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Mexican Food, American Passion
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June 29, 2010, at 07:00 AM
Maria Sanchez
Dales Heise
Maria’s Mexican Food
By Jesse D. Stanek
Maria’s Mexican Restaurant, located in the heart of Ralston at 7630 Burlington St., has been a local mainstay serving Mexican food for over 35 years.
While Maria Sanchez herself was born in Omaha and graduated from South High in 1957, her father and grandfather had migrated to Nebraska from Mexico when her father was 12 years old. Her grandfather worked on the railroad and the family thrived in the Omaha community.
When Maria’s husband was stationed in Puerto Rico, the two started a small restaurant outside the military base. They both enjoyed the work so much that her husband said “This is what we’ll do when we retire.”
Upon the couple’s return to Omaha, Maria’s Mexican Food was born out of a mutual love for cooking Mexican dishes. “I think we’re unique because we’ve been here so long,” Sanchez said. “Our food is more of a home-cooked thing than some of the newer restaurants around town. We were the third or fourth original Mexican restaurant to open in the area. Now, a lot of the Mexican restaurants are being run by people from Mexico. Our food is quite different; we’re kind of more of an American take on Mexican food. I got a lot of recipes from my mom, who is from Texas, so we kind of have a Tex-Mex take on our dishes. A lot of our food is stuff she used to cook at home.”
Being in business as long as Maria’s has, it comes as little surprise that the restaurant has cultivated a loyal following. Along with signature dishes like their homemade tacos and tamales, the restaurant claims to make one of the best margaritas in the Metro area. With reasonable prices and daily specials on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, Maria’s has become an institution in local Mexican fare and a important part of the Ralston business landscape. “Our tacos are definitely one of our most popular menu items,” Sanchez said. “We deep-fry our dough, which is almost like a pastry type dough. Then we cook the meat in the dough before we again deep-fry the whole thing. But we offer a little bit of everything-- homemade tamales and our pork chili are really popular too.”
Dating back to her father’s childhood in Mexico, the culture and heritage of Mexico have been a large part of the Sanchez’s lives. While she insists they both enjoy cooking the food of their homeland, it was her husband’s passion for south-of-the-border cuisine that led them to try their hand in the restaurant business.
For a delicious experience, complete with family recipes cooked with love, Maria’s Mexican Restaurant is the perfect spot.
Tell us about your favorite places at tips@metroneighborhoodnews.com.
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