Day 17: La Paz

Goles y Frijoles would like to take this opportunity to big up Matt Nossel and his girlfriend Brenda, who traveled all the way from Taiwan to be a part of this great experiment. (Rory, thanks for riding down from Davidson, I guess.) Only because we had such distinguished guests in tow did I dine somewhat outside my principles at that paragon of hoity toity Latin Amercan food in the QC, South Blvd’s La Paz. Hey, at least we sat at the bar and watched soccer.

In spite of everything that irks me about a place like La Paz (the valet parking, the giant, faux-something wooden doors, the foyer walls covered in “Best of Charlotte” plaques, the overwhelming feeling that the owners could decide on a whim to change the menu to French or Greek or whatever seems trendiest and never miss a beat), at least when you ask for a recommendation, you get one. The bartender was quick to rattle off his favorites: 1) Baja Fish Tacos; 2) Chicken and Spinach “Suizas”. I went with the latter and have no complaints. Good green sauce enchiladas, rice, and black beans—a welcome break from the refried. The menu also features convenient "New" and "Veg" labels on many of the meals and boasts the hilariously named "Basket o' Tacos." Oh, La Paz, you code-switchers, you!

A heads up: Your waiter will ask you if you’d like queso or guacamole in addition to your salsa, but, unlike the red stuff, those two aren’t on the house. My companions found out the hard way: seven dollars for a cup of melted cheese.

The Score: Yeah, La Paz, you’re good…but oh don’t you know it.