Recently closed Johnson County restaurant relaunching as new concept
Session Taco closed its Leawood Park Place location in mid-March after less than two years at the spot.
But owner Adam Tilford and his chef brother, Jason Tilford, aren’t ready to give up on the 11563 Ash St. space just yet.
In July or August, they’ll relaunch the location as a full-service, modern Mexican restaurant called Lapez Mod Mex.
Adam thinks a sit-down, slightly more upscale spot will be a little more conducive to the neighborhood than its casual predecessor.
He hesitates to call it high-end, but its entrees will land in the $20s and $30s.
Park Place is home to several upscale, sit-down restaurants: Bamboo Penny’s, Aqua Penny’s, Plate Italiano Moderno, and more.
“(Session Taco) doesn’t play as well there. Hindsight is 20/20,” Adam said. “Looking back at the other restaurants there that are successful, they’re more destination locations.”
Lapez is modeled after the Tilfords’ former St. Louis spot, Milagro Modern Mexican, where they first made a splash in the restaurant scene in 2010.
The brothers opened Session Taco — called Mission Taco Joint before a trademark lawsuit forced them to change last year — in St. Louis in 2013.
Session has built a customer base at its locations in St. Louis and Kansas City’s Crossroads (409 E. 18th St.).
What does Lapez mean? Nothing, said Adam. But after a trademark lawsuit, that’s intentional.
The Tilfords are replacing the bright colors and loud decor with softer colors and fancier dishware. Some minor remodeling will also help cozy up the Leawood space. It’ll be more knife-and-fork entrees than handhelds.
“It’s not order-by-number Mexican food,” Adam said.
Menu items will include shrimp al pastor (jumbo prawns, achiote butter, smoked pineapple, coconut rice, grilled chayote), chile braised short ribs (mole negro, roasted poblano polenta) and carne asada (wood grilled prime steak, huitlacoche butter, chile mashed potatoes).
The goal is more complexity beyond the run-of-the-mill Tex-Mex offerings.
“People need to know that Mexican food isn’t just rice and beans and cheese sauce,” Adam said. “There’s a rich history with Mexican cuisine and ingredients that don’t show up at many other Mexican restaurants.”