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Spanish Driving into Puerto Peñasco a couple of weeks ago we were attracted by a sign on our left that said "Restaurant Open." We noticed a finished driveway leading to a cluster of new buildings, some of them still unfinished. Trucks and equipment were going back and forth, and we could see men at work on the farther buildings. We drove in to see what was there and found Desert Oasis, a new restaurant and bar that had been open only a week. It is housed in a large building with windows on three sides that make the room inside appear very light and spacious. Murals and Mexican ceramics decorate the walls. Some of the windows are stained glass. A beautiful fireplace is at one end of the room and a huge wooden bar in the middle. Along one side are booths and along the other several massive wooden bar-height tables with stools. In front of the fireplace are smaller tables with chairs. There are four TVs, one in each corner of the room. Several people were seated at the bar when we entered.
We talked to the bartender, Chuy Sanchez, who is obviously a pro. He's been tending bar for 12 years, and has lived in Puerto Peñasco for 8 years. He expertly mixed us a couple of Margaritas and told us more about Desert Oasis. It opens at 10 a.m. every day and dinner is served from 12:00 on. Happy Hour is from 2 to 6 p.m. The restaurant serves steaks, chicken, hamburgers, and fajitas, among other things. There's a $5 daily dinner special. Chuy told us that the owners are Americans from Phoenix and suggested that we talk to the manager, Cornelia de Felix, to get more information.
We immediately recognized Cornelia when she came in. She's an American who has lived here about 4 years and we'd met before. She welcomed us and gave us more details about Desert Oasis. Its owners are Don and Roberta Buttrum. Don owns Desert Truss [braguero, suspensorio?] in Phoenix, and they have a home in Las Conchas. This is a joint project between them and their daughter and son-in-law. Construction began in May 1998. Cornelia was hired first as a laborer in the construction crew, working side by side with the men helping to clear off the desert scrub with shovels and rakes. Then, because she is fluent in Spanish, she became an interpreter, then the manager's assistant. When the manager left in December, she was promoted to manager. Her husband, Ricardo Felix, who is a Mexican, also works here. We asked if they had met in Puerto Peñasco, but were surprised to learn they had met in Oregon, a state in the U.S. where not many Mexicans live.
Inside Cornelia pointed out to us the inlaid tiles on every table top and told us that Roberta had made them. We walked around and looked at them all--every table was different and unique. Cornelia also told us that Don had made the big wooden tables. Outside there is a giant ramada with tables and chairs set up underneath. There's a sound system set up and there will soon be two more TVs outside for sports fans.
We ordered hamburgers, which were delicious. While we were eating we talked to Elmer Slavey, who helps with the restaurant during the evenings. He was telling us of a plan to have small hamburgers like those that used to be served at White Castle restaurants in the Eastern United States. We both could remember them from our childhoods in New York and Cleveland. You could never eat just one. Some people ordered them by the dozen for 5 cents each, eating each one in a single bite. Next time we visited Desert Oasis, sure enough, there they were--a little bigger than the old White Castle hamburgers.
The food is excellent at Desert Oasis. We met the chef, Guadalupe Castro, who accepted our compliments with a modest smile. He is from Sinaloa and has been cooking for many years, most recently at another local restaurant known for its fine food. The following week on another visit we tried fish steamed in foil with cheeses. Mmmm, delicious.
Although Desert Oasis has been open only a short time, it already has many customers. Cornelia told us that they have been about equally divided between Mexicans and Americans. That says a lot for the restaurant. To appeal to this intercultural mix, the bar has a collection of over 200 CDs representing music of all different types.
Over the next five to ten years, the Buttrums hope to expand this facility to include a hotel, an RV park, a swimming pool, commercial buildings, a volleyball court with lights, and several storage buildings. The storage buildings are under construction now. Some of them are big enough for large boats and RVs, and there are smaller ones as well.
This new facility is a welcome addition to the developing commercial strip of Puerto Peñasco (see article on page ). The Buttrums are to be congratulated on their good taste and strategic planning .
