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 malos tiempos You can almost hear Freddy Fender strumming "Before the Next Teardrop Falls." Cork N' Cleaver was it's original name, a red meat and red wine kind of place. Then North America discovered Mexican food and the location became a Cantina del Rio (Tavern by the Rio). Bob Evans, of down on the farm sausage fame, decided they needed to diversify and took over the site to launch their entry into south of the border cuisine. The restaurant had a four year solid following despite being almost impossible to find. High praise was given to the authenticity of the fare. Credit was given to their Corporate Chef Cheryl Davis whom Evans recruited from salsa maker Pace. The entire Cantina del Rio decor was imported from Mexico. It was styled after an existing family owned restaurant in south Texas. The Evans team spent weeks buying genuine southwestern items, boosting them across the border and installing them in the restaurant. The concept, however, never took off for the company and all of the Cantina del Rios were sold to Thomas and King, a large franchisee of Applebees. Thomas and King planned to turn the building into a Rio Bravo Cantina a successful lower 48 Mexican food venture. The conversion never got off the drawing board and the business was closed. Today the abandoned adobe style structure gathers weeds and graffiti behind a new Home Depot store. The destruction is highly visible from the east I-70 freeway, although no one can figure out how to get to the actual location. Last heard news on the building, an investment group desired to turn it into a "gentleman's" club. Local Reynoldsburg church groups struck that deal to the ground like an old wooden cross, before the first go-go pole could be installed. A “Coming Soon,” sign, mostly obscured by stylistic graffiti, sits at the entrance to the property. The once trendy Cantina, with its popular patio, has seen better days. Freddy Fender  click to play song again
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