52nd City

RIP/MIA: Happy Taco

In the past two days, the Riverfront Times and the Post-Dispatch have both highlighted the Lifestyles Cafe, located in that not-quite-Skinker-DeBalivere netherworld between the West End and the Loop. And in the each case, the new vegetarian/soul menu got qualified good marks.

Our question, though, is what became of the Happy Taco business sign? For the better part of the decade, the space sat vacant, but the friendly Happy Taco mascot (best described as a... happy.... mmm, taco) maintained a lit presence on Delmar. Remarkably, no foul child had ever thrown a rock, brick or other smashing device into the whimsical, an amazing enough thing.

But did the good folks at Lifestyles simply scrap the Taco sign? Or did some civic imp make off with it before it fell into the alley's bulk-pickup rotation? If there was a sign anywhere in the City that needed to be freed, this was it.

Here's hoping that's the case. Sometimes theft isn't only called for, it should be actively encouraged. We'll miss you, Happy Taco, unless you're... somewhere.