Hubby and I can't remember the name of the Mexican restaurant that used to be in the same building that Johnnie's now occupies on NW Expressway. If we remember correctly, it had high-dollar decor and a big splashy debut sometime back in the late 1980s??

TaMolly's, a Bob Tayer copy of several Dallas/Houston Mexican restaurant concepts. The tile roof was actually repossessed for lack of payment. That is how it ended up with the green shingle roof. It was a bar (City Lights) after that.

Exit...Exito! Exit...Exito!

When TaMolly's was out there not much else was around. I think TaMolly's could have made it if the city had expanded that way sooner. It was similar to Molly Murphy's but instead of being characters in costumes they wore hats.

Hubby and I can't remember the name of the Mexican restaurant that used
to be in the same building that Johnnie's now occupies on NW Expressway.
If we remember correctly, it had high-dollar decor and a big splashy debut
sometime back in the late 1980s??
I don't remember it being a Mexican restaurant. At one time it was called
Exito. I'm trying to remember what it originally was.

I don't remember it being a Mexican restaurant. At one time it was called
Exito. I'm trying to remember what it originally was.
It was originally built as TaMolly's by Bob Tayer of Molly Murphy's. His widow has a book about Molly's (my copy is at my parents house in OKC) and it has some story on TaMolly's opening and subsequent failure. There were financial issues even before it opened, it had a barrel tile roof at one time, it was repo'd off the building for lack of payment which was why it had green asphalt shingles as a replacement. I used to work with the architect who did both of those restaurants and he had some interesting stories about that time period.

It sat empty for awhile after TaMolly's closed, before City Lights opened up and was followed by Exit Exito.

It was originally built as TaMolly's by Bob Tayer of Molly Murphy's. His widow has a book about Molly's (my copy is at my parents house in OKC) and it has some story on TaMolly's opening and subsequent failure. There were financial issues even before it opened, it had a barrel tile roof at one time, it was repo'd off the building for lack of payment which was why it had green asphalt shingles as a replacement. I used to work with the architect who did both of those restaurants and he had some interesting stories about that time period.

It sat empty for awhile after TaMolly's closed, before City Lights opened up and was followed by Exit Exito.
You're absolutely correct. I ate there a number of times when it opened as Tamolly's.

Didn't it have a blue tile roof when it first opened?

It was originally built as TaMolly's by Bob Tayer of Molly Murphy's...
I just don't remember it. I lived about 3 blocks from that location, but
that doesn't mean I remember everything. Maybe because it was
connected with Tayer is why I don't remember. I was never a fan of
Molly Murphy's. In fact, I found the place disgusting.

Didn't it have a blue tile roof when it first opened?
Yes, it was repossessed because of lack of payment.

Makes one wonder how valuable those tiles were that the expense of repossession wasn't a bar to taking the roof down.

When I was at TAP we did a remodel of a house on Wilshire that had a blue, glazed tile roof from Japan, the roof was about triple my yearly salary back in 1993. When the TaMolly's roof was done it was the around 80, they may have had another project to install it on from a paying customer.

Does anyone remember when the blue roof was repoed? I moved here in '86 and remember the blue roof like it was yesterday. In fact I could have sworn it was there when City Lights was in the building and even into the nineties, but I guess I'm wrong about that.

I was never a fan of Molly Murphy's. In fact, I found the place disgusting.I was never a fan of Tayar; never went to any of his places. His first was a strip joint on NW 10 near the old ball park, called The Dugout. Rather than pay professional strippers, he featured "Amateur Night" every night it was open...

I might have gone a few times, but the tone of his ads turned me completely off. And in those days I had no cash to waste on entertainment.

My older sons loved Molly Murphy's, but since the eldest still admires David Letterman I have some doubts about their tastes...