Cavernous Hell's Kitchen Tex-Mex canteen El Original got pounded by the critics earlier this year, and now, one of the major players has parted ways with the restaurant. Lisa Fain, the writer behind popular James Beard Award-winning blog Homesick Texan, announces her departure on Twitter:
I've decided to end my relationship with El Original. We're still good friends, however, and I wish them well.
— Lisa Fain (@homesicktexan) October 19, 2015
Fain wrote the menu and trained the kitchen staff, and she also did a lot of press related to the opening. Back in April, Fain told Gothamist: "I'm just pinching myself that people are finally—at my restaurant and other places that are opening—getting to enjoy excellent Tex-Mex." After a first visit, Eater senior critic Robert Sietsema wrote: "Like many restaurateurs in the city, it seems like the crew at El Original simply doesn’t trust New Yorkers with chiles, despite abundant evidence to the contrary."