I’m about ready to pack my bags and join the Occupy Wall Street protests because it is hitting home now. Yeah, I got laid off a couple of years ago and my unemployment ran out ages ago. Whatever. Today was the day I began to weep for America. No matter that large companies are failing right and left – today, Casa Bonita, a Denver cultural icon, is in jeopardy. The parent company has filed for bankruptcy protection. I know this will devastate scores of Denver residents, most of all my brother-in-law John. Seldom has a man loved a restaurant as much as John loves Casa Bonita.
The company is unable to pay a large legal bill. I have not been able to find the explanation for the $723,489 judgment but I like to think it has something to do with the cliff divers. Yes, you read that correctly. Casa Bonita has cliff divers. But that’s not all. There are arcade games and occasionally, children can win stale candy. The restaurant boasts features that no one, not even Chucky E. Cheese, can equal, including:
- Cliff divers (yes, I know I already mentioned this, but when was the last time you saw an thirty-foot indoor cliff?)
- Sketches performed by veteran actors
- Cheez whiz tacos
- Margaritas made with pure phlegm
- People in gorilla suits running around through the restaurant
- Traveling minstrels
- And, best of all, it’s a giant pink castle
Mexican food rarely reaches the heights found in the giant pink castle. The owners have found a way to marry the flavor of Velveeta with the textural qualities of wallpaper paste. I have been to Casa Bonita multiple times and I can say, with all sincerity, that it’s right up there with the best Mexican-style cafeterias in the country.
Casa Bonita has some cultural fame due to SouthPark. It was immortalized in the Season 7, Episode 11 of the show. If you’ve seen that episode, you might remember thinking “There is no way that is real. Not even Las Vegas can manufacture this kind of glamour.”
It is not fiction. My husband even has a Casa Bonita Dive Team t-shirt.
The parent company is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, so hopefully things will sort out. I’m sure celebrities across the globe will rally to save this cultural landmark. If you haven’t been Casa Bonita, I advise you to make plane reservations immediately. You can stay at our house as long as you promise not to bring home leftovers. The parent company is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, so hopefully things will sort out.
