I had lunch at Ojos Locos and didn't spontaneously combust

DOWNEY – The tacos were terrible.

Yes, I know, nobody goes to Ojos Locos for the food. But please let me vent.

The carne asada was unseasoned and the tortillas raw. The sole purpose of the accompanying refried beans is apparently to keep you from choking on the steak.

Strangely, the Spanish rice tasted like literal nothing. I took a covid test to make sure it wasn’t me. Nope, negative. It was the rice. Is this what baby food tastes like?

To be fair, my colleague Alex Dominguez ordered a cheeseburger and fries and it looked tasty. It resembled an entrée you’d be served at Red Robin or Chili’s. Maybe on a Thursday night hanging out with the fellas, a baseball game on the TV.

In fact, that’s how I would describe Ojos Locos: a Chili’s but with women. Flirtatious, attractive, scantily-clad women who leave little to the imagination.

You’d be mistaken if you think they are just eye candy. They were hustling – taking orders, balancing plates, serving food, refilling drinks and checking on customers. My food may have been terrible but that was no fault of the women.

Still, as I sat inside Ojos Locos and tried to keep my gaze at eye level, I was bothered by a nagging question that I struggled to answer: why did Ojos Locos choose to open in Downey?

For years and years Downey residents have openly longed for a Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or Sprouts. And for years and years we have been rejected. It’s not for lack of opportunity. I’m not a commercial realtor but the former Vons in north Downey looks like an ideal location for an upscale grocery store. What used to be Big Lots across from the mall has Trader Joe’s written all over it.

Ojos Locos, to their credit, had no problem investing a huge amount of money to open a restaurant here.

What makes Downey desirable to Ojos Locos but not Trader Joe’s?

Is it our demographics? Downey likes to think of itself as upper middle class but the truth is that the vast majority of us live paycheck to paycheck. Many residents are renters or millennials still living with their parents, priced out of the housing market. Disposable income isn’t as disposable as it once was.

The L.A. Times referred to Downey as the “Mexican Beverly Hills,” illustrating Downey’s identity crisis. The public mocks Downey as a city that aspires to be like Beverly Hills. We like to pretend that we’re affluent when we’re actually blue collar. We may be the nicest city in Southeast Los Angeles County but what is that worth? Not much for the Whole Foods of the world.

Ojos Locos is going to enjoy phenomenal success in Downey. What does that say about us?