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Victor and Rosa Valverde plan to carry on tradition when they open their new taqueria, El Pato Verde (The Green Duck), by cooking the kind of food they enjoyed when they lived in Sonora, Mexico, a state just below Arizona.
After 14 years in the United States, much of which they spent in Oregon, the Valverdes longed for authentic Northern Mexican cuisine.
That's fortunate for University students, as El Pato Verde will be located on 682 East 13th Ave., next to Napoli. Students who are hungry for lunch will have a new option for eats, starting Monday.
The Valverdes hope to open El Pato Verde by 9 a.m. Aug. 5.
"We'll make every effort to please the customers," Rosa said. "(It will provide) fine restaurant quality at an affordable price. It will be fine and fast."
The name El Pato Verde celebrates the University mascot, and it is also a play on the family name, Victor said. "Val" means valley in Spanish, and "verde" means green.
The family restaurant does not have set hours yet, but it will be open as long as hungry people are coming through the door, Victor said.
"We're going to find out how late (to stay open), according to the customers," Victor said. "If they want us to be there late, we'll be there late. When we make breakfast, the hours will be from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m."
For the first week or so, the restaurant will be primarily serving lunch, but Victor hopes to have breakfast ready to go soon.
The plans for the taqueria have been in progress for quite some time. It is located in a space that was previously occupied by Wells Fargo Bank. Victor was eyeing the lot since it became vacant, but he was waiting until time and funding were available for his dream.
"Since we came into the area, I had this idea, but I was too busy with my job," Victor said. "I was looking for the right location, and I think we got a good one right here."
Meal prices will most likely be on par with other local Mexican restaurants, although nothing is certain quite yet, Victor said.
The restaurant will serve freshly made flour tortillas in the tradition of Northern Mexico, Victor said. Corn tortillas are traditionally a Southern Mexican food.
Drinks will range from 75 cents to $1.15, a bean and cheese burrito will run about $2, and all tacos will be $1.50. One taco might be a little pricier, however: "Tacos al Pastor."
This dish requires a vertical rotisserie, for which the Valverdes have found two possible vendors. The rotisserie and the tacos will probably not be served until about week after the restaurant opens, Victor said.
"It is a very special kind of taco," Victor said. "I know a lot of people have to drive to Salem or Portland to have these."
The meat that fills the taco is marinated the night before and then cooked slowly on the vertical rotisserie. Pineapple chunks are piled on top, so that the flavor of the juice seeps into the meat.
El Pato Verde will also serve dessert.
"We want to have a cake that is really good," Victor said.
Victor said the restaurant will offer "El Pastel de Las Tres Leches," or the Cake of the Three Milks, a Spanish treat with a unique flavor.
The family has plans to expand the drink menu as well.
"In the future, I want to have an espresso machine," Victor said.
The restaurant seems to be not only traditional, but also a constantly changing enterprise for the Valverde family.
Contact the reporter at jilliandaley@dailyemerald.com.
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