Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "ernestos"

Ernesto's Mexican Food celebrates 20 years

2011-11-08T02:17:30Z

Despite challenging times, Ernesto’s Mexican Food in Midtown will celebrate 20 years in business next week, and owner Pauline Jiménez said the key to success has been focusing on quality food and service.

“We’re a neighborhood restaurant,” Jiménez said. “I’ve lived in the community for 50 years, and I think for the past 20 years we have been a staple here, and we are still going strong.”

For 13 of the past 20 years, Jiménez said, Ernesto’s – located at 1901 16th St. – has been listed as best Mexican restaurant in Sacramento Magazine and has received other recognition in local contests.

The business opened Nov. 18, 1991 in a space that was best-known for a Chinese restaurant, The Golden Buddha, which operated for 40 years. A pizza restaurant was there for three years in between.

To celebrate the milestone, the restaurant is preparing a $20 prix-fixe menu for two people, which will include an appetizer, two entrées and dessert. The special menu will be available Nov. 17-19 starting at 6 p.m.

The local Mariachi Mi Tierra Mariachi band will perform each night starting at 6:30.

Tequila tastings will also be held during the celebration, with Jose Cuervo Tradicional tequila being used in all margaritas – without a price change.

“We partnered with Jose Cuervo, so people are getting the premium tequila for the same price for our anniversary,” Jiménez said.

The menu items have not yet been set, said Director of Operations Dani Jiménez-Pareja, granddaughter of Jiménez, adding that it will include several of the restaurant’s most popular items.

“Our carnitas are one of our most popular dishes,” she said. “A lot of people really like our tortilla soup, and the chili rellenos are good, too.”

Jiménez said that while the industrial section of the nearby neighborhood hasn’t changed too much, restaurants in the nearby blocks have come and gone.

“These times are tough,” Jiménez said. “We have had to look at places where we can save, but we don’t jeopardize the quality of our food, and we haven’t raised our prices in four or five years.”

Jiménez added that of the changes seen over the past two decades, most of them have had to do with the day-to-day running of the business, from remodeling the building after the first year to the advent of touch-screen computers for sending orders to the kitchen.

“We also made our food more healthy,” she said.

Jiménez-Pareja said eliminating trans fat and offering more healthy options with kids meals – such as fruit and vegetables – have all been recent changes in a trend toward more healthy eating, and more is coming.

“We’re working to have less sodium in the food,” she said. “That’s probably the next thing the health departments will focus on, and it just masks the flavor anyway. We’d rather have the natural flavor of the food come through.”

Jiménez said the natural flavors are key to the flavor palate of Mexican cuisine, and she only buys fresh ingredients, from local markets whenever possible.

“You get better food. It’s a healthier food when you get it fresh from the market,” Jiménez said.

Another change when vegetarianism became more widespread shortly after the restaurant’s opening was switching soup bases from chicken broth to vegetable broth.

Alyssa Bressen, a 23-year-old from Las Vegas, ate at the restaurant for the first time Monday afternoon. She came to Sacramento to visit relatives.

“These are seriously the best carnitas I’ve ever had,” she said. “They know how to do them right here.”

Sophie Bressem, a 49-year-old Sacramentan, said she thinks the chile verde is the best dish on the menu, and the restaurant is a place she takes family members and friends when they come to visit.

“I’ve been coming here for years,” she said. “I eat here at least once a month, if not more. It’s great food, a great atmosphere and it’s got great music.”

Jiménez said she enjoys the business, and even at age 74, she is happy to continue coming in to work every day, and she has done all the jobs except dishwashing and serving.

“I’ve been in the kitchen, I’ve bussed tables and I’ve hosted. In the early years, I had to do quite a bit, but now I don’t,” she said.

“It’s a tough business,” she added. “When people come to me and tell me they want to open a restaurant, I think they must be mad, but if you have the patience and the will, you can do it. I love coming to work every day, and I’ll keep doing it as long as I can.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Local Businesses Celebrate Mexican Independence

2009-09-16T03:36:37Z

Sept. 16 marks the anniversary of Mexican Independence Day, the date in 1810 when Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Mexican priest, held an early morning mass and rang the bell of his church to encourage his people to fight against Spain for their freedom. The call signaled the official beginning of Mexico's war for independence. While Hidalgo was captured and executed the next year, Mexico won the war a decade later and became its own country.

The event is often confused with Cinco de Mayo, which is more popular in America. This date commemorates the Battle of Puebla, which the Mexican army won against the French on May 5, 1862. It is mostly celebrated in the state of Puebla, and though some other regions recognize it, Mexican Independence Day is the true nationwide holiday for Mexico.

To acknowledge the most important moment in Mexican history, several Sacramento restaurants and businesses will be holding their own festivals. Many are celebrating the event all week long. Here are a few activities happening in our community to in honor of Mexico's Independence:

Popular Mexican restaurant Zocalo is hosting a celebration starting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

"We're starting the party then because the holiday falls on a weekday and we know people have to go to work the next day," manager Gabriel Rodriguez said of the night's expected liveliness.

Zocalo is also hiring a mariachi band, a band playing norteño-style music, and folklorica ballet dancers performing traditional numbers.

"There will be a professional jimador [a farmer who harvests and prepares agave plants] from Mexico who will do a demonstration on how to carve agaves and produce tequila," said Rodriguez.

The main event of the night is a tasting hosted by Herradura, which will feature the maker's top-shelf tequilas. Tickets for the event are $10. Tasters can also sample other brands from Zocalo's selection.

Ernesto's Mexican Food is celebrating from Monday through Wednesday. The downtown eatery is having drink specials and live mariachi performances on the day of the event. Margaritas made with Cazadores tequila are $7.

"We will also have girls from Tecate who will be handing out free prizes like shot glasses," said general manager Mel Barzola.

"While we are offering the drink specials those days, Wednesday is the major party with the music and dancing," said Barzola.

The restaurant has been celebrating Mexican Independence Day for almost all of its 18 years in business.

"It seems like most of the places are sort of doing their own thing and not really having one big festival together," added Barzola.

The local art scene is also joining the festivities. Private collector Larry Hoover will be opening his exhibition on Tuesday to coincide with the date. Hoover will be showing 30 masks from his his collection of 150 at La Raza Galeria Posada, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. ending on December 31.

The exhibit, called Sacred & Shared, will also host numerous programs for the public, including workshops and demonstrations by master mask makers and lectures about their craft.

The masks are from all over Mexico, demonstrating the diversity and widespread importance of the medium to the nation's culture.

Best Restaurants - a different take

2009-07-21T01:54:18Z

It's that time of year again - time for "Best Restaurants," brought to you by Sacramento Magazine.

After reading the readers' picks for each category, it made me wonder whether the results would be different for readers of The Sacramento Press. Our focus has been primarily on events and coverage of things in the Grid, whereas Sacramento Magazine covers a larger demographic including the suburbs.

There were four categories that stood out to me in Sacramento Magazine's Best Restaurants: Best Burrito, Best Pizza, Best Burger and Best Coffeehouse.

I live in the Grid and therefore have my own biases about restaurants that live in Downtown and Midtown. I prefer restaurants in this area to those found in the outlying areas. It would be interesting to see the results had it been limited to only restaurants in the Grid.

Best Burrito went to Chipotle, with Dos Coyotes coming in second and Ernesto's coming in third. Both Chipotle and Dos Coyotes are chains. The Grid has very few chain restaurants, and I wonder if the presence of chains amidst family-owned and unique Sacramento restaurants makes a difference in reader choice. Does the quality speak for itself?

Best Pizza went to Round Table. Granted, Chicago Fire and Zelda's picked up second and third place, but I wonder how a delivery-based chain is even allowed in the running. Did Hot Italian or Luigi's or Giovanni's make it in the top five?

For the category of Best Burger, there are quite a few restaurants that come to mind that did not make the top three. Jim Denny's, Whitey Jolly Cones and Nationwide Freezer Meats were all missing from page 115 for best burger. In-N-Out, however, took first place, the Squeeze Inn (deserving, in my opinion, one of the top three) made second and McDonald's placed third.

For Best Coffeehouses, Starbucks was voted first place, Peet's took second and It's a Grind made third. When I think of good coffeehouses, I think of the unique havens in the Grid. Temple comes to mind. So does Weatherstone and Naked Lounge. If I want ambiance and a coffee or tea that comes in a mug that was washed and that is reusable, I do not go to Starbucks. If I want free wi-fi that does not require a cellular account, I cannot go to Starbucks. If I want a swirled foam design on my latte, I will not go to a mass chain coffeehouse.

My coffee choices come from currently living in the Grid, although I did grow up in the suburbs.

After reading this list, I looked at Sacramento Magazine's website. At the bottom, it reads "Find the best that Sacramento, California has to offer at Sacramento Magazine Online. With fantastic features such as a restaurant guide, an entertainment and events calendar and monthly recipes, you’ll find everything you need to know about exciting Sacramento, California."

Now, I ask you - readers of The Sacramento Press - if you were to vote on Best Restaurants for The Sacramento Press (in the Grid), which ones would make your top three for best burrito, pizza, burger and coffeehouse?