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| - Stopped in here for lunch just today, having put this spot on my radar thanks to other Yelpers. The best way to put this place is just to say that if Fuel Pizza died tomorrow and was reborn Mexican-style it would look a lot like Pure, only with a higher price tag.
Basically the inside has the same (if not modernized) feel of a Fuel. An old Pure Oil sign adorns the back wall, while empty cans of old-school oil are intermixed along the bar wall with the (impressive) selection of tequilas available. Lots of windows and slide-down garage door walls make for an open-feeling environment. The bar has the ubiquitous plasma big screens showing sports and is lined with a number of stools. The kitchen area is also open to the dining room, bringing the cooks right out to the people.
Chips and salsa arrived with the drinks. These were good- salsa had just a hint of smokiness to it without being overboard on anything. Chips were properly salted with some exercise of restraint.
The menu is basically a number of taco plates and entrees. Taco varieties include, fish, shrimp, short rib, carne asada, and pork. All plates come with 3 tacos and mexican rice with a choice between black beans, refried beans and charros. The fish and shrimp come fried normally, but my server said we could have either grilled, despite the fact this was not on the menu. Entrees range the gamut from salads to enchiladas to a grilled hanger steak with jalapeno mac n cheese.
I opted for the fish tacos. The meal arrived swiftly and was fairly good. I found my tilapia to be a slightly over-fried and the amount of slaw placed on top of each taco was a bit overwhelming. I did appreciate the soft taco shells which I believe are made in house- they were just thick enough to hold everything together and absorb the sauces, include the verde sauce that came with my plate. In a rare pleasure, I also enjoyed the mexican rice and the charros. The rice had a bit of flavor from what looked to be a little bit of sausage thrown in.
So here's the query for Pure- what kind of restaurant does it want to be? Meals range from about $9 - $13 and there was no lunch menu. The only menu is a single double-sided laminated card that, while sufficient, feels inconsistent with a sit down restaurant at these prices. Paper napkins and t-shirts for sale in the windows scream more of a casual restaurant where you can drop in or take out- like a Moe's or other tacqueria on Central Ave. The idea of a hostess station at the front end further seems out of place.
Tip for those who go after me: It was only I ate that the server told me I could have ordered single tacos of the different varieties in an a-la-carte fashion. This is not on the menu and the pricing in nowhere to be found. I likely would have done this had it been obvious as the full plate of three tacos was a bit much for lunch.
To me, either Pure needs to go all in and become a sit down restaurant with the normal amenities (including look and feel) that come with their current price tags, or they need to break the menu down and go more casual so that folks can order bits and pieces as they see fit.
I see a lot of promise here as there are obvious efforts to get beyond your regular mexican fare and try to put some interesting flavors together. Even their margarita menu held some promise with a prickly pear offering, among many others. I'm likely to return the next time my travels take me out to Matthews, but I'll hope to see some different options for informal dining that don't include their more formal pricing.
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