The King of Tequila and the Queen of Cuisine
by Margaret Fleming
We wrote an article a few months ago about Mickey's Cantina, a new restaurant and bar in the Old Port. Last week we were driving through at about cocktail time, thinking about having a margarita. When we went past Mickey's, we said, "This is it." What better place to find tequila--in any form?
Mickey served us with his special brand of tequila called Tiquilito--deliciously smooth and flavorful. He joined us, and we drank to each other's health. Then his wife Lucy came out from the kitchen and also sat with us. We drank tequila--straight--and started getting to know each other better. Mickey and Lucy talked with the easy intimacy of a long-married couple who still enjoy each other. They have been married 42 years and have four sons. They also own Mickey's in Nogales, a restaurant, bar, and smoke shop, and have just recently branched out to Puerto Peñasco. Their son Gaston manages this branch most of the time, but Mickey and Lucy had been here for several weeks while he was away.
Mickey asked if we wanted to order dinner. He told us Lucy is the best cook he knows. We don't eat a big dinner in the evening, so we told them we'd come back for lunch the next day.
When we entered the restaurant the next afternoon, Mickey greeted us with his usual cordiality. This time he served us tequila from the barrel, a special blend for his private use. It was even better than what we'd had the night before--like drinking silk. He told us how he'd served it to another customer, who always ordered rum, and converted the man to a tequila drinker. Two other customers came in and he persuaded them to try it. They also loved it and abandoned the idea of whatever else they had intended to order.
John ordered fried flounder and I had a chile relleno, one of my favorites. Both were delicious. We got to talking with some other people, obviously regulars here, and they started asking us if we'd tried this dish or that from Lucy's kitchen. We hadn't--yet--but we certainly will in the future. We'll have to go back and sample more dishes from the queen of cuisine, a perfect consort for the king of tequila.
