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Los
Gables |
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Never under-estimate the
richness of small town restaurateurs. |
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I
am tired. It is 5 pm. I am just leaving The
trick of parenting teenage athletes is devising clever distractions and
activities for you and the other children while “killing time” in remote
locations. This to avoid driving all over the country and back in the taxi
business. Through
the years, we have become trusted patrons of open-late libraries, long and
winding bike trails in the summer and relaxed-atmosphere restaurants that
allow us to linger just a little longer than normal. One
such dining establishment is Los Gables in
Fountain, MN. Fortunately for my family, we all share a love of
Mexican-based dishes. From the road, this charming building appears to be its
own island with a circular driveway acting as the protective moat. Inside,
are brightly-colored chairs and walls, with a lot of décor to look at. When
you go, see if you can find the flip flops strategically placed. Email us if you spot them! During
our last visit, we had no less than 2 hours of unformatted time to get
creative with. My young son and I leisurely walked in, visited with our
favorite waitress and ordered. This only after a slow-paced nibble on chips
and salsa. I told Becky (aforementioned favorite waitress) “take your time”
and she was more than happy to oblige. This particular night was on the eve
of our first hunker-down winter event and business was slow. Julie,
the owner, cook, server, extraordinaire, sat with us and explained that she
would be soon decorating the annual holiday cactus with strings of lights for
all to see. During our lazy chat, she decided that it would be good
entertainment to do the light-stringing now with the help of my little guy.
Perfect distraction for a 6 year old! That
night, we enjoyed our made-to-order chimichangas
and burritos and reveled in the comfort of the home-style surroundings in
this sweet little restaurant, miles from home. I would be remiss if I did not
rave about the home made salsas – there are 3 heat levels. And
the food – delicious and open for discussion. Julie likes to hear about her
menu and entertains the diner in whatever modification you can throw at her.
My daughter initially commented that the chicken quesadillas were too bland
for her. The addition of onions, garlic and a dash of salt made all the
difference. The baseline dishes are made with limited spice, as the Los
Gables crew recognizes not all folks are fond of fire! My
eldest son loves their rendition of Bistek, a dish
with Philippine origin, which incorporates steak strips, peppers, onions and
a perfect garlic sauce. It is served with flour tortillas, rice, beans and a
lettuce mix. And sour cream of course. What’s
more, Los Gables has breakfast items for the pancake and egg lover to the
breakfast burrito for the rushed commuter. My custom drive thru order is a
meatless breakfast burrito with green fire salsa and milk. Nature’s candy!
All items at Los Gables can be made meatless if requested. Also
for sale are t-shirts and gift certificates. Wonderfully-priced. Happy and
gracious staff. Warm and inviting atmosphere. Incredibly-delicious.
Culturally-aware. Buy-local evident. Oh yes – and margaritas are great! A+. Submitted by Staff Writer |
