When Arlington Mexican restaurant Campo Verde closed earlier this year, after an impressive 40-year run, many longtime customers shrieked in horror, while others undoubtedly asked, \u201cWell, what took so long?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Few restaurants had caused as much divisiveness as this insanely unique Tex-Mex joint on Pioneer Parkway. Decorated year-round in Christmas lights, it had become an institution for many North Texans, its blitzkrieg of colorful, twinkling lights bringing smiles to faces of all ethnicities and ages at all times of year; even in the dead of summer, when it was 102 degrees out, it was Christmas at Campo Verde.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A model train mounted to the wall brought even more happiness, as the train cars zoomed from one end of the dining room to the other \u2014 a simple toy transformed into a mesmerizing spectacle.<\/p>\n
But Campo Verde, as its critics attest, had many problems, starting with the food \u2014 bland, unimaginative, it was called \u2014 and extending to the very thing that others loved: the decor. Some found it too kitschy and over the top, while others wondered, aloud and online, when was the last time the lights had been cleaned? Or the floors for that matter?<\/p>\n
Arlington-based chef Mouhssine \u201cMoose\u201d Benhamacht, like many, had mixed emotions when the restaurant closed in January. On one hand, the chef who opened Arlington\u2019s wildly popular Cafe Americana knew the food had gone downhill and that the place was in dire need of a major cleaning. On the other hand, Campo Verde meant so much to so many people, he hated to see it go.<\/p>\n
Looking for a new project, Benhamacht and his partner, Liesl Best, decided to take over the restaurant. But not just take it over. They wanted to redo it. But not just redo it. They wanted to reimagine it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would not have made any sense to us to just reopen it the way it was,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was in bad shape. It needed to be completely redone. But we also wanted to put our spin on it, and that meant doing things a little differently than they\u2019d been done before.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Reopened in early June, Benhamacht and Best\u2019s reincarnation of Campo Verde barely resembles its previous self. The restaurant is now bright and airy, filled with gorgeous flowers and plants, some cool art here and there, all new floors, all new kitchen equipment \u2014 and of course, all new Christmas lights.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But the two, wisely, scaled back on the lights. They\u2019re still a major presence, but they\u2019re not as in-your-face \u2014 and in your hair and in your way \u2014 as they used to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely more tasteful now,\u201d Best says. \u201cI think there are just enough to appease the people who know and love the lights while also not overdoing them. Now they look like they have a purpose, as opposed to this jungle of lights you once had to walk through.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The menu, too, got an upgrade. In addition to classic Tex-Mex fare, the two have added more upscale dishes, such as steak flambe, cilantro lime grilled salmon, garlic-tequila shrimp, a fried snapper sandwich, and seasonal salads. For dessert, there\u2019s freshly made RumChata cheesecake and tres leches dotted with Biscoff.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Another point of contention at Campo Verde has focused on, oddly enough, one dish: queso. Offered free with chips and salsa, the queso was often cited as the best thing about Campo Verde \u2014 and, toward the restaurant\u2019s end, the worst thing about it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe recipe had changed over the years, and people did not like it,\u201d Benhamacht says. \u201cIt\u2019s been crazy \u2014 people have been like, \u2018Are you going to change the queso back?\u2019 \u2018Bring the old queso back.\u2019 Out of all the things people could be asking about, most of the questions and feedback have been about the queso.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Currently, the restaurant offers three quesos: a straightforward queso, another with chorizo, and another with brisket and hatch chiles. On June 28, the restaurant will host a queso-tasting event in which one of those three will be deemed, by customers, the official Campo Verde queso.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought we\u2019d have a little bit of fun with something that people feel so passionate about,\u201d Best says.<\/p>\n
The model train is rolling again, too, after years of either lying dormant or in disrepair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe guy who worked on the original train somehow heard that we were reopening the restaurant, and he reached out to ask if we needed help with the trains and tracks,\u201d Best says. \u201cWe don\u2019t know anything about model trains, so of course we loved the idea of him coming back to get it going again.\u201d The train now circles the entire restaurant, from one room to another, just like it did years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we love about this restaurant and this project is how much happiness it brings to people,\u201d Benhamacht says. \u201cIt\u2019s not just a restaurant, it\u2019s a place where people grew up. People brought their kids here, and now those kids are bringing theirs \u2014 and they all want to see the Christmas lights. That\u2019s why we decided to reopen it \u2014 it means so much to the community.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n