D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
March
2009
Table Talk
Take your 10-gallon hat off in proper salute to The Drifter Lounge. The newly redecorated Silver City eatery has brought back country music to the bar every Friday and Saturday night. Bring your favorite guy or gal, or find someone new. Pool and darts, too! Music begins at 9 a.m., cover charge $4. 711 Silver Heights Blvd, 538-2916.
500 South, the new restaurant slated to open at 500 S. Telshor Blvd. in Las Cruces, the site of the old Gardunos, will not open next spring as planned, and as previously announced in this column. The building's owner, Tom Springer of Albuquerque-based Springer Management, says interior demolition work had begun and the overall design had been nearly completed with Steve Newby and Associates, architects of Las Cruces, when the deal hit an 11th-hour snag and could not be consummated with the prospective new tenant. Not to worry, though, Springer says. He currently is meeting with several possible tenants for the space, including local users as well as some national and regional franchises. A Web site, www.thespringergroup.com, has been set up, listing information about the property, including the fact that the 10,399-square-foot interior has been cleared, cleaned and prepped for remodeling. Kitchen equipment, furniture and fixtures and a state Liquor Dispenser's License are included in the price — which is not listed.
A "Second Coming," after all. Nearing the end of a massive renovation, the Messiah's location, 303 E. 13th in Silver City, is now Silverado Health Shoppe.
Desperately seeking Joe? The Mountain Mudd espresso joint at 2525 N. Main St. in Las Cruces was found to be shuttered last month. Franchisee Kathy Salopek, who opened her first Mountain Mudd in 2002, moved her Lohman Avenue coffee hut to Telshor in 2006, then shut down that kiosk and the one at 580 S. Valley Dr., keeping open only the Main Street operation. The phone line is disconnected and Mountain Mudd does not give out info on its franchisees, so there's no way to be sure if the is the end of Mountain Mudd in the city or just a (once again) "moveable feast."
The identity of the restaurant in a block of three, set to come to Mall Drive near the Mesilla Valley Mall, has been revealed. Las Crucens can rejoice, knowing that a Zio's Pizza will join the neighborhood with McAllister's Deli and Buffalo Wild Wings, a veritable "casual dining" trifecta!
The dark days are over! The Grand Slam is back! After closing for a couple of weeks last month for a massive remodel, Las Cruces' Denny's restaurant at 740 S. Main St., has re-opened. Customers who picked up their free Grand Slam breakfast rain checks during the construction can now redeem them and admire the diner's new look while they chow down on their pancakes and sausage.
— Donna Clayton
Send restaurant news to donna@desertexposure.com