Family recipes for success
Fine flavors, ample portions and moderate prices put Pepe’s and Margaritas atop a long list of favorite Mexican restaurants
By Dan O'Heron 06/25/2009
Topping the thousands of restaurants representing the eight major culinary regions of Mexico and scores of collateral descendants — ranging from Neo-Tex-Mex to Nouvelle California/Asian eclectic — is a very large order, but one that’s being filled nicely by Pepe’s in Montrose and Margarita’s, its sister restaurant in Pasadena.
Both restaurants are courting an ever-growing patronage by serving delicious “we grew up with” Mexican dishes with familiar staples, flavorings, garnishes and cooking techniques that make Mexican food taste, well, like Mexican food.
On a recent evening at Pepe’s, a mixed group ordered dishes separately but started with a shared large frying pan (four of us splitting $14.49) of chicken fajitas. Delivered from kitchen to table, it announced its presence with the snap, crackle and pop of bubble wrap under foot.
After the sizzling stopped, we divided a platter of camarones al mojo de ajo, relishing eight large shrimp, all blended with red, green and yellow bell peppers. Pan-fried and brushed with a savory oil-garlic blend, the shrimp peeled out of their shells easily before melting in our mouths. Highlighting a bevy of sides on the $18.49 platter was a scoop of fresh avocado puffed with a cool, spicy dollop of cream.
A vegetarian at my table loved the innovative potato taco, a creation of Rolando Casas, who serves as Pepe’s manager by night and Margarita’s head waiter by day and for 22 years has been an employee and confidant of the founding Bugarin family.
While admitting that the restaurants are not ready to fad out on low-carb, Casas said “We reject out of hand the ‘no substitution rule.’ Request a modification to any menu item and it’s yours,” he said. “I can even quote from Atkins and rack up your Weight Watchers points.”
Among the most delicious sides at Pepe’s were frijoles de la olla, pinto beans cooked in a big pot but not refried, then served with a juicy clump of salsa fresca and slices of avocado spanning a narrow oblong bowl — finishing touches that draw from the hospitalities of central Mexico’s Zacatecas region, where the Bugarin family roots sprouted.
Pepe’s was founded in 1971 and Margaritas in 1979 by Bernie Bugarin, who passed away in February 2008 after a long illness. He was very successful — able to buy a Zacatecan ranch in the neighborhood where he once picked fruit — and the businesses have provided a sweet and sure annuity for his family.
Owned and operated today by daughter Ruby and sons Rolando and Victor, the restaurants continue to explore Bernie’s heritage. Ruby said they continued her father’s successes by maintaining a “family album of heirloom recipes” and culinary techniques that are “learned by hear,” while also cherishing core customers (“as Dad required”).
“You’re only as strong as your staff,” said Ruby, “and we’ve had so many loyal people with us for a long time — people like Margaritas Manager Angel Burgiaga, who has been with us for 30 years, and waitress Cruz Delgado Gamez … more than 25. And my longtime and loyal friend, Rolando Casas.”
After graduating from Pasadena’s Mayfield Prep in 1989, Ruby went on to get a degree in journalism at Indiana University, then an advanced degree at the University of Chicago before becoming a reporter for a Spanish-language weekly owned by the Chicago Tribune. She returned to help her father run the business in 2006. “He and I always knew I’d come back,” she says.
Pepe’s moved to Montrose in May 2008, converting an empty room into a place that now resembles a home in a charming pueblo in Old California. A framed photo there of Bernie Bugarin reminded me of sitting down with him years ago, talking of local politics while sipping his famous tamarindo margaritas.
Ruby says many people visit the restaurant as much for friendly visits as they do to eat. Sometimes it’s as much the singer as the song.
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