Progressive Dinner, June 2009
The Downtown Frederick Partnership has announced that it’s next Progressive Dinner, a fund raiser for the Partnership, will be on Tuesday, June 16th. Tickets are $85 which includes tax and tip and about half of the ticket price is tax-deductible.
Tickets can be purchased for a 5:30, 6:00, 6:30, or 7:00pm seating. Maximum of 26 people per seating. Diners will be seated European style. Four courses will be served. The appetizer, salad, and dinner courses will include a glass of wine and/or beer. Coffee will be provided with dessert. Diners will walk between restaurants.
And here is the menu for this particular Progressive Dinner:
Appetizer Course: La Paz Mexican Restaurant
Start your night with an appetizer sampler. Create you won plate with quesadillas, nachos, guacamole, chile con queso, chips and salsa.
Drink: Margarita, Sangria, House Wine or Draft Beer
Salad Course: Brewer’s Alley
Heirloom Tomato Salad – Summer heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and honey balsamic syrup
Drink: Brewer’s Alley Beer or House Red or White Wine
Entree: Quynn’s Attic
Glazed Pork Tenderloin with mango chutney, asparagus, studded lemo orzo
and cilantro oil
OR
Pan seared filet of Tilapia in a lemon caper butter sauce with vegetable rice pilaf
Drink: Gabbiano Pinot Grigio, Paringa Merlot or Yuengling Beer
Dessert Course: VOLT
Textures of chocolate, mint frozen custard, chocolate caramel and organic raw cocoa
Drink: Coffee or Tea
Truly a progressive dinner! From really bad to really good. Can you just go to the last 2 courses?
Truly a shame they won’t offer a vegetarian entree. Looked promising, too.
Any dinner that starts at La Paz should be avoided. That’s like starting a wine tasting with Thunderbird or Ripple. LOL!
I read so many posts here bashing La Paz and it makes me wonder, is the owner aware of this? Do they just not care? If I owned a restaurant that was almost unanimously reviewed as bad, I would make changes. I went one time, had terrible service, spoke to the manager, and she really didnt care. I cant help but thinking a good majority of places closing due to the recession have done it to themselves (note: I am not talking about G. Hunters or Hennings.) La Paz will fail too if they continue to turn a blind eye to the problems that have been so overtly pointed out to them by patrons, on blogs, and in reviews. Credit to them for trying to participate in something but as it stands, isnt this just increasing the masses that will spread negative word of mouth after paying $85 for the progressive dinner and wasting a course at La Paz?
I don’t think everyone shares the same view of La Paz as a couple of the vocal commenters here. The place is rarely empty, has a great location, and while I will agree that the food is not necessarily stellar it’s not as bad as everyone makes it out to be either.
Best I can tell, La Paz is a love it or hate it kind of place (with me filing in the latter group). I have only been twice–both times at the old location–and have come away both times HIGHLY dissatisfied. One of those times, we sent our food back twice…twice!…because it was cold, only to finally have it reheated in a microwave. That, folks, is unacceptable. On both visits, however, the place was packed with patrons, so clearly they have some appeal. Go figure. They also consistently rank highly in Frederick Magazine’s annual reader polls, although I can’t can’t seem to wrap my fingers around that one.
Anyway, at least for the progressive dinner, LP is only serving apps. Courses 2-4 sound fantastic.
Well, Frederick Mag winners work very hard to get that ranking–they hand out surveys, ask folks to send it in, etc. It is so very far from an accurate read. Even people who actually like China Garden would have to admit it’s not the BEST Chinese food (wouldn’t they?). And Dutch’s Daughter? Really? It’s oKAY, I guess, but not the top.
La Paz has (or had, I went back once after they moved, just to see if they’d improved in the new location. but they’d gotten worse) good salsa and delicious chips. A fantastic place for a drink and snacks, then, but not so much with the dinner. And it always feels loud and crowded. It’s not the worst (Hello, Casa Rico!) but it’s sure not the best.
Guy, the bad rep of La Paz is hardly limited to a “couple of vocal commenters here.” It’s the informed opinion of a great many people in Frederick County–people who have lived or dined extensively in SoCal, Texas, Florida, and possibly visited Mexico and Central America. La Paz succeeds because of its killer location and because all too many regulars don’t know excellent Tex-Mex from bad. Call it the Britney Syndrome. In summer, it’s all about sitting outside under the sun, admiring the downtown, and drinking margaritas and beer.
Last time I went–per a client’s request–the kitchen served AMERICAN CHEESE on my enchiladas. One gal I recently bumped into wonders if La Paz serves “warmed over dog food.” A bit strong, but you get my point.
Frederick Magazine’s “Best of” awards are meaningless. Completely and utterly. The winners routinely have staff and friends stuff the ballot box, and really press customers to fill out the forms on location. Anyone in the know, knows this. And the salsa? The worst around. It’s just awful.
Sounds good to me!
Bummer to hear the salsa stinks, too. It once was fresh and cilantro-y.
Re: Paz, it’s pointless to bash a place because of what it’s not (“it’s not like Santa Fe!”). Well, duh. I wish we had an Italian place like the one in my old neighborhood in Paris, or curry like the place on Piccadilly in London, or French-style pizza. I like Paz for what it does offer, and for me, that is its margaritas and its guacamole. Sure it has its faults. But it also has among the best bartenders in town, low prices, and for now, the best patio (thank you, Paz, for making this non-smoking!). I’ve read lots of raves on this site for Quynn’s Attic, which is mystifying. My experience there after several attempts has been uniformly bad: poor service and inedible food. And expensive; for the same price I could have eaten at the Tasting Room! I go there no more. Maybe I just went on off nights — maybe those who have only tried Paz a couple of times had similar bad luck. I don’t know. (That said, I do agree Paz is not the best choice for the progressive dinner.)
WoW! We do have a bit of a mob mentality at work here when it comes to La Paz Restaurant. What’s the deal?
I agree with Jennifer in here comment that it may be less than the Mexican food served in Santa Fe, but for what it is…and for what it costs to go there, it’s good enough. The whole thing with everyone chiming in online here and bashing La Paz owner is a pretty funny when I stop by on a weekend and find hoards of people standing in and around the door waiting 30-60 minutes for a table! Honestly! Let’s get off their back and find something more interesting and accurate to say.
Annie,
You may call it ‘mob mentality’, I would simply call it a collection of negative feedback (which just happens to be shared by plenty). We are all a little smarter than to just follow the ‘mob’. We have visited the restaurant and are citing our experiences. If you are suggesting a conspiracy here, thats silly, we are for the most part completely anonymous bloggers who have never met nor dined with each other ever.
The great thing about this blog and any blog is the ability to provide feedback, good or bad, to the readers. The reader can take it for what its worth but its the opinion of the blogger and it should be welcomed as long as its not threatening or offensive. If you would prefer to read blogs that only say positive things about ‘La Paz’, perhaps you should ask the owner to create a blog on their website and moderate out all the negative critiques. My guess is that would take a good bit of time though. Its ok to disagree but not to ask people to silence their thoughts.
More accurate to say? LOL!!! The food is bad, the service is bad by most if not all accounts. The redeeming features pointed out above are the margaritas and the chips &salsa. A 30-60 minutes wait doesn’t make it good, just non-sensical.
Did I mention the Good Seasons Italian Dressing they put on the Fish Tacos?
They should be part of a progressive super bowl party, not a progressive dinner.
I don’t think the intent here is to bash La Paz, but to recount personal experiences. As I said earlier, I have been twice (both at the old location) and had terrible experiences both times. I’ll give any restaurant the benefit of the doubt once…on the chance it was just an off night. But if the second time is just as bad, then it’s over. No more business from me. Downtown Frederick has too many wonderful offerings to repeatedly waste my time and money on the same place that has disappointed time and again.
If others like them (and apparently many do), I think that’s great. I hope La Paz continues to thrive. I certainly wish no ill on any Frederick establishment.
Perhaps I missed something, but has La Paz ever claimed to be authentic Mexican food? I don’t think they have. Their food isn’t going to compare with an authentic Mexican place, but some of their dishes are tasty. Maybe my expectations for authenticity aren’t very high since we’re not even remotely close to Mexico.
La Paz’s salsa is different than most establishments, but I think it’s still good. I personally love their queso. Would you find it in Mexico? No, but it’s still good. Give the place a break — it obviously has a loyal following of some sort. The place is always busy for lunch and dinner.
I’ve also had great experiences at Quynn’s Attic — delicious food and excellent service. I think it takes a close second to The Tasting Room and is certainly more affordable than TR. We recently had a dinner party in their upstairs private room and the staff couldn’t have been more accomodating to our party. The past few times I’ve been there, it’s been more crowded, so I think they’re starting to catch on with local diners.
I honestly don’t know what they have or have not claimed. But if you name your restaurant after a geographic place, then I’d think people could rightfully expect food traditional to that place. I’m sure we can all think of many examples where that is NOT the case however.
That said, I don’t know if it’s named for La Paz, Mexico or La Paz, Bolivia. Anyone familiar with traditional Bolivian food?
Mark and AKH,
From the La Paz website, yes they do claim to serve mexican food. Not tex-mex but mexican… Maybe the key is they left out ‘authentic’
“La Paz offers fine Mexican food and drink…”
Their words, not mine or Mark’s.
I don’t know if it’s named after a place or not. I think La Paz translates to “the peace” or something like that.
Oh well, I guess it’s one of those places that you either love or hate. I really wish that Frederick would entice some new restaurants and new shops to make their home in our city.
Some of the downtown boutiques are really cute, but the mall is pitiful (with the exception of our new DSW — yea!).
I think we can all agree on that!
Just back from vacation and saw the progressive dinner blog. Was quite disappointed when I read that La Paz was on it. Well, maybe next time.
La Paz offers a dynamite outdoor venue for margaritas and mingling, but the “Mexican food” isn’t at all Mexican and can’t compare with even the mediocre Tex-Mex offerings in Montgomery County, much less the killer ones found in southern California or Texas. People on this site aren’t “bashing” La Paz, just offering their experiences. That’s what Chowhound.com is all about, and presumably FMO.
I don’t understand the “let’s be nice to La Paz because it’s downtown Frederick” mindset. Why should I be nice? Should I be nice about a retail store that has sucky merchandise and uninformed service? La Paz is the restaurateur’s equivalent of Value City.
Jennifer, you say you like La Paz for its guacamole and margaritas. What else? Since you question the “mob mentality” of those who don’t like La Paz, can you identify 10-15 food items on the La Paz menu that really jazz you? I would sincerely appreciate some inside tips.
Finally, I would agree with the suggestion that La Paz is hardly alone in serving such bland fare. But given its almost perennial winning of Frederick Magazine’s “Best of” awards, it is a legitimate target.
Monica, La Paz has been on the progressive dinner list at least twice.
Hi Matthew. I probably can’t name 10. When I find something I really like on a menu, I tend to order it again and again. Here’s what I get at Paz:
1. House marg, no salt
2. Guacamole
3. Bean and cheese enchilada (pintos, not refrieds) with lots of oozy cheese and lettuce on top, or
4. Veggie burrito (great crisp veg, and unusual whole-wheat burrito), or
5. Seafood enchilada (occasional special), or
6. Fish taco
Salads I’ve tried from time to time have also been quite good. I don’t eat meat, so can’t speak to the beef or chicken offerings. Since I’m there partly for the bar, I don’t care about the wait — as far as I’m concerned there is no wait; I have my margarita within 5 minutes of entering the building.
Paz is fast and cheap and easy on nights when we don’t want to have to think too hard; it’s also a 10-minute walk from my house. Lots of pluses for me, though I can understand if you’re driving anyway you might just as easily go to Bethesda where there’s more choice.
Just out of curiosity, what would YOU like to see as a progressive dinner?
Here’s mine
App: Hinode (Sushi)
Salad: Quynn’s Attic
Entree: Firestone’s (Cowboy Steak, WOW)
Dessert: Volt (Could be interesting)
Good idea ct! Hmmm…
Isabella’s: asparagus app
(2nd choice)Bombay Grill vegetable samosa app.
Cafe Nola:-salad
Hinode: Sea bass entree
Volt for dessert
In the same spirit as Matthew’s request about Paz, can someone offer tips for what’s best at Quynn’s Attic, both food and beverage? I’ve had nothing but bad luck there, the whole experience really disappointing. From other comments on this site, it seems this is not typical.
(BTW, I did not say anything about “mob mentality”)
I’m interested in the recommendations for Quynn’s Attic, too.
Re La Paz, I really think the most important factor in their success is that killer location with the patio tables next to the creek. It’s been enough to draw me there on several occasions when the primary idea was a great place for conversation over drinks on a summer’s evening. Beyond that, if somebody wanted something to accompany the drinks, they might even order a couple tacos or fajitas. But then, I ask myself: Doesn’t La Paz stay reasonably busy in the winter (no al fresco dining then) and during inclement weather? Maybe one explanation lies in the fact that Taco Bell has operated successfully for quite some time and apparently attracts a solid base of customers. For those whose tastes have primarily been shaped by Taco Bell or similar establishments, La Paz may represent a step up in taste and the “Mexican” dining experience.
FrederickFan, your explanation is better than any I’ve ever seen. Well done.
I’ve dined at Quynn’s a few times now and the food has been good. However, the first time my husband and I went together, he ordered a ahi tuna dish. Well, the portion was very small and should have been served as an appetizer, not as an entree. With apologies by the owner, he told me my husband’s next dinner was on him. We need to go back and get that free entree! Service has always been good and friendly. All the times I’ve been there, the tables have been filled.