Rudy’s Mexican Restaurant, 1122 N. Edison St., will close its doors and reopen as Vagabond. Since 2001, Rudy’s Mexican Restaurant operated in its current location. It will close on Sunday, Dec. 7 and reopen four days later.

"We decided that we wanted to combine the overlapping worlds of dining and drinking to create a new twist on street tacos and a new entertainment option." says Matt Schmidt, director of operations.

Vagabond’s atmosphere – created by Flux Design – will combine Airstream campers, retro speakers and boom boxes with elements of stainless steel, corrugated metal and reclaimed wood.

Vagabond’s menu will feature tacos, tortas and burritos created by executive chef Ramses Alvarez. Street tacos are the menu’s main focus and will include orizaba brisket, pollo rostizado and kung pow shrimp options.

"The inspiration was to step outside conventional methods which gave us the freedom to try different ingredients and cooking techniques," says Schmidt.

Vagabond will be open daily at 11 am for lunch and dinner.

Anyone remember when Rudy’s was next door to La Fuente?

On a side note, the shift in Mexican food offerings has certainly changed over the years and moved from the massive combination platters to a pick-and-choose "street taco" menu that was available at the now-defunct COA and the Bel Air Cantinas. Interesting.