Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Francisco Diaz owns Two Pesos Taqueria, a popular lunch spot on Pollard Road in Los Gatos.
Homemade Mexican dishes are a specialty at Two Pesos
By Suzanne Cristallo
At 12:30 p.m., the lunch trade is at its busiest and Francisco Diaz is at his fastest. His hands move like the food is too hot to handle, stuffing the burritos and tacos, chopping the steak and cheese, ladling out the beans, the rice and the salsa. He fascinates the waiting line of hungry construction workers, business neighbors and hospital employees who make his Two Pesos Taqueria a favorite lunch stop each week.
The Two Pesos on Pollard Road in Los Gatos, which opened last December, is Diaz' second taqueria. He opened the first in Santa Clara seven years ago. Located in the Rinconada Center, his new restaurant formerly was Uncle Ray's Barbecue, followed briefly for one week by Juanita's Mexican Restaurant before Diaz took it over.
Proud of his restaurant, Diaz finds it hard to contain his enthusiasm. "I sell everything!" he says. "People come for 30 tacos at a time. They like it all." He does the cooking and emphasizes, "No cans!" Everything is fresh, he declares, gesturing to the big pot on the stove containing an overflow of freshly cut vegetables to be made into salsa for lunch.
His favorite dish to prepare is the Special Grande Burrito. With a choice of meat come rice, beans, cheese and fresh salsa folded inside a flour tortilla. On the outside come rice and pinto beans garnished with enchilada sauce, melted jack cheese, guacamole, sour cream and salsa fresca, all for $6.25. "It's big, it's nice [and] with good flavor," he says, smiling as he thinks about it. "It's dinner!"
Dinner patrons generally order take-out, perhaps to accompany a video from the rental store down the way. A variety of weekly specials for both lunch and dinner include the $5.99 Fiesta Platter--two chicken taquitos, one small quesadilla, one crispy chile colorado taco and a side of rice garnished with guacamole and sour cream. The $5.49 chimichanga plate comes with large flour tortillas crispy fried with a choice of meat and accompanied by black beans, rice, guacamole, sour cream and salsa.
Diaz, 37, was born in Michoacan, Mexico. When he came to the United States 20 years ago, he "did everything" in areas from Washington and Oregon to Fresno. He planted trees for a forester, worked the fields, was a janitor, prep cook, busboy and chef who cooked Italian, Chinese and a variety of dishes in many restaurants. He stayed 10 years as a cook with Embassy Suites, but never waited tables because of his discomfort with the English language.
Realizing he would never progress while working for someone else because of his communication problems, he decided to open his own restaurant in Santa Clara--first with three partners and eventually buying them out to become sole owner a year ago. His wife, Maria, runs the Santa Clara store with help from her 21- and 17-year-old sons, while Diaz concentrates on building the Los Gatos business with help from a sister-in-law and sometimes from his 15-year-old daughter after school. As far as his English is concerned, evidently as an employer he doesn't have a problem with it. "For my job, I do pretty well," he says with a smile.
Two Pesos Taqueria, 1452 Pollard Road., Los Gatos. Open Mon.-Sat., 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Closed Sunday. Call for take-out or catering. 408.866.4354.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
