Mr. Juan’s Gringo Grill gets gringo stamp of approval

Kathy Mader

I think we all know that birthdays, especially later birthdays,

get you to wondering, thinking about all the really important things

in life, and asking yourself: Are they really important? Well, I’ve

been thinking and perhaps it’s time I addressed some of those top

priorities right away.

Mexican food. There’s one. We go to the same two restaurants all

the time, one is average and the other is the kind of heavy-duty

stuff that you shouldn’t be eating more than twice a year. So we’ve

been looking for an alternative. My brother suggested we venture over

to Mr. Juan’s Gringo Grill, on the corner of Fairview Road and Wilson

Street, after he went to a wedding rehearsal dinner where Mr. Juan’s

was the caterer. He loved it.

The fact that this restaurant is also a favorite of our friend

Laura, born and raised in Mexico, gave us even more incentive to

check it out. And check it out we did. This Gringo Grill now has our

gringo stamp of approval as “muy bueno.”

First, a little history. Mr. Juan’s has been under its current

management for the last two years. It is co-owned by Chris and Karen

Williams -- they are parents, surfers and restaurant owners; maybe

even in that order -- and Carlos Hernandez, who served as head chef

at Las Brisas for 20 years. Carlos, when asked if he had anything he

would like to especially mention in this article, simply said, “We

invite everyone to come.”

The invite is official ... you should go. Why? Let’s start with

the lobster and shrimp tacos. No, let’s start with how just plain

cute the restaurant is. I had a completely different idea of what

this place was when I used to drive by it on my way to work. When I

walked in for the first time, the interior, surfing meets Mexico’s

finest and brightest, was only my initial surprise. Whoever designed

it knows how to create a feeling, and the feeling here is beach

comfort and Mexican hospitality.

The walls are splashed in either Pacific blue or a sunlight gold,

with a colorful vine that runs around the restaurant. The tables are

covered in royal blue, but it is the chairs that I love best. Each

one seems to be different, carved in a rustic way and painted in the

varying bright festival colors that I associate with the very best of

Mexico. All of it says “Welcome” and “relax.” There are, of course,

several odes to surfing, my favorite being the smallish fountain of a

surfer riding that ultimate wave, which you see as you walk in the

door.

So on to those tacos. There is a sign above the ordering counter

that gave me some of the most profound and useful advice I have

received in a long time. “Buy Tacos.” And buy them we did.

We started with Hannah’s -- a sweetie who has worked at Mr. Juan’s

only several months but is already happy to say, “It is so nice to

work for something you really believe in and promote it honestly” --

favorite, the calamari taco ($2.50). Spicy strips of grilled calamari

with chunky tomato salsa and guacamole. Simple and good.

My favorite was without a doubt the shrimp taco ($2.75); the same

marinade and condiments as the calamari but with some serious shrimp.

Mercifully, these ain’t no “bay” shrimp. These shrimp are contenders

for the big time. I unfortunately cannot say how they compare with

the lobster tacos because the lobster shipment did not show up on

this particular day. But if the lobster tacos are even in the same

ballpark, then we are in the pennant race.

We also tried the flavorful carne asada bowl ($4.75), marinated

beef over beans, rice and lettuce topped with pico de gallo.

Interesting side note, pico de gallo basically means beak or mouth of

the chicken, named after the somewhat pursed face a gringo makes when

something is a bit spicy or hot. I like that.

You can also order the bowls with blackened mahi mahi, calamari,

shrimp, chicken or carnitas. In addition to some of the average

gringo’s usual favorites -- nachos, quesadillas and fajitas -- Mr.

Juan’s has a long list of combination plates that includes all the

mariscos , a.k.a. shellfish, as well as chile verde ($6.95), pork

simmered in a tangy tomatillo (green chile) sauce. I won’t go on

because it is making me hungry, but I guarantee you will find

something you like. Better yet, you’ll find something you don’t even

yet know that you like.

Mr. Juan’s has a terrific Mexican breakfast menu, terrific because

it has my very favorite, the hard to find chilaquiles ($4.25) --

fresh tortilla chips sauteed with red salsa, topped with green salsa

and eggs, either scrambled or poached. While you are eating that,

read the rest of the breakfast menu for next time.

While we were eating, we heard a couple of young guys tell Hannah

that, “Dude, this place blows away [that other fish taco place].” We

agree.

* KATHY MADER’s dining reviews appear every other Thursday.