Adventures in Kasson Mantorville
I had visited El Patron when they first opened but had not been back until a couple months ago. El Patron is the Mexican restaurant that took over the space previously occupied by Daniel’s in Kasson, located at the intersection of Highways 14 and 57 on the south side of the city.
A couple months ago, two of my friends asked me to meet them at El Patron. I told them I had not been back to El Patron since they opened, but my friends convinced me it was time to give El Patron another try. Oh, I’m so glad we did.
Now, when you walk into El Patron, you are greeted by authentic Mexican music and the smiling face of one of the crew members. As soon as you are seated, a basket of warm chips and a mini carafe of salsa are placed on the table. I prefer cheese sauce instead of salsa, so we ordered single servings of cheese sauce for each of us to dip our chips in, but you can also order a large size of cheese sauce for the table to share.
While we ate our chips, we looked over the extensive menu. I’m pretty basic, so I ordered ground beef tacos with rice and beans. My two friends are Kim and Jen. They are more adventurous than me; Kim ordered the California Burrito and Jen ordered Fajitas.
Kim had a choice of chicken or steak, and she went with chicken. Jen had the same choice for her Fajitas, but instead of choosing one, she went with both meats. Jen also had a choice of flour or corn tortillas, and she went with corn.
Since the bar area is closed off, I asked if they served alcohol drinks in the dining area. I found out that you can have a drink with your meal. They offer all the normal selections, beer, wine, and mixed drinks. In fact, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday the margaritas are two for the price of one.
I also found out that even though the bar room is closed, you can still reserve it for private parties if you reserve it in advance. In fact, they recently had a baby shower in the bar.
Our orders were on our table before we could finish our chips. The Fajita plate was sizzling and smelled great. Kim’s California Burrito was huge, and she immediately requested a box to take some of the Burrito home. Jen was overwhelmed by the amount of Fajita meat, so she requested a box as well.
I was hungry, so I started eating and was not planning to take anything home. For the next few moments, all we did was make ooh and aah sounds as we experienced the flavor of authentic Mexican cooking. The lead cook in the kitchen is Ramiro and he has many years of restaurant experience cooking with authentic Mexican recipes.
Kim, Jen and I were so pleased that we try to return to El Patron once a week. I go back more often bymyself or with other friends. I have been able to get to know the staff at El Patron and was surprised to learn that they are all related. The owner and manager is Yazmin. Her two sons, Yadihel and Adolfo both work there. Ramiro is Yazmin’s brother, and his son, Rigo, also works at El Patron. All the family members live in Kasson.
El Patron does quite a bit of take-out business. You just need to call ahead and place your order. Phone: 507-634-7775
El Patron is open 6 days a week:
Tuesday through Thursday 11:00 to 8:30
Friday and Saturday 11:00 to 9:30
Sunday 11:00 to 8:00
Monday Closed
Everyone that works at El Patron in bilingual. So, if you prefer to order your meal using the Spanish language, go ahead and do so.
I’m so glad that I listened to Kim and Jen and went back to El Patron. Now, when I walk into El Patron, it’s like walking into a relative’s home. I’m greeted like I’m family and every culinary need I have is met.
Terry Eckstein is a Mantorville businessperson and president of the Mantorville Chamber of Commerce. In this column he will write about restaurants, other businesses, and events in Kasson and Mantorville.
Photo: Adventures in Kasson Mantorville Terry Eckstein