much for it.

I hate to say it but Chili's queso is good. Now on the other hand, I wouldn't recommend their "Mexican" food. Yeah, the Blue Corn Cafe was NEW MEXICAN food but it was darn good. High quality. I really miss that place but their overhead was way to high. They should have leased a smaller place. We were talking about Blue Corn Cafe yesterday in fact. I think it was in the Best Mexican Food thread in the Food Court.

w-what?? ok... when it comes to food preference, i usually take the 'to each his own' approach... but i've gotta say that chili's queso is beyond nasty... it's like canned hotdog chili combined with some cheez whiz. disgusting stuff... don't see how anybody could like it. -M

^^ Most of the mexican restaurants that have the runny cheese sauce are giving it away for free along with chips, salsa, and tortlillas. If you ask for "real" queso they will bring you a bowl along with charging you for it. All you have to do is ask for the queso that isn't free.

Yeah, the Blue Corn Cafe was NEW MEXICAN food but it was darn good. High quality. I really miss that place but their overhead was way to high. They should have leased a smaller place. We were talking about Blue Corn Cafe yesterday in fact. I think it was in the Best Mexican Food thread in the Food Court.

It was the "Most Missed Restaurant" thread, actually, but yeah, that was a great place. It always seemed pretty busy, but it was a big space and I'm sure you're right about the overhead. I actually interviewed to be a waiter there a few months before they closed.

w-what?? ok... when it comes to food preference, i usually take the 'to each his own' approach... but i've gotta say that chili's queso is beyond nasty... it's like canned hotdog chili combined with some cheez whiz. disgusting stuff... don't see how anybody could like it. -M

Come on...yes it is prolly made of those very things, but its not that bad. Although I could do without the "meat" chunks.


^^ Most of the mexican restaurants that have the runny cheese sauce are giving it away for free along with chips, salsa, and tortlillas. If you ask for "real" queso they will bring you a bowl along with charging you for it. All you have to do is ask for the queso that isn't free.

I like my queso a little runny.

besides...

it's free.

Not to mention, I've never found free queso outside OKC.

ha! i actually edited out the 'meat chunks' portion of my previous post... i thought it was a bit overboard comparing them to alpo. yes... it's that bad.

as for free queso, some of it isn't that bad. but i'll agree that it's generally better-tasting when not complimentary... except for chili's, of course. wretched stuff. -M

mmm, I totally agree with you about Chili's queso.


on the free queso: yes it's watered down, but it tastes good and it's free and I like it. actually my favorite free queso in the metro is at Abuelita Rosa's in Shawnee. I wish they'd expand to OKC. They are WAY better Ted's, Ricky's, Poblano, etc.

...actually my favorite free queso in the metro is at Abuelita Rosa's in Shawnee...

Actually, they left OKC for Shawnee. The couple that runs the place had a location in downtown area, then April 19th, 1995 happened. They opened up Abuelita Rosa's on South Penn (there still may be a location there) for a number of years, then moved to Shawnee. I stopped in at the Shawnee location a few weeks ago, and to me it had dropped off in quality from what it had been on Penn. No question, though, when they're "on", it's really good.

The Taco Cabana at I-240 and Walker closed about two years ago and has been in a perpetual state of gutting ever since. When I worked on the north side of town several years ago, I went to TC on May a couple of times and thought it was pretty good. That said, I don't necessarily lament the loss because I'm not that big a Mexican food fan. There are only so many ways you can slather congealed carbohydrates on a tortilla...on the other hand, my wife would put pudding and salsa in a tortilla if the idea crossed her mind. Her family borders on Mexican food addicts - and when it comes to nasty queso, try melting a block of Velveeta in a crock pot, the watch it start to harden the moment you turn of the heat. BBlyucuchhhkk!


-soonerdave

Soonerdave - that's why all of these people think the queso is actually GOOD in these restaurants...because their idea of queso IS velveeta, sausage, and rotel in a crock pot. bleck. That is NOT queso.
I have yet to eat at a real mexican restaurant in this state. It all tastes the same - yes, even ted's - all of their food tastes like frozen patio dinners. What is with all the Tex-Mex? Give me real. If I want Mexican food I just make it at home.

Our family pretty much gave up on Ted's about a year ago. Their prices, which were never great, finally just went to the ridiculous while their portions continually decreased, and we just stopped going.

Now, I liked Ted's queso OK, but as I said I'm no reference point for mexican food of any variety because it just isn't my favorite "genre." I eat it more frequently than I would ever opt on my own because my wife and her family will just about eat anything with a tortilla around it. Easter Sunday? Fajitas. Family birthday lunch out? Mexican place near a truck stop. Weekend game afternoon/evening snack? Bag of tacos. No, I'm not kidding. It sometimes makes me want to scream when I hear her suggest Mexican food. Dinner last night? Taco salad.

AAAAIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(rant mode off).

-soonerdave

Soonerdave - that's why all of these people think the queso is actually GOOD in these restaurants...because their idea of queso IS velveeta, sausage, and rotel in a crock pot. bleck. That is NOT queso.

Then what, pray tell, is real queso dip?

well, there really isn't a REAL queso dip because real mexican food doesn't include such an item.

But...the best tex-mex, semi-mex, whatever you want to call it queso definitely doesn't involve velveeta or any other processed cheese, let alone a can of spicy ketchup.

Show me how to melt cheddar into a dip and I'll agree with you.

There is a huge difference between Velveeta and Rotel and the watered down stuff they give you at Chelino's.

well, there really isn't a REAL queso dip because real mexican food doesn't include such an item.

But...the best tex-mex, semi-mex, whatever you want to call it queso definitely doesn't involve velveeta or any other processed cheese, let alone a can of spicy ketchup.


So what is the secret recipe for the perfect queso?

If I told you, I'd have to kill you. It stays in the family.

I need to know...........what have I been eating all of these years that I thought was queso? now I find out I have never had real queso

ahem. one does not simply melt cheese into a bowl in order to make queso... velveeta, cheddar or otherwise.

the first and biggest thing to understand is that queso is not a sauce made out of cheese, but a cheese-flavored sauce. queso is essentially a bechemel... like alfredo sauce, but flavored differently. if anyone's interested, i can go through the whole process. and i won't even have to kill you. -M

I am interested in the secret to making queso

Well, mmm, that is the case with the free queso, but the good stuff is simply melted velveeta with chiles and tomatoes.

I'm confused........free stuff , good stuff, real stuff

I just want some queso.

Well, I use a combo of cheddar and monterrey cheese. If you get it fairly fresh (not a block of the hard stuff from the grocery department) and mix it with a little milk it melts just fine. Real mexican food tends to use goat's cheese for their traditional dishes, which is why i assume they don't really make a "dip" or queso. I personally don't like goat cheese and that's why I go with the typical tex mex choices. I also add real salsa instead of the flavored canned ketchup item. Sometimes I add sausage, others I don't. Just depends on the mood. But it tastes nothing like any of the restaurants cheez spread or that nasty velveeta stuff.

to each his own, jbrown. i won't diss the velveeta or cheez-whiz based quesos as they've accompanied me through many a football game.

to be fair, though, many of the restaurants appear to serve an instant mix that probably has some powdered milk in it... so it's just mixed with water. nothing like the stuff i make.

ok. here's what i do (i don't measure, so please work with me here!):

flour
butter or margerine
chicken boullion ( i use a product called "better than boullion")
rotel / your favorite salsa
heavy cream or half and half
cheddar or colby jack, shredded
some cream cheese (optional)

in a skillet, start by making a roux... melt the butter and mix in the flour. it should be a pretty thick paste. mix that around for about a minute to cook out the 'raw' taste of the flour. mix in the chicken boullion.

here's where you want to be careful. just like gravy, if you add liquid too fast, you'll end up with a lumpy sauce. slowly mix in the rotel. after that's mixed in, slowly mix in the cream until the sauce is just a bit thinner than what you'll want it. then allow the mixture to heat up a bit and mix in the shredded cheese and cream cheese. mix that in until it's melted and incorporated into the sauce. add cream or cheese until the sauce is just as thick as you want it... keep in mind that the sauce will thicken as it cools off.

hope i didn't rush through that too much!

-M

Have you ever had Rotel? It is not ketchup.

i'll second that... rotel is diced tomatoes and chiles... nothing like ketchup. -M

Have you ever had Rotel? It is not ketchup.


What about mayonaise?

mmm, I totally agree with you about Chili's queso.


on the free queso: yes it's watered down, but it tastes good and it's free and I like it. actually my favorite free queso in the metro is at Abuelita Rosa's in Shawnee. I wish they'd expand to OKC. They are WAY better Ted's, Ricky's, Poblano, etc.


I may be wrong but I think that there is an Abuelita Rosa in okc, south Penn between 59th and 44th.

It is a hole in the wall place but one of my clients took me there and it was pretty good.

Not to bump a thread but I forgot about the best queso I have ever had in the metro. Not runny and still free.

LUPE'S MEXICAN RESTAURANT 1000 S. Douglas Blvd.
Midwest City, OK 73130

I ate there last week and it reminded me of this thread. Go check it out.

Not to bump a thread but I forgot about the best queso I have ever had in the metro. Not runny and still free.

LUPE'S MEXICAN RESTAURANT 1000 S. Douglas Blvd.
Midwest City, OK 73130

I ate there last week and it reminded me of this thread. Go check it out.

Theirs is pretty good.

I ate at Tarahamara's (In Norman, across from the hospital) earlier today, and their food was pretty dang tasty. The "psuedo-queso" was quite tasty too.

I was driving down Northwest Expressway this morning and I noticed that Taco Cabana has closed for good. There where workers taking the signs down, has anyone else noticed if the other locations in OKC had closed.

I believe this location is soon to be a Panda Express.

I found that out about three days ago. I just have not post anything because I was waiting for a sign to go up or a newspaper article to confirm that.

Don't hesitate to post stuff you know is from a reliable source. Just mention it was a rumor from a reliable source. Heck, that's how OKCTalk usually breaks these stories 1-3 days or more before the news outlets do.

Embree Construction has that project. They also have been doing most of the Chili's in the area.

Has anybody been to a Panda Express ? Is there a expected opening date.

I have been to one but it is a new franchise for Oklahoma. Go to their site and you won't see any locations in Oklahoma yet. Panda Express: Chinese Food, Wok-Cooked and Served Fast (http://www.pandaexpress.com)

My favorite Mexican food comes from Houston... great stuff.

I miss green sauce, the cool crisp (guac based I think) green sauce they put on your table with the salsa, but only in Houston. (Think Casa Ole) Freakin glorious.

That is the only reason I think I'll ever go back to Houston... green sauce.