LP_112316
The Lockport Legend 112316
The Lockport Legend 112316
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
18 | November 23, 2016 | The Lockport Legend dining out<br />
lockportlegend.com<br />
Buying<br />
or<br />
Selling<br />
Mike McCatty<br />
and associates<br />
708.945.2121<br />
mccattyrealestate.com<br />
The Dish<br />
Buenas Nachos offers authentic<br />
fare inspired by family roots<br />
Frankfort restaurant<br />
relies on word-ofmouth<br />
for growth<br />
Over a Half Billion<br />
in sales since 1999<br />
Named as one of the top brokers in the country<br />
Homer Glen $429,000<br />
There’s plenty of room in this 4800 SF home<br />
nestled on a 1+ acre lot in Meadowcrest. 4<br />
bedrooms. 3 baths. Finished basement. Sun room.<br />
Frankfort $399,000<br />
One level living with related living potential.<br />
Unique brick ranch. 4 bedrooms. Bonus room. Sun<br />
room. Almost 1 acre wooded lot.<br />
Orland Park $259,000<br />
Rarely available ranch home. Set on a 1.7 lushly<br />
landscaped wooded acre. Peaceful views yet just<br />
minutes from all Orland Park has to offer.<br />
#1 Worldwide<br />
Tinley Park $216,000<br />
Single family living with none of the outside<br />
maintenance. Bright 2 bedroom, 2 bath, end-unit<br />
ranch townhome. 2 car garage. Full basement.<br />
Orland Park $339,000<br />
Spectacular recently renovated ranch home. Open<br />
floor plan. Beautiful finishes. 3 bedrooms. 2 bath.<br />
Partial basement. Peaceful yard.<br />
Orland Park $359,000<br />
Here’s your 2016 investment property! Vintage<br />
home on a private & secluded wooded 5 acre<br />
parcel. Endless possibilities.<br />
Thomas Czaja<br />
Contributing Editor<br />
The light yellow and green<br />
walls hint of a different past.<br />
Though the inside of Buenas<br />
Nachos now is filled<br />
with the sights and smells of<br />
a variety of authentic Mexican<br />
cuisine, the Frankfort<br />
eatery used to be a flower<br />
shop.<br />
Keeping the bright paint<br />
in the interior is a daily reminder<br />
of how far the business<br />
has blossomed since<br />
first opening in the spot in<br />
1991, according to Buenas<br />
Nachos manager Andres<br />
Torres, son of the restaurant’s<br />
owner, Elvia.<br />
“We literally had patio furniture<br />
in here,” Andres said<br />
of the humble beginnings of<br />
the family-owned business.<br />
“We started without much,<br />
but it began to catch on.”<br />
Elvia, originally from central<br />
Mexico, first had a different<br />
restaurant in Chicago<br />
but decided to move to their<br />
Frankfort spot to put her<br />
family in a better, up-andcoming<br />
neighborhood, according<br />
to her son.<br />
Converting the space to<br />
house tacos and tamales instead<br />
of the likes of roses<br />
and daisies may not have<br />
been an easy task, but neither<br />
was slowly building an<br />
established clientele — a<br />
feat made all the more impressive<br />
when coupled with<br />
the fact Buenas Nachos has<br />
never advertised.<br />
“We are 100 percent wordof-mouth,”<br />
Andres said. “So<br />
we really have to thank all<br />
The tacos al pastor ($1.85 for single, $7.50 for dinner) are<br />
a traditional dish made with pork soaked in a marinade<br />
of fresh oranges, limes and more, finely cut and served<br />
with onion and cilantro on a corn shell. Thomas Czaja/22nd<br />
Century Media<br />
Buenas Nachos<br />
21016 S. LaGrange Road<br />
in Frankfort<br />
Hours<br />
• 10 a.m.-9:45 p.m.<br />
Monday-Saturday<br />
• Closed Sunday<br />
For more information ...<br />
Web: www.buenasnachos.<br />
com<br />
Phone: (815) 469-8353<br />
the people that have tried it<br />
and have recommended us,<br />
because that’s actually how<br />
we thrive.”<br />
Instead, the restaurant relies<br />
on namesake items like<br />
the Buenas Nachos tacos<br />
($2.40 each, $9 for a dinner)<br />
to do the talking. The<br />
tacos come with a choice of<br />
steak, pork, ground beef and<br />
chicken and are made with<br />
grilled pepper, onion, tomato,<br />
cheese and avocado, on<br />
either a corn of flour tortilla.<br />
The menu item again<br />
serves as a nod to a harder<br />
past, back when the Torres’<br />
family fridge was sometimes<br />
nearly empty and Elvia made<br />
tacos for the family with a<br />
random mix of ingredients<br />
on hand.<br />
A staple of the family-run<br />
restaurant — which Andres<br />
calls a “dying breed” — is<br />
that at least one member of<br />
his extended family always<br />
is present to ensure the operation<br />
is running smoothly.<br />
Whether guests choose<br />
tostadas, burritos, gorditas<br />
or tortas, the focus is on<br />
providing quick, satisfying<br />
lunches or dinners.<br />
“Anything here is good,”<br />
Andres said. “I mean, you<br />
really could almost blind<br />
shoot the menu. Everything<br />
is so fresh and delicious. It’s<br />
really what you have a taste<br />
for that day.”<br />
With Elvia ready to retire,<br />
according to Andres, the future<br />
growth and course of<br />
Buenas Nachos is not set in<br />
stone, but there is one certainty<br />
— the family tradition<br />
and authentic dishes will<br />
continue.<br />
“We are here to stay,” Andres<br />
said. “We’re not going<br />
anywhere anytime soon.”
Change language