By Alejandro Garza
If you look deep enough beyond the walls of Estrellita (little star) Grocery and Meat Market, there is more to it than just butchered meat. If you have never been to a restaurant in old Mexico or have only seen one in the movies, this as close you're going to get to the real thing; it's like stepping back in time.
Back in the corner of the market at 2100 S Fourth Ave. is a small Mexican restaurant with beautiful mariachi music playing in the background. The walls are lined with Spanish adobe color brick.
One Thursday night in February, just before the sun set and the day was starting to cool off, my wife and I decided to visit this hidden gem. As we sat down, we enjoyed the smell of fresh jalapeÒo, tomatoes and garlic roasting on a flat grill. We assumed, that they would be used for the next batch of fresh roasted salsa.
A few minutes after we sat down, an elderly Mexican lady came to our table with a big smile on her face and placed two paper menus in front of us -- nothing fancy, just plain black and white copies. Her skin wrinkled was as tough as leather, from all the years of hard labor. A tear came to my eye as the kindness in her voice reminded me of my own mother.
This is a true local papa y mama outfit. The husband runs the front of the store, the sons are butchers and the mother is the cook. This is perhaps one of the few that are still in existence. Most have been forced out of business by the fast-food chain restaurants that seem to be popping up all over Yuma.
My wife ordered a chicken torta and me a carne asada torta, which came with fries and a soda. The lady hurried away to bring us a batch of homemade fried tortilla chips and fresh salsa, which tasted delightful. The chips were still warm and crispy, and the salsa just spicy enough to awaken our pallets.
The music changed to a traditional type Mexican music, called ranchera, which dates back before the Mexican revolution. As we sat waiting for our meal and enjoying the music, we noticed the redwood bar and how it had an antique look.
A few customers came and went, looking for groceries and freshly butchered meat. My wife and I were the only ones there for dinner, though, except for the occasional to-go customer.
Our meal came quickly with another order of chips and salsa. It looked amazing, and indeed the crinkled fries were crispy, with a grilled yellow pepper and the torta cooked to perfection.
When we finished eating our meal, our hostess kindly asked us if everything tasted fine. We paid our bill, which was under $20, and then her husband and sons thanked us for coming, W stepped out into the beautiful evening, content of their customer service.
Photo by Alejandro Garza
