Thursday, May 3, 2012

Tex-Mex headed to Montford Drive

A local restaurant group plans to open a restaurant called Maverick - Rock Taco in the former 15 North Roadside Kitchen on Montford Drive.

The restaurant will feature a Tex-Mex menu with a rock-and-roll theme. The new owners, Xenia Hospitality Group, hope to add a pair of outdoor patios as well as expanding the bar, and are aiming for live music from local bands up to five nights a week. The group currently operates Charlotte restaurants Ilios Noche, Nolen Kitchen, and Big View.

"We want to do something really fun," said co-owner Stratos Lambos. "The menu will be real Mexican-style, street food, small plates, strong flavors, lots of different chilies." The bar will have a wide selection of craft beers, said Lambos, and a Bloody Mary-style drink made with Mexican beer.

Xenia is aiming for an early June opening, with lunch and dinner menus. Lambos said prices will be affordable. "We don't want anyone to spend more than $10 on lunch," including drink and a side, he said.

The Xenia group had originally looked at the building when it was a smokehouse, before 15 North took over. But it was dilapidated at the time, and Lambos said he passed. "It was a blessing, because we were able to get the restaurant completely built out as opposed to building it out ourselves," he said. 

Now, Lambos said the lack of extensive amounts of construction overhead to repay will help him keep prices competitive. "We don't have this burden that we have to cover overhead with a very large check average," he said. He hopes that will keep customers flowing during the street's slower hours. "The biggest challenge on that street is going to be Monday to Wednesday lunch," he said.

Lambos plans to put decks on the front and side of the building, pending zoning approval. Lambos said music will be an important part of the new restaurant. "I really want to capitalize on bringing in some small local bands, young bands that want to come in and play their music," he said.

Though Montford Drive is a thriving nightspot fueled by the bar scene, Lambos said his hope is that Maverick will be known as much for its food as its drinks. "It's young, it's fun, people going on bar crawls up and down Montford," he said. "We want our restaurant to be a destination for food. I believe the longevity of a great restaurant-bar is in the food."



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19 comments:

Betsy said...

This makes me sick a bunch of spoiled brats is what this is catering for and not the real middle-class/Americans. Make all us move to union county and price me out my hometown. Nothing for us old folks to hangout anymore.

Shamash said...

Now will this be "Tex-Mex" or "real" Mexican-style street food?

They are not the same by a long shot.

Anonymous said...

This place should be called Goose - Rock Taco because I am Maverick...

Anonymous said...

Terrible name for a restaurant.

Anonymous said...

Meh. I give it a year.

Anonymous said...

Haterz gonna hate

Anonymous said...

I hate these restauranteurs trying to push us from $5 to $10 on lunch. Not everyone is an investment banker!

Anonymous said...

Betsy, I've noticed you troll every opening and make some ignorant crack about it not being a place for 'real americans' whatever that means. How is an inexpensive tex-mex place exclude you? Sounds like YOU need to stop being so picky if the only thing that would make you happy is some variant of country kitchen buffet.

And Anonymous 10:44, really? $10 is investment banker prices? Go get lunch at Wendy's and you'll spend at least $6. Decent restaurants have better ingredients to buy and employees to pay, you know. Personally I'm happy to spend a little more for food that doesn't suck.

Anonymous said...

I can picture my fall Sundays now...Bloody Marys pre-game! Tex-Mex post-game!

Anonymous said...

Yup, Bloody Marys pre-game, Tex-Mex post-game, and a lovely case of diarrhea post-post-game.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Anonymous 8:26 and 8:42 for intelligent upbeat comments. It must be sad to be like Betsy if you have to troll around finding things to complain about and commenting on how the world has done her wrong. Also, pack your lunch 4 days a week and $10 is nothing.

discourser said...

Glad to see this restaurant open & hope it lives up to its promise. With the addition of live music and decks, this should be a very popular spot.

I was very glad to see 15 North close. After all the hype, it only took one visit to write it off my list. The only thing it had going for it was the nice decor.

As for the naysayers: You can tell that they never go to Montford. The only expensive restaurant on the whole street (now that 15 Noth is closed) is Good Food on Montford. The crowd is multi-aged and eclectic. The best thing is that only people "in the know" go there, so it is our destination when things like the CIAA are in town.

Now... What the heck is going on with Andrew Blairs?

Anonymous said...

The haters her all need to go to therapy....for real not the bar. Why should some old lady in Union country be concerned with a restaurant off Park Rd.? Why should people think this venture will fail when this restaurant group has done so well? I tried to get into Ilios Noche last night. It was slammed!

Anonymous said...

>>The best thing is that only people "in the know" go there...

How pathetic.

Anonymous said...

Sounds a lot like Paco's Tacos, no?

Anonymous said...

All you really need to survive on Montford is a cheap beer special every night (not just Sunday-Wed), hot waitresses and bartenders, and an outside deck. The food doesn't even have to be great, just ask Moosehead.

Not sure what's so hard for businesses to figure out here?

Anonymous said...

so...what happened to 15 north?? I hadn't even had a chance to try it out yet?

Anonymous said...

I am sorry can't agree with someone who can say that someone losing there business is a blessing for them and for that reason he can capitalize on someone's misfortune. Fact is he didn't pass on it the first time 15 north had already signed a contract. Which he tried to break repeatedly. Good luck with that!! Karma sucks what goes around comes around!!!!

Arkham Landau said...

Geez, you people need a life...
Thanks for reminding that life could always be worse...I could be one of you guys...