Really, I am not looking to rant--we have passed it enough times and we love a good divey Mexican joint--and went in with those paticular rose colored glasses on. The smell as we walked up was very promising... The place was dirty, and that is not really a knock because, well, it's a dive and that is just part of the casualness of a place. The menus had ""samples"" of many of the dishes. OK, that'll slide too. The salsa? Oh, I am sorry, sugar has no place in a salsa. The salsa is Just Wrong. Funky chips--and I will not abide with the arguement that you cannot get decent tortilla chips in Oregon, they are out there, I know, and I love 'em--these wierd little things at Lupe's are not good, not stale, just not good. And that poor pig that died to be my carnitas...steamed canitas? Nope, that ain't right. Cook it in a flavorful broth, then shread it and fry it up, that's how it is supposed to be done--and this wasn't a bad day in the kitchen--though a peak in the kitchen as we left would gave us the impression that they had a very, very bad day--no, this seemed to be how they cook carnitas there. The pico de gallo was make from those crappy green-on-the-inside WinCo romas, I reconize 'em. The guacamole was actually good, the service, very good--God love the servers there. So are we heading back? Most likely no--though to hear you all rant about this place, maybe we will--the bar specials looked good and liquor can hide a multitude of sins in a kitchen...
Pros: Servers, guacamole, easy in and out and good parking, easy to find
Cons: the kitchen and the housekeeper--though if they get a cook, the latter becomes endearing
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