Lopez 44 — Restaurant in South Russell

Should not have kept the name Lopez, because it is not what anyone who knew that place would expect. It feels like a bait-and-switch.

I used to love going to Lopez on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights. Imagine my joy when I found out that a new Lopez – Lopez44 – was open in nearby Chagrin Falls. Now imagine that joy withering and disintegrating in front of me as I sat at my tiny table in the new establishing, searching the menu in vain for anything resembling the restaurant I had loved since I moved to the area nearly 20 years ago.

Compare the menus from the Lee Rd. establishment to the new one in Chagrin Falls. (Old) Lee Road https://web.archive.org/web/20190608012614/https:/www.lopezonlee.com/menu/ (New) Chagin Falls https://lopez44.com/?page_id=38

Setting aside that the new space is claustrophobic and chaotic, it seems that everything that set Lopez apart from other establishments has now been abandoned altogether, or watered-down - literally (Lopez’s signature habanero-based hot sauce is now a watery-thin mockery of its former self, and the “Booberry” sauce – a concoction of blueberry, garlic, ghost pepper, agave, and vinegar that Lopez used to offer for purchase – appears to be non-existent, a casualty of the “reimagining”).

In the place of the SEVEN varieties of fresh, chuncky guacamole options garnished with Jalapeno and pickled veggies, Lopez44 patrons now get a one-size-fits-all bland guacamole that is indistinguishable from what I can get from my local grocery store.

Salad and Taco options have been reduced, and what fish options have been added to the menu have been offset by the loss of two remarkable stand-outs from the traditional Lopez: the burritos and sides.

The “BMF burritos” (as they were called) of traditional Lopez were set on a foundation of pork, beef, fish, or mushroom accompanied by a variety of such delectables as jicama slaw, goat cheese, mango bbq, somked gouda, eggplant, or jalapeno mustard, to name but a few. Each of these choices came with a side of grits and slaw.

The grits, slaw, and other sides is where the traditional Lopez, in my opinion, really set itself apart, and where Lopez44 loses any legitimacy to call itself Lopez at all. The “Smoky Beans” at the new establish are not smoky at all, and to a person who grew up in NC where smoking food is a lifeway, calling what they serve “Smoky” is just absurd.

Other than beans, customers at the new Lopez44 can choose rice, non-descript seasonal veggies, or street corn.

Compare these paltry choices to traditional Lopez’s offerings that included mesquite smoked black beans (that actually tasted like they were smoked), two varieties of rice, asparagus, chile lime fries, house slaw, jicama slaw, red mole, and a truly defining side item of smoked gouda jalapeno grits. I haven’t met a single person who used to frequent the traditional Lopez who has not raved about those grits. Like the BMF burritos, the guacamole, or the hot sauces, these were items that set Lopez apart from and above the competition in this market.

Is any of this to say the food at Lopez44 is bad? No. It’s serviceable, but the new "reimagining" just offers the customer a variety of something they can get at any number of other establishments. Ultimately, the food at Lopez44 is just forgettable, which is as far from the name Lopez as it can...

Last night I went to Lopez with my Long Suffering Girl Friend, Sherri, for the first time since it reopened in Chagrin Falls. I saw Lopez owner, Brad Friedlander, again after over 30 years (I moved away to California for 24 years). Brad looked great and actually remembered me after all these years. We reminisced for a while, then he went on to schmooze with other customers while we looked at the menu and got to know our terrific bartenders, Joe and James.

The restaurant was hoppin’, I mean packed, with several couples standing by the door waiting for a table. Without reservations we were lucky to get a seat at the bar (our favorite spot) and got ourselves a beer.

The vibe was amazing, with diners in their 20’s and up, there to check it out or return again to share with friends. The place felt happy, energized with conversation and the clatter of dishes and silverware - a perfect crowded restaurant. The bartenders were very busy, but we talked at length with Joe, who was a veteran of the old Lopez and knew some of the people I remembered.

I was never a regular at the Lopez on Lee, south of Cedar, rather, I was a regular at the original Lopez y Gonzalez at Lee and Washington, but I moved away in 1992, before it closed six years later. Sherri didn’t live in Cleveland Heights like I did, so she never had a chance to be a regular, but remembered the menu and wanted the Caesar salad. I got my old staple, Enchiladas Rancheras.

Before we got to those dishes, we shared the Scallop Tostada appetizer which was phenomenal, with guacamole, grilled onion and ginger. Even better with a little spoonful of fire roasted salsa which I goosed up with some habanero sauce that sat on the bar. I liked the smoky flavor of the fire roasted salsa, but I should have tried the others; there were two or three other salsas. The corn chips were really good, and it sounds strange, but they were really corny tasting. I realized that most other restaurant corn chips don’t really taste like much.

I can’t say a lot about Sherri’s salad, except that it looked great and had a big hunk of grilled salmon on it and that she really liked it, but I can say the enchiladas were a true surprise. A surprise in that when I took my first bite I knew this was the authentic Rick Bayless recipe from so many years ago. I had never tasted this except at the old Lopez y Gonzalez. I lived in California a long time, eating at dozens of Mexican restaurants and I have never tasted this anywhere else. It’s uniquely delicious, and you can only get it here.

Dessert. I never intended to get dessert, but I’m a sucker for chocolate. When Joe described the Mexican Hot Chocolate dessert I had to try it. Glad I did, sorta. It was so damn good, but it was dense and filling. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. I’m a light eater at dinner and usually bring half of it home. Not this time, but I forced Sherri to share my “pain” finishing that dessert. She didn’t complain.

Great job, Brad. I know you have to be pleased with the way this reprise of Lopez y Gonzalez turned out. I just wonder why you...

Overpriced and underwhelming. The host was wearing a t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes, not what I would expect at a "nicer" place. We were seated by the door, and it was freezing. Our reservation was for Saturday at 4:30, and when we arrived there were 2 people at the bar, and two bartenders. Ordered a margarita, which took 15 minutes to get. The bartenders were busy talking to one another, rather than making our one Lopez margarita. Which, by the way, is $14 and tasted like nothing but sour mix. It wasn’t good. For an app we ordered the salsa flight and guacamole. All the salsas tasted about the same and had so much heat we couldn’t really discern one from another. The guacamole was bland, and the chips were way over salted. We both ordered tacos. One steak and one chicken. Other than coming out in a sizzling platter- the presentation and Ingredients were what go into a fajita- not a taco. Huge chunks of veg- onion, red & green peppers. Soft flour shells wrapped in foil. My husband asked for a medium steak taco. His meat came out still mooing. It was gross. When he asked for the steak to be grilled more, (with minimal pink) our server took it, and came back within two minutes. Steak was still red. My chicken was ok. The veg was ridiculously over seasoned. $100 later and it was extremely disappointing. I read many reviews before trying Lopez- but wanted to decide for myself. Well, the decision is we won’t be back. The interior design is lovely, too bad the...