Its 6:00 P.M. Sunday Evening, Where Can I Eat In Downtown Los Altos?
After a long day of running around like a chicken with my head cut off looking to finish my Christmas shopping, my family and I decided to go to downtown Los Altos for a nice relaxing dinner. My daughter wanted to eat at her favorite Japanese restaurant, Akane. My son wanted a sandwich at LeBoulanger. My wife didn’t have a preference and I had a craving for Mexican food. We decided that we would go to Casa Lupe Mexican restaurant on Main Street. Oops our bad! When we got downtown, it was nearly empty. Sure, it was a Sunday evening around 6:00 p.m., but we still thought there would be some shoppers and people strolling about. Unfortunately, there was little of either. The bad news was that Casa Lupe was closed, as were most of the downtown eateries. The good news was that there was plenty of parking.
Hungry and a little frustrated, we headed to Estrellita, a restaurant that was a field trip for my daughter’s 2nd grade class at Springer Elementary School. Estrellita Mexican Restaurant has been located at 971 N. San Antonio Road, 1 block west of El Camino Real, since 1958. According to its owner, Russell F. Clark, it is one of the longest continuously run businesses in Los Altos (2nd to Demartini’s Orchard). Having grown up in Los Altos and having lived in town for over 30 years, I have never been to Estrellita. My mistake.
We sat down at our table and soon had chips and fresh salsa. This was a good sign, the chips were fresh, not greasy and not overly salty. The green salsa was mild yet tangy and the red salsa had a good kick but didn’t burn. We ordered and about ten minutes later our food was delivered. As soon as the food arrived, our table became very quite, another good sign! I had the Gourmet Burrito (chicken) which was outstanding. My wife had the Chicken Enchilada Combination plate. My daughter had the Chicken Soup and a side of rice and my son had two Steak Tacos. One thing that impressed me about the food was that it was fresh and piping hot. I hate it when I order a meal and it comes partially cooked and/or luke warm. Our bill for the evening, including a margarita, tax and tip was just under $50.00. I am not a food critic, but we thoroughly enjoyed our meal, the service was good, and the price was fair. Estrellita has a long history of serving good food and last night we became part of that tradition.
For years my sister and I would somehow end up singing this song on Christmas. Fun memories. I hope you enjoy it!
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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
