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| Photo by Anna Axelson, May 2011 |
“Making your way in the
world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see, our
troubles are all the same. You wanna be where everybody knows your name.
You wanna go where people know,
people are all the same, you wanna go where everybody knows your name.
Making your way in the world today
takes everything you've got; taking a break from all your worries sure would
help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away?”
- “Where
Everybody Knows Your Name” (Cheers theme song) written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo
Whether
the song pops into your head, you faintly hear the echo of a rounding cheer
calling “Norm” somewhere off in the not-so-distant past, or the reference goes
flying over your head like esoteric humor occasionally does, the lyrics ring
true. It’s a good sign of any
establishment for them to acknowledge and welcome regular customers; not just
remembering a name, but remembering the person.
When
I think of a place that for me, IS that place, it is Mazatlan Mexican
Restaurant, in Oregon City. Mazatlan has
been the home to many celebrations over the years, from prom night, to birthdays
and anniversaries, to even honoring a lost loved one with a now traditional
“Duck Fart”. For me, it’s a home away
from home that always can be relied upon to provide a good meal, a strong
drink, and a friendly atmosphere.
When
I walk in, and a smiling employee shows me to a comfortable seat and delivers a
bowl of warm, freshly made tortilla chips, homemade salsa, refried beans and
menu with a wide variety of dining choices. For those not in the know, appetizers
range between $5 and $11, and include choices like nachos, taquitos, flautas
and Mexican pizza. Entrees range between $7 and $16 and include Mazatlan
specials, soups, fajitas, burritos, chimichangas, tostadas, and salads. You can
even find a delightful selection of seafood here.
It
isn’t long before one or both of the owners, brothers Isidro and Vidal Sanchez,
come my way with a grin, a hand shake, and a quick witted comment that remind
you that it isn’t just your name that they remember. They’re social and happy to take a moment to
chat about everything from the weather, how school is going, a mutual love of
pets, the high quality of their food, and boasting about the past, present, and
future accomplishments of their adored L.A. Lakers.
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| Photo by Anna Axelson, May 2011 |
After
a drink has been consumed and the menu once again perused, it’s time to
order. Occasionally, I step out of my
usual comfort zone of the very reasonably priced happy hour menu, which
includes many of your typical happy hour menu cast members, along with a few
taco and burrito values that will knock your socks off. Their entrees are
tantalizing, the list featuring a number of obviously popular specials, one of
which became a quick favorite of mine, the Carne Asada.
Every
time I order it, I am a happy camper as I sit salivating and twiddling my
thumbs in anticipation. A huge platter
arrives, crushing your notion of what a portion size should be, adorned with a beautifully
cooked skirt steak, which according to their menu is “broiled in a special way”
creating a savory feast of flavors that I have yet to find an accurate comparison
to. Accompanying the steak are healthy
servings of rice, cheesy refried beans, a helping of guacamole, and pico de
gallo (also known as salsa fresco; a fresh, uncooked salsa which like so many
things on their menu, is made in house). Topping the mouthwatering presentation,
the pièce de résistance, are always a few green onions, grilled
whole, and a jalapeno pepper adorned with a light kiss of char.
My
mom, a frequent dining companion of mine, tends to relish in Mazatlan’s briny
offerings of the sea with a seafood soup.
She too percolates with giddiness as she watches the waitress nearing
with her banquet in a bowl. Served in a
massive margarita glass, with a side dish of crackers to join the community
swim, it is a divine cross-section of aquatic wildlife soaking in tomato based
bisque. A happy giggle often passes her
lips as that glass is placed before her in presentation and she lifts her spoon
for that first taste, savoring of the sapidity of it all.
I
dig in with vigor and am usually quite happily surprised. Not only are the
flavors oozing of that notorious umami sensation, but I ask for medium-rare,
and I receive medium-rare; a good sign of any chef, let alone any
restaurant. Even the rice is a pleasant
surprise, a golden brown, properly seasoned and a prime balance between too wet
and too dry.
Grunts
and murmurs ensue, telling of a meal too precious to interrupt with
inconsequential words. A bare plate or a
full gullet is the only relief in sight, and race worth running until all you
have left is the sucking of the last bit of flavor from your fingertips and a
snifter glass of ice cubes sitting lonely beside your plate.
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| Photo by Anna Axelson, May 2011 |
Speaking
of an empty glass, a happy companion to the cuisine concocted within the
Mazatlan walls is its beverages. Home to
a full bar, with a specialty niche consisting of a vast collection of tequilas
(as you should expect from any good Mexican restaurant), bartenders are always
happy to make you the cocktail of your choice or one of the many featured daily
specials.
However,
something to keep in mind if you want a drink made “the right way” ask for
Isidro (a self proclamation, of course) because he’ll always treat you right
and serve something that is certainly worth paying for even to the extent of
stocking a slightly obscure spirit like Blue Tarantula tequila, just because a
single patron (my mother, to be exact) desires it, or in my case, when I order
a well whiskey, I typically receive the liquid jewel that is Jim Beam at no
increased cost.
The
owners and staff have done a inspired job creating a warm environment while
serving good food at a fair price. They
frequently visit tables of regulars and newcomers alike, and lightly socialize
while never loitering to the point of intrusion, ensuring everyone is satisfied
with their meals and is never in want or need of a single thing.
When
I asked, Isidro proudly admitted that 90 to 95 percent of the food is prepared
on site, with hopes and aspirations of gaining on those last few percent in the
future including taking over production of the coveted tortillas. The time and effort put into it, reflects in
the quality of the food, service, and smiles you find once passing through those
doors. Something that, as rumor has it,
can’t be found at the chain’s other locations though I can’t speak from
personal experience.
All
of this is proof positive that if you treat your customers’ right, they’ll come
back. Also, if those customers come back
and you don’t just treat them right, you treat them special, they’ll spread the
word just as I have here and just as you may do if you give them a chance. I am constantly looking for a reason to go
there, to take new people there, and to try and disprove the reputation that
the other branches of this chain have attached to the Mazatlan name. Let this be known: if I ever start a
restaurant some day, I will take my first leads from Isidro and Vidal Sanchez,
because they are obviously doing something right in the great wide realm that
is customer service. Good food makes it
worth going; good people make it worth coming back.
