OPINION —
Although it doesn’t seem possible, Feb. 18 will mark the fifth anniversary of this column. Six years ago, if anyone had told me one day that I would have a column in The Observer, I would have said, “You’re crazy!” However, this is column number 180 or 181 (as a retired English teacher, I’m bad at math, and I accidentally miscounted).
As I’ve mentioned numerous times, Mike and I are retired school teachers. We loved teaching our kids; however, teaching takes a lot of energy and stamina. We noticed in our last few years as educators that we were running out of steam.
Mike and I looked forward to retirement, thinking we’d travel, meet new people in our community, sleep late, join OLLI and do pretty much as we pleased.
Unfortunately, our retirement was not like that at all, except for sleeping later. We retired on May 28, 2020, near the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, we didn’t travel or meet new people.
“Writing Our Lives,” taught by Dr.Terry C. Ley, my favorite professor of all time, and Cathy Buckhalt, a well known educator, were on Zoom.
Like everyone else in the world, we could only go to the grocery store, pharmacy and doctors’ appointments. However, in February 2021, things started looking up for Mike and me.
Michelle Key, my boss and owner/publisher of The Observer, hired me to write a restaurant review column. As a retired English teacher, I named it Making the Grade. I love to eat; now I would be eating, writing about it and getting paid. What a deal!
This column has been such a blessing to me, and I have had a blast writing it. But I digress.
Recently, a church family member from Central Baptist Church told me that her children only dined at one Mexican restaurant in Lee County: Acapulco’s Mexican Grill, which is located at 1409 S. College St. in Auburn.
By the way, as I’ve mentioned several times in this column, Central Baptist Church of Opelika, is a warm and loving church. Therefore, if you are looking for a church, please visit us. Sunday School is at 9 a.m., and our church service is at 10 a.m.
An added bonus — since we get out at 11 a.m., we beat the Methodists, Presbyterians, other Baptists, etc. to lunch or dinner. But I digress again.
Acapulco’s Mexican Grill has been in Auburn since about 1989. Lorenzo Reyes, who lives in Auburn, bought the restaurant in 2008.
I loved Acapulco’s Mexican Grill’s upbeat, attractive interior. I especially liked the colorful pictures painted on the chair backs: toucans, lizards and the sun. Brandon, our server, was very kind, attentive and patient.
Mike and I ordered a large cheese dip; it was delicious, and I managed not to drip it on myself or the table. That had to be Jesus. I drip and drop everything.
For his entrée, Mike chose the beef burrito, which had beans and cheese dip.
I selected fajitas quesadillas with chicken, my favorite Mexican dish. It was served with lettuce, sour cream and guacamole.
Everything was amazing. I had to make myself stop eating so that I would still fit in the car. Also, Mike had no trouble cleaning his plate.
Besides our tasty choices, Acapulco’s Mexican Grill offers diners a large selection of appetizers, salads, soups, sandwiches, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, nachos, quesadillas, seafood and tacos.
Trust me, visit Acapulco’s Mexican Grill. You will be very happy that you did.
Acapulco’s Mexican Grill is open on Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
To anyone who reads this column, this review was for you. Thank you for five years of fun.
Acapulco’s Mexican Grill makes the grade with an A+ from this retired English teacher. Remember, “Pooh-sized” people NEVER lie about food! Enjoy!
Stacey Patton Wallace, who retired from teaching language arts for 30 years, is a professional diner. Her column, “Making the Grade,” will appear every other week in The Observer. Stacey may be reached at retiredlangartsteacher2020@gmail.com.
