Laredo's Finally Open

[Prunepicker]

Accck! It sounds like Laredo's isn't worth the time of day.

I like Tex-Mex. I also like New Mexico-Mex, my favorite. Cali-Mex and
Arizona-Mex also rate high with me.

I don't give a hoot about traditional Mexican. I'll give it an okay but that's
all it gets. Don't give me that tripe that it uses fresher ingredients. That's
bunk. Mexicans, like Americans, use whatever is in their refrigerator and
pantry. I know, I have a bunch of Mexican friends.

At any rate, I'm sorry that Laredo's ranked so low.

How does Laredo's compare to Los Amigos? I like Los Amigos a lot.

[Dustin]

I tried Laredo's the other day and was very dissapointed.. The cheese sauce tastes like it comes from a can! The enchiladas weren't bad but when I asked for shredded beef and no chili sauce on top, they brought me ground beef enchiladas with the chili. Its too bad because the inside is AMAZING! I just wish I could say the same for the food! 2 out of 5 stars. If you want excellent Mexican (Okla-Mex) food, try Casa Pericos!

http://www.eataroundokc.com/2006/casaperico/

[Easy180]

If you want excellent Mexican (Okla-Mex) food, try Casa Pericos!

Casa Perico is a great Okla-mex pick. | Oklahoma City Restaurants

Agreed...Have eaten there nearly every Friday for the past 2 yrs

[Prunepicker]

Is Casa Pericos on N.W. 63rd & west of Meridian?

[Easy180]

That's it...Aint much to look at but the food is excellent and hot every single time we eat there

[Dustin]

Agreed...Have eaten there nearly every Friday for the past 2 yrs

I have been eating there for years as well. I used to eat there when they occupied that area at N. Penn and Memorial where Bravo and PF Changs stands now... mmmMMMM!!! Good memories!

[liirogue]

Is Laredo's closed already? I drove by today at lunch and I thought I saw another name on the sign.

[metro]

Yeah, saw the name change the other day as well

[kevinpate]

Yeah, saw the name change the other day as well

Not been by there. What is the new name? New owners as well?

[SoonerQueen]

I'm sorry they are closed already, but the food wasn't really all that good there. The building is awesome though. Maybe new owners will make it a better place to eat.

[jeffery581]

I don't think it's called Laredo's. I saw a plastic sign covering up the old one with a different name the other day.

[ddavidson8]

That's too bad.

[kevinpate]

Hopefully it won't become a Wal-rrito or Taco-Mart

[tburn]

The new name is Milagros I think.
Menu says "same owners, same menu, new name".
I went with a group of 10 last weekend and we all enjoyed it.
Average Salsa, better than average queso - is not the yellow/orange stuff from a can, tastes like actual mexican cheese.
I had a chile rellano - was tasty, not canned poblano but fresh and stuffed (I chose shredded chicken) ... boraccho beans (w/beer, cilantro, peppers) were great.
others commented the rice was top notch.
They have "mexican tacos" on the menu - soft corn tortillas, onion, cilantro and choice of either asada (steak fajita) or pollo (shredded chicken) ... I only wish they had al pastor (red chile pork)!
They have a mexican coffee - can't think of the name but it includes cinammon and other spices, 2 girls had it and said it was awesome and worth another trip!

We had great service and everyone enjoyed their meal.
The place is gorgeous inside, lots of nooks and great places for small parties to sit.

[ddavidson8]

Looking up then. Nice to hear.

[ddavidson8]

Is Milagros open yet?

[flintysooner]

Oklahoma City restaurant story takes years to tell
By Dave Cathey The Oklahoman
Published: January 6, 2010

My first impulse for writing a column welcoming the 20-teens was to do a retrospective on the 20-aughts.

But rather than a list of trends, restaurants and chefs that made that decade interesting, I decided to discuss a single story that took almost the entire decade to come together. That’s the story of Laredo’s Mexican Restaurant, which now is the story of Casa De Los Milagros Mexican Restaurant.

After five years and two contractors, the enormous hacienda on N Classen Boulevard is open for business but with a new name. But after all he’s been through, owner Julian Gonzalez doesn’t care what the place is called as long as people come in for a visual and flavorful tour of Mexico.

Halfway through the aughts, Laredo’s co-owner and general manager, Julian Gonzalez, whose bloodlines connect him to the city’s first Mexican restaurant chain, El Charro, and its spinoff, El Charrito, thought he’d hit the jackpot.

Chesapeake was in the midst of buying up property around its campus, and Laredo’s was in the target area. Though the transaction meant the end of the old location on NW 63 and its lovely patio, it did leave Gonzalez and his father, Pepe, with significant cash.

After careful consideration, the family decided to reopen its second restaurant. The first restaurant was Pepe’s in Edmond, which opened in 1986.

Early estimates in 2005 were for the new doors to open in six to eight months. Those estimates were a little off. Laredo’s wouldn’t open at 5111 N Classen Blvd. until fall 2009.

That’s not a typo: five years. For most of those years, the gigantic blue sphere that sits atop the restaurant peered over the Interstate 44 railing, causing passers-by to wonder whether it was going to serve cheap enchiladas on Wednesdays or launch toward Mars to search for signs of life.

Though countless restaurants opened and closed during Laredo’s hiatus and many people wondered whether it ever would open, open it did in September.

And just as quickly as it breathed the sweet air of life again, Laredo’s was gone forever.

That’s because just a few months after Laredo’s shuttered in 2005, Cantina Laredo opened in the Penn Square Mall space previously occupied by Garcia’s and Kamber’s before that.

While the name isn’t exactly the same, Cantina Laredo does have corporate money and thinking behind it. It’s an upscale concept owned by Consolidated Restaurant Operations, which also runs El Chico. Gonzalez said he was threatened with a lawsuit if he didn’t change the name of his restaurant.

"We probably would’ve won in court, but it’s cheaper for us to just change the name.”

The new name, Casa De Los Milagros, not only is better but better suited for the space and backstory.

"It means house of miracles,” Gonzalez said.

A walk through the enormous hacienda-style building shows it is an architectural wonder.

"Mexico is an enormous country,” Gonzalez said. "I wanted this place to be like a walking tour of the different regions.”

While construction mostly is finished, the signature patio is being tweaked before spring. The menu is the next major undertaking.

An already large menu with standard Okie-Mex offerings and a smattering of traditional Mexican dishes, such as mole and Caldo de Res, is due additional entrees from the interior of Mexico.

"We’re working on Cochinita Pibil from the Yucatan and Camarones Diablo from the coast,” Gonzalez said. "I want this place to not only tell a story with its interiors but also with what’s on the plate.”

With a more ambitious menu in the works, it’ll be a miracle if it doesn’t succeed.

Read more: NewsOK

[urbanity]

Two months after opening, Laredo?s Mexican Restaurant came up against a trademark lawsuit | OKG Scene.com