Longtime Nogales restaurant heads north

The decor is much more dazzling, the menu has been pared down, the prices are slightly higher. And gone are the complimentary shots of tequila, forbidden by federal law.

But the new Elvira’s, at La Entrada de Tubac, 2221 E. Frontage Road, retains all the charm, hospitality and, most importantly, the excellent food that characterized its predecessor, a fixture since 1927 on Avenida Obregon in Nogales, Sonora, just steps away from the international border.

Founded by the present owner’s grandmother, from whom the restaurant takes its name, Elvira’s in Mexico was a popular tourist destination for many years, drawing the majority of its customers from the United States.

All that changed when a combination of drug cartel violence, a major economic downturn and the imposition of passport requirements for U.S. citizens returning from Mexico caused a major slump in business, said owner Ruben Monroy, Jr., 40.

Monroy’s dad ran the Nogales, Sonora, restaurant and adjacent discotheque after Elvira died until 1993, when Ruben Jr. took over.

“We saw an 80 percent drop in business. I was used to 50 percent” (because of seasonal fluctuations) “but a lot of people decided they just didn’t need to travel to Mexico anymore. We stayed there until the end of October 2008, when we closed. We still own the property and hope to reopen there again,” Monroy said.

Monroy wanted then and still wants to open locations in Tucson and Phoenix, but was convinced by local businessman Todd Harrison to try Tubac. Elvira’s, which opened in late August, has been welcomed enthusiastically by customers coming not only from Tubac and Green Valley, but from Rio Rico, Sonoita, Sahuarita, Tucson, Phoenix and across the border.

Monroy, who has degrees in graphic arts and interior design after five years of college in Mexico, selected and purchased all the furnishings and wide-ranging blend of traditional and contemporary Mexican arts and crafts that adorn the bright and lively new location during many trips throughout his native country.

He painted the restaurant himself, with a series of electric blue walls, decorated with colorful dots. All the physical labor, plus the stress of dealing with new U.S. requirements, caused him to lose about 10 pounds from his already spare frame, but he said it was worth the effort.

“I decided to change the whole design of the restaurant with a blend of traditional to fun and funky items. I want people to come and get a taste of the new and old Mexico, and experience not just the food, but the culture, the colors and the spirit,” he said.

Elvira’s retains the original colorful, cut-glass goblets from the former restaurant, as well as the Talavera dining service. But the new menu incorporates many more complicated entrees, inspired by cuisine in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Monroy said.

After he completed his studies in interior design and graphic arts, Monroy headed off for cooking school in Mexico City to become a chef. He now creates all the recipes and does much of the cooking at the new location, his preference being for “more inventive cuisine.”

His mom, Alice, is a partner in the new Elvira’s and “the supervisor of all recipes.”

“She’s a much better cook than I am,” Monroy said, noting that his pursuit to preserve and update the family’s tradition of culinary excellence and gregarious hospitality has been a lifelong passion.

“I like everything to be perfect. When you are a designer, you are a perfectionist, but when you are a chef it’s even worse,” he said, with a laugh.

Monroy decided on a combined lunch and dinner menu to start, with — about 20 items. The former Elvira’s offered 60 items on the menu, he said, but he plans to add and subtract, based on customer preference.

The menu offers appetizers, priced from $7.95 to $9.95, including fried potato and cheese tacos, sauteed with garlic and chiles, guacamole, and melted cheese served with tortillas.

Entrees range from $8.95 for green chile enchiladas to $22.95 for Salmon Janitzio, sauteed with onions garlic and chiles.

Also on the menu is chile poblano stuffed with squash blossom, roasted corn and cheese, served on a bed of bean chipotle sauce, and quesadillas poblanas, cheese-filled turnovers with nopalitos, poblano chiles, jalapenos and roasted corn covered in a tomatillo sauce.

The menu also includes grilled filet mignon, rib eye steak, sea bass, shrimp, flounder, grilled tongue and flank steak, with a wide assortment of chiles and sauces.

Cheesecake is available for dessert. Elvira’s stocks a full bar, with beer and wine from around the world and margaritas that pack a powerful punch. Shots of tequila are available for 50 cents.

A welcoming shot of tequila on the house was a hallmark at the old restaurant “because we had a deal with a tequila company. We now sell the shots because U.S. law doesn’t permit serving liquor for free,” Monroy said, adding that he raised menu prices by about 5 percent because he now must pay rent as opposed to owning the land and restaurant in Mexico.

If you go

Elvira’s is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday through Saturday, 11 a.m to midnight (kitchen closes at 9 p.m.) and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for lunch. The restaurant employs about 25, including a kitchen staff of six.

Elvira’s does not take reservations or personal checks, but accepts major credit cards.

For more information on Elvira’s, call the restaurant at 398-9421

Kathy Engle is a freelance writer who lives in Amado. You can contact her at kdengle@ earthlink.net