Well... can Canyons come back? Please??
We waited a few weeks after opening in hopes of giving them time to work out the bugs of a new establishment, especially since I tend to be very critical. I think I should have given them more time. Like, eternity.
Upon walking in, the old Canyons general atmosphere is there, but with a more 'Mexico' feel, with bullfight photos, and some kind of weird Spanish Techno music playing. Ok, I can block that out.
The staff was immediately friendly, and we got our table in the bar, where we were immediately greeted and presented with some VERY tasty salsa and very fresh chips (the best part of the evening) and our drink order. Once we got our drinks, the honeymoon ended.
Although we had menus, it took the bottom of our drink and several gestures to get anyone to actually take our food order, and at that point, we felt we inconvenienced him in that need. Lo siento senior! I ordered a more Mexi-merican dish (combo with Taco, Tostada and enchilada), while my wife ordered the Pollo Ranchero, which (and this is important) comes with guacamole.
My wife equated her Pollo Ranchero to a 'piece of flat old tire'. Flavorless and tough. For me, my combo barely compared to Taco Time. Actually, I'd much prefer Taco Time over what I got. All of it lacking flavor and zest, even for a 'basic' American-ized Mexican restaurant.
We finished, and waited for our bill. And waited. And then we waited some more. Finally, someone came around to check on us, and we asked for to-go boxes (which actually ended up in the compost bin). When he returned with the boxes, the man actually solicited us for his painting business! Yes, you can get a Dos Equis, a crappy meal AND get your house painted all in one stop! Woo hoo! Yeah, no thank you.
So, we were still waiting for our bill, ready to depart and pick up some Rolaids, when we finally lost patience and tracked down our waiter for our bill. The bill had an additional $3.25 added for guacamole! Oh, that's because we had to ASK for it after our meal came because it WASN'T on my wife's plate, yet the menu states it comes with it. And pointing this out to our waiter and asking for it to be removed was FAR more an inconvenience than actually taking our order! Again, sorry for being a customer in need of fair service. I didn't mean to inconvenience you.
All this fine joy and excitement was a mere $60 for two people.
I think next time I have a crappy taco craving, I'll think outside the bun and save myself $50.
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