Yes, it's true. Following months-that have stretched into years-of renovations and permits and preparations, not to mention a virtual reconstruction of the building as it was retrofitted to become earthquake-safe, Gordito's on Queen Anne is finally open.
After all this time, you may have to see it with your own eyes to believe it-and I suggest you do. Although the menu offers an almost identical selection to that of its Greenwood flagship, the restaurant itself is more spacious, better-looking and more sophisticated than the original. It could be the décor, such as the Mexican-tiled walls and floors, or the fireplace (electric, but still visually effective) or the huge windows in the front that can be opened when the weather permits, as it did with Seattle's first delicious taste of spring during opening weekend.
Or maybe it's the addition of a full bar, separated from the restaurant by a wrought-iron railing, which produces good margaritas that are neither ether-strong nor sugary-weak.
Then again, it might just be because we've waited so dang long for these doors to open.
Whatever the reason, husband and wife owners Marlene Hall and Gabriel Ramirez have created a beautiful space that still manages to be the kind of place in which your child can spill a glass of cantaloupe juice (as mine did) without hurting anyone's feelings.
If you've never sampled the fare at Gordito's in Greenwood-which has had an almost cultlike following since its establishment in 1994-you're in for a treat. The food is really good. In a culture where restaurants too often serve humongous portions to mask a lack of quality, Gordito's manages to break the mold by dishing up burritos the size of Yule logs that are both delicious and inexpensive.
Gordito's also serves tacos, tostadas and other items you'd expect at an establishment that is just this side of a Mexican fast-food joint. However, unlike a fast-food joint, the meals at Gordito's taste as fresh as the ingredients they're made with, and the restaurant's only real resemblance to "fast food" is its method of service: one orders and pays at the front counter, then finds a table where the order is delivered.
Gordito's basic burrito is filled with seasoned rice, black beans, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, homemade salsa and your choice of meats or tofu. Crank it up a notch to the mammoth Burrito Grande and you'll get a side of tasty guacamole. Go really wild with their most popular "Wet" Burrito Grande, topped with red sauce and melted cheese, and you've just bought the ultimate Gordito's satisfaction.
The fish tacos are also definitely worth trying: white fish sautéed with tomatillo salsa and served as they should be, with shredded cabbage, cilantro and lime on corn tortillas. Quesadillas are satisfying, if not inspiring, and you can dress them up by adding meat or veggies. Sides of rice and beans are good but hardly necessary with the sizable main dishes.
A nice, welcoming touch is the basket of crisp and tasty chips served with a mild, warm homemade salsa and free with every order. You can up the fire in any dish by requesting the addition of chilies, and there is a full salsa bar, including salsas made with roasted fresh tomatoes and chilies at three levels of heat as well as a burn-your-mouth pickled vegetable topping.
Bear in mind that when I say that the portions are large, I mean they are really, really huge. One burrito grande, at $7.50, could literally feed three, maybe four adults. Even "regular" sized items are relatively large and should leave you with a nice-sized lunch for the next day. The likelihood of leftovers is recognized by the owners, who've presciently stacked takeout containers within customers' reach near the front door.
Children's offerings, decidedly smaller, include a bean-and-cheese burrito or quesadilla at only $2.50 apiece; adults can order these for an extra dollar and receive what are likely the only appropriately sized portions from the menu. Breakfast is served all day, and I look forward to sharing (what is undoubtedly) a mammoth-sized serving of huevos rancheros with black beans, Mexican rice, two eggs topped with red salsa served with tortillas at $8 a plate.
As good as the fare is at Gordito's, it's hard to separate one's appreciation for the food from the upbeat energy of its fiery frontwoman, Marlene Hall. Although Ramirez is Mexican and the source of the recipes as well as much of the behind-the-scenes work, Hall is more visible; you can almost always find her hustling about as she works the register and almost every other station in the restaurant, all the while greeting regulars as if they were family and new customers as if they were happily engaged to someone in the family.
As evidence of the power of her goodwill, I found that almost every person I've spoken to who frequented the Greenwood Gordito's mentions Hall as if she were a dear friend. Her enthusiasm spills over to the employees, virtually all of whom are family to the couple and seem just as happy to work at the restaurant as you are to be eating there.
Gordito's on Queen Anne seats approximately 80, and Hall and Ramirez plan eventually to add a rear deck: a good thing, both because there is nowhere better to sip a margarita than under the sun, and because the place is already bursting with an enthusiastic crowd of customers. On April 21, within hours of its opening, there was a line out the front door, and business has been steady ever since. Gordito's doesn't generally take reservations, but there's a small room (originally intended to be Hall's office until she decided that she couldn't sit still long enough to utilize the space) that may be reserved without extra cost for groups of eight or smaller.
However, the room is a little cramped when compared to the vastness of the main restaurant. Gordito's doesn't deliver, but takeout is a popular option and allows you to skip the line when you pick up your order.
In spite of the past couple of years of ever-changing signs displayed in the building's front window promising the restaurant's imminent opening, know that the wait was worth it: you can now enjoy Seattle's best burrito with the full satisfaction that, even in the midst of an earthquake, you'll be able to sit inside of this lovely remodeled building for as long as it takes you to finish eating it. Or at least until you get full.
Gordito's Restaurant, 1507 Queen Anne Ave. N., 282-2792, Wednesday-Monday, 10:30 a.m.-midnight.[[In-content Ad]]
