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Old 07-11-2012, 05:36 PM
 
16,087 posts, read 41,175,792 times
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Jeff Siegel at the Lakewood Advocate has written extensively on the national retail awakening to East Dallas - you might read some of his work - here is an item about a local chain, Mi Cocina, replacing Matt's Rancho Martinez in the Lakewood Shopping Center - be sure to look at some of the many comments and you will see what I am trying to say:

Matt’s: What comes next? | Advocate Magazine
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Old 07-11-2012, 08:41 PM
 
Location: North Texas
24,561 posts, read 40,300,151 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lakewooder View Post
Jeff Siegel at the Lakewood Advocate has written extensively on the national retail awakening to East Dallas - you might read some of his work - here is an item about a local chain, Mi Cocina, replacing Matt's Rancho Martinez in the Lakewood Shopping Center - be sure to look at some of the many comments and you will see what I am trying to say:

Matt’s: What comes next? | Advocate Magazine
I wouldn't get excited about Mi Cocina...as for local chains, remember that Chili's and On The Border are also local chains.

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Just sayin'.
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Old 07-11-2012, 09:12 PM
 
Location: Chicago
1,257 posts, read 2,536,770 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigDGeek View Post
I wouldn't get excited about Mi Cocina...as for local chains, remember that Chili's and On The Border are also local chains.

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...


...

Just sayin'.

The comments he is referring to though are a bunch of neighborhood people complaining that MiCocina is moving in. Nobody wants them there, and it's hard to blame them. Why does every neighborhood in DFW need the same restaurants? It just makes things more bland. Mi Cocina is pretty good food. But if I want them I can drive 3 miles north of Lakewood and get them in Lake Highlands. What is the point of another one?
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Old 07-11-2012, 10:41 PM
 
2,973 posts, read 9,485,157 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ClarenceBodiker View Post
The comments he is referring to though are a bunch of neighborhood people complaining that MiCocina is moving in. Nobody wants them there, and it's hard to blame them. Why does every neighborhood in DFW need the same restaurants? It just makes things more bland. Mi Cocina is pretty good food. But if I want them I can drive 3 miles north of Lakewood and get them in Lake Highlands. What is the point of another one?

Well...good, then. Maybe I won't have to wait forever to get a table on a Fri night at the new Mi Cocina like I do at the Lake Highlands location. Plus the Lakewood location is just around the corner.
Btw - I know I'll be seeing you there, Lakewooder!! You can't resist the Mambo!!!
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Old 07-12-2012, 08:28 AM
 
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I chose to live in East Dallas precisely because it doesn't feel or look like the rest of the city in regard to retail and development. I don't mind the pawn shop, I enjoy navigating the Gaston/Grand/Garland intersection, and I'm fond of some of the area's grittier edges. Other parts of Dallas are too damn clean and orderly for my taste! Alas, I'll probably be disappointed once again. As far as I can tell, we in East Dallas don't have a tradition of actively boycotting chains or the political mechanisms necessary to make developers serve us. My point of reference on this topic is my native New England where chains and developers have a tough go at it. And that's for the better.
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Old 07-12-2012, 10:48 AM
 
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Well Pepper, I did see some construction photos of the MiCocina interior and it does look like an intriguing drinking spot. Not so sure what they are doing with the butterfly motif. I know several people who tried out the patio in the sneak-preview at Lakewoodstock. So, maybe if the Balcony Club runs out of my brand of gin (as it did a couple of weeks ago) I might be enticed.

As far as Gaston/East Grand/Garland Road, some of us love to talk about the days of The Painted Duck strip club. At least we still have the Tampico Motel down the street.
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Old 07-12-2012, 11:51 AM
 
Location: North Texas
24,561 posts, read 40,300,151 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ClarenceBodiker View Post
The comments he is referring to though are a bunch of neighborhood people complaining that MiCocina is moving in. Nobody wants them there, and it's hard to blame them. Why does every neighborhood in DFW need the same restaurants? It just makes things more bland. Mi Cocina is pretty good food. But if I want them I can drive 3 miles north of Lakewood and get them in Lake Highlands. What is the point of another one?
I can't answer that, I don't eat at Mi Cocina.
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Old 07-12-2012, 12:33 PM
 
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This is really an interesting conversation about what the community wants vs the reality of what they *really* want or seem to support. In Lakewood, there is Dixie House which is Black Eyed Pea, Penne Pomodoro which is a local Lombardi family chain, Cantina Laredo (national chain), Yumi-Licious (national chain), Paciugo another local chain, Starbucks (national chain). And soon the Mi Cocina will be opening - another local chain.
Penne Pomodoro is a close equal to Mi Cocina (in terms of clientele and locations) - yet I never heard a huge uproar about PP moving into Lakewood.
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Old 07-12-2012, 12:50 PM
 
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That's 'cause they didn't kick out Matt's!

I haven't been to Yumi-Licious nor Paciugo (but I have been to another location years ago) but I have been in the Starbucks a few times - I know several people who go there every day. I like the fact that it's a little community, I'm just not into doing that myself - I really don't have the time anyway and I'm somewhat of a cheapskate.

Here's the deal with Cantina Laredo - yep a lot of natives really hate that place. One friend I've known since second grade calls it "Cantina Latrino". It was the second El Chico ever built and when the original closed, it was the oldest. Many families went there every week. We had school club banquets there. Also there was one guy who worked there for over 40 years. Lakewood Shopping Center also had the original Wyatt's Cafeteria and the first Minyard's Grocery Store was not that far away. Tom Thumb and Jack Evans had deep roots there also.

So in the 80s when El Chico was the oldest, the company 'restored' it to its original look and reworked the historic neon sign. There was a huge party, then a benefit and weeklong specials. Then after ownership changes, a few years ago it was proclaimed that "Lakewood is too upscale for El Chico so we are bringing in our Cantina Laredo 'concept'". First off the sign was carted away...then they doubled the prices. That did not make for happy campers among the natives. Some people still go there for a nostalgic trip and sometimes they give a percentage to school fundraisers - so yep I go every once in a while.
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Old 07-12-2012, 01:04 PM
 
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The Dixie House is now really a Black-Eyed-Pea but started out as something separate just for Lakewood.
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