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August 17, 2009

New Mexican restaurant a hit

By Tanner Kent

MADELIA — Jose Herrera knows the importance of opening.

To open customers’ eyes to his new Mexican restaurant, Herrera obtained permission from the city of Madelia to close down Main Street and hold a block party, complete with bands, street dancing and, of course, food.

But Herrera also knows the importance of staying open. And to do that, he’s confident his two-month-old Plaza Morena restaurant will keep customers coming back by relying on a simple mantra:

Serious food and good service in a comfortable setting.

“Especially in these times,” Herrera said. “We still want to give people big portions at reasonable prices.”

Herrera, who has owned and operated several restaurants during his 28-career in food service, opened his latest venture in Madelia inside the space formerly occupied by the Happy Days Cafe. His dining area features stone walls and plush, cream-colored booths as well as three flat-screen TVs. The restaurant is just big enough for a full bar — with domestic as well as Mexican labels.

Herrera said Madelia’s Plaza Morena is the third he’s opened in southern Minnesota (the others in Albert Lea and Owatonna). At all locations, he said, the food is prepared and cooked according to his own original recipes. Recipes that go all the way back to when Herrera was 11 years old and received his first job as a kitchen hand in a small restaurant in Mexico.

His showcase dish is the Morena Especial, a $13.95 plate big enough for two, made up of carne asada steak sauteed with shrimp, vegetables and his personal blend of butter and spices. But his large menu covers all the traditional favorites (most under $9) and also allows customers to order a la carte and cheaper lunch portions.

“Customers are the judges,” said the 39-year-old Herrera. “I don’t know if my food is the best, but I know it’s different.”

Herrera’s modesty may only be partly accurate.

Dan Madsen, Madelia’s director of economic development, said he always enjoyed eating at the Plaza Morena in Owatonna when he worked in that city. So when the Happy Days location became vacant, Madsen broached Herrera and city developers about the opportunity to open Madelia’s first Main Street restaurant featuring Mexican fare.

Since then, Madsen said, Plaza Morena’s strength has been its ability to draw customers outside of Madelia’s 2,300 residents. In just a few months, Madsen said, reputation has spread quickly and benefited other downtown businesses.

“The reputation is that the food is for real,” said Madsen, who was also very complimentary of Herrera’s involvement in the community. “They’re bringing economy to the whole city.”

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