Unlucky Devils

It's always sad to see the decline of a good restaurant. More than once, I have witnessed a much loved eatery decline into mediocrity, and it's never fun.

I was a big fan of Lucky Devils when it first opened, with their juicy burgers, perfectly cooked fries and luscious, toasted pecan shake. I stopped going for multiple reasons, including the shrinking shake but also the inconvenient lack of high chairs once I had a high chair bound child. I recently went back a few weeks ago and was sorely disappointed.

The once great fries were now salted to death. The shake remains small but now also had a somewhat sour taste that was unpleasant and seemed to have less of a toasted pecan taste as well. The burgers were fine and the cobbler with frozen custard was still very good. Gone from the menu was one of my favorite desserts, the Kentucky Cream Cake.

In addition, the place itself doesn't look great. I'm not sure if they are in the process of remodeling or have just let it fall apart. There are parts of the walls which appear to be stripped of paint. The old TVs which ran a montage of extreme sport and nature shots have been replaced by regular TVs playing basketball games. In other words, the aesthetic, along with the food, has suffered.

The patronage has, as you might expect, dropped off. I went on a Thursday night and the place was empty. There was one other person there, a solo diner, during any part of our meal. The economy you say? Perhaps, but Loteria Grill, only two doors down, was packed on that same night.

I guess nothing goes on forever, but I will always remember the toasted pecan shake the way it was meant to be.