Route 66 Restaurant in New Location: Back by Popular Demand
Tara A. Spears
For those that enjoy the simple, authentic vibe, the new Route 66 Smokehouse is perfect! Everyone knows that the quirky neighborhood café has the best food. For Jaltemba Bay, Mexico, it’s sure to be Route 66 Smokehouse #2. Owner and head chef, Felix Cabrera, has a gregarious personality and mega culinary talent. When you walk in, an imaginary melody plays “I got friends in low places, where the food is great and the beer chases my blues away …. Just slip on down to route 66 and have a good time.”(Garth Brooks singing.)
The restaurant’s new location is between La Penita and Guayabitos. From highway 200, turn at the southern La Penita traffic signal and go down the dirt road towards the mountains. The restaurant is on the left side of Calle Avilla #16. Summer hours are 11 am til 6:00 pm. To order takeout, send a Face Book message to Chefecito Felix or call 322 352 0507.
The current menu features the favorite house specialties: melt-in-your-mouth ribs; smoked tuna fillets; juicy steaks; world’s best beef burgers; fish & chips; bar-b-que tacos or tasty giant shrimp burritos- all made fresh when you order. Add a cold beer and its perfection! In addition, Chefecito Felix is still available as a private chef or to cater.
Check out the backstory of the chef: When I met Felix, I immediately thought of Rocky Balboa. Felix is the Mexican version of an underdog that works hard to achieve his dream and overcome obstacles. He goes the distance because he has the talent, dedication and drive to succeed. His perseverance and ability to still smile after all the rough spots is impressive. Felix isn’t just another cook, he’s kind of guy you call friend.
His parents were cooks and so he grew up learning how to properly prepare food. When Felix was 15, his parents moved the family to California to work. Imagine the pressure as a teen to have to learn a new language and the culture shock of going from a small Mexican pueblo to a West Coast lifestyle! School was impossible so Felix started working in restaurants. “I always wanted to learn and always wanted to cook. Preparing food was my comfort zone in the foreign country,” explained Felix. “After a while I was able to buy a used motorcycle and it was my reward to myself for all the long working hours. I loved the freedom of riding a motorcycle and I made some very good biker friends.”
Over the years Felix learned many styles of cooking from working in various types of restaurants. “That’s why I call my chef’s style Mexican/ Mediterranean fusion, all cooked with wood.” Felix has formulated his own recipes and seasoning that utilizes what is around him. (In coastal Mexico, chilies, seafood, beef.) He is a dedicated, hard-working chef and his hard work is evident in his opening of Route 66 Smokehouse #2.
Felix wanted to return to Mexico and chose Puerto Vallarta for its job opportunities. During the years that he was living in PV, Felix honed his culinary skills and formed strong friendships with the riders in the Kaibil’s Motorcycle club of PV. His father became ill so Felix relocated to Guadalajara to care for him. There, Felix opened a small restaurant which he operated for several years. Passing the restaurant to his son, Felix felt the call of the road again. While taking a break from riding from Guadalajara, Felix stopped in Guayabitos. “I looked at the houses and all the new building and thought, this town is growing and would be good for a smokehouse restaurant,” said Felix. “Besides, the people were friendly and I could keep in touch with my buddies in Vallarta.”
After being a personal chef for about six months, Felix was able to open his own restaurant in La Colonia, Route 66 Smokehouse. “When I plan my menu, I focus on the fresh ingredients, add my special unique seasoning and only prepare the meat over a wood burning fire; I plan the presentation to be simple but unique to compliment the flavor of the dish.” Quickly the restaurant gathered customers simply by word of mouth: eat there once and I guarantee that you, too, will become a repeat customer. The ribs are so tender! The ear of sweet corn is seasoned with flavorful cotija cheese that is a wonderful accompaniment to the grilled burger that comes with all the fixings. Yum, yum, yum!
In case you’re wondering what’s up with the name Route 66, it has part of United States pop culture since the 1960s. Since its establishment in 1926, Route 66 has not only had a huge impact on the way that Americans travel from place to place, but also the way that they define themselves as an essentially free and mobile people. There is perhaps no fitter metaphor for the “American way of life” than a long -running, well-kept highway that enables us to satisfy our wanderlust while guaranteeing us safe passage back to our family and loved ones after the urge has been satisfied. So, Felix is paying tribute to the variety of life and freedom of choice with the name.
There have been dozens of rock songs that allude to the journey with the song ‘Take it Easy’ by the Eagles which references a town along Route 66 called Winslow, Arizona, being one well-known example. Perhaps that’s why I have all these melodies playing in my head when I go there- just seeing the sign makes me feel young and free again. “If you ever plan to motor west/Travel my way, take the highway that’s the best/Get your kicks on Route Sixty-Six!”
Go to the new Route 66 Smokehouse #2 restaurant for the excellent food, unique attitude and the warm welcome of chefecito Felix. Calle Avilla #16 is just minutes from La Penita centro or Guaybitos. Watch Face Book for updates on hours when the season starts in November.