Photograph by Robert Scheer
Esperanza Acevedo owns Esperanza's Market Restaurant on South Murphy Avenue.
By LESTER CHANG
She may be biased, but co-owner Esperanza Acevedo believes that Esperanza's Market Restaurant is the best Mexican restaurant in town.
Why?
"There are about 50 or so Mexican restaurants in Sunnyvale, but we are special because we sell authentic Mexican food, we have good prices, and our service is friendly and quick," she said.
Esperanza's, which can seat no more than 60 customers, is small compared to some Mexican restaurants. But business has been steady since it opened in 1984, said Acevedo, who co-owns the eatery with her husband, Joe. Esperanza's is staffed by Acevedo's son and at least two other employees, all of whom are close friends.
Customers return because they want true Mexican food, Acevedo said. The flavor of the dishes comes out because the portions aren't covered with heavy spices, she added.
"We have a special sauce consisting of chili peppers, tomatoes, onions and cilantro," she said. "The sauce is mild so you can taste the dish. It's unlike the kind of sauce that is used at some Mexican restaurants here. They use oregano or peppers that change the flavor of the food so that you can't really taste the dish."
One of her favorite dishes is flautas--shredded meat wrapped in tortilla that is cooked in lightweight soy or corn oil. The dish is special to her because her mother used to make it for her. She eats it almost daily.
Customers favor burritos, Acevedo said. She meets the demand with tortillas filled with flaky-textured rice, a prerequisite for a good-tasting burrito, Acevedo said.
Combination dishes using pork, chicken and beef are also popular.
Before the dish gets to the customers, 30 minutes go into preparing the food, Acevedo said.
"The food is cooked with love and time," she said. "That is why, I believe, the food tastes good."
The food is whipped up by Fe Hockett. In the decade or so since Hockett was hired, he's learned how to cook Mexican dishes and to speak Spanish fluently.
Dishes range from $3.89 for a vegetarian burrito to $9.95 for mole qaxaqueño, which consists of chicken, herbs, chili peppers, rice, beans and tortillas.
The simple ambiance of the restaurant enhances the eating experience. Murals on the peach-colored walls depict matadors and Las Mujer Dormita, an inactive volcano in southern Mexico.
Sombreros hang on the walls near a cabinet with cans of spices, sauces, beans and other imports from Mexico.
Tecate and Bohemia beers, made in Mexico, are also on the menu.
Esperanza's Market Restaurant is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., except Sundays, when closing time is 8 p.m. 732-3253.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, December 11, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.