Cantina Diablos

For the second week in a row my Friday at work was short. This time my boss rewarded me for staying until 1:00 AM on Wednesday night by letting me not use any personal time and go home at noon. I was running on a few nights of less-than-normal sleep, so I relaxed on the couch and had a Flight of the Conchords marathon. After finishing the first season I decided to go out for dinner and to watch the Tigers game.

The great minds behind Rosie O' Grady's (really, though it's not my scene, you've gotta give them credit for such a successful place) recently opened a Mexican restaurant in the building of the original Rosie O' Grady's named Cantina Diablos. I love mexican food, though I had a hunch this place would be of the over-priced, Americanized variety you'll find at suburban chain restaurants. I took a seat at the bar beside all of the couples waiting on tables. It was nice to see a Michigan beer on tap (North Peak's Diabolical IPA), but I opted for the Goose Island 312. Of course, there were televisions everywhere, including nine behind the bar. I felt absolutely assaulted when I saw the only three things I would want to watch: the Tigers game, an abbreviated World Cup replay and Wheel of Fortune (followed by Jeopardy!) While my attention shifted back and forth, mainly focused on the dramatic Ghana versus Uruguay game, I ordered some chicken nachos. They were okay. Nothing special. A large family waiting for a table stationed themselves beside me at the bar. A lady had her child with her, and when the girl pointed at her wine she responded that it was "yucky." It was adorable. Someone at a table behind me was celebrating their birthday, so the restaurant set some ice cream on fire.

Everything about the place has a neon red glow to it. Behind the bar there was a row of blended margarita dispensers, like the Slurpee machines at a Seven-Eleven. It is certainly a popular place for a weekend dinner or a nice first date for late-twenty-somethings. Time will tell whether people deem it worthy of multiple visits. I did not have a bad experience, but I don't imagine I'll come back that often. For good food, I'd rather go somewhere more authentic. For watching the Tigers, I'd rather visit friends at Sakana or The Loving Touch.

This morning I decided to take advantage of my work's big screen projector and come in to watch the Argentina versus Germany match. After Italy's terrible performance, I switched to rooting for the Germans. They took the lead three minutes into the game off an excellent free kick and while writing this they scored their second and third goals without an answer from Argentina. I'm feeling confident that I picked a winner.